Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Timely, mature drama about surviving political scandal.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Good Wife
What's the Story?
In THE GOOD WIFE, when former Cook County State Attorney Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) is jailed for political corruption after a very public sex scandal, his wife Alicia (Julianna Margulies) accepts an offer from former law school friend Will Gardner (Josh Charles) to join his firm as a junior associate. As she begins to rebuild her legal career after 13 years away from the courtroom, she finds herself up against the legal profession's traditional "old boys' network" -- which is, ironically, occasionally made worse by female senior partner Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). Luckily, Alicia gets some support from the firm's in-house investigator, Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi). As Alicia works to prove herself professionally, she also struggles to protect herself and teenage children (played by Graham Phillips and Mackenzie Vega) from the public scandals while coping with her mother-in-law's (Mary Beth Peil) denial about her son's escapades.
Is It Any Good?
This series sets itself apart from other legal dramas because it's set within the backdrop of real-life political/sex scandals that have been sensationalized in the media. Because The Good Wife is told from Alicia's point of view, it establishes a strong, positive voice -- one that's presumably meant to represent the real-life political wives who publicly stand by their husbands but are usually never heard from. It also calls attention to the pain that these scandals -- and the media coverage they receive -- can cause.
While Alicia is a strong survivor, The Good Wife sends some mixed messages about women. It features women in a variety of domestic and distinguished professional roles, but it also shows them resorting to catty and/or desperate measures to get what they want. Meanwhile, Alicia's on-going efforts to support her husband politically and personally sometimes makes her appear more indecisive than empowered. Still, the show offers a well-developed and (unfortunately) timely drama that makes for solid primetime entertainment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the media spends so much time reporting scandals, both in reality and in The Good Wife. Why do these stories receive so much attention? What kind of impact can publicity have on the personal lives of those associated with these stories?
What kind of impact does sexual content in the media have on viewers? How can parents keep kids who aren't mature enough to handle this sort of thing from being exposed to it, especially when it's in the news?
How do the characters in The Good Wife demonstrate integrity? Why is this an important character strength?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 22, 2009
- Cast : Chris Noth , Christine Baranski , Julianna Margulies
- Network : CBS
- Genre : Drama
- Character Strengths : Integrity
- TV rating :
- Awards : Emmy - Emmy Award Winner , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : May 24, 2025
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