The Good Fight

The Good Fight. A critically acclaimed American television series that premiered in 2017 as a direct sequel and spin-off to the long-running network drama The Good Wife. Created by husband-and-wife team Robert King and Michelle King, the series moved to the streaming platform CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+), allowing for more serialized storytelling and mature content. It follows attorney Diane Lockhart as her life and career are upended by a massive financial scam, forcing her to join a predominantly Black law firm in Chicago.

Premise and setting

The narrative begins in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 presidential election and the inauguration of Donald Trump, events that deeply affect the protagonist's worldview. After losing her savings in a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by her goddaughter, Maia Rindell, Diane is forced out of her former firm, Lockhart & Lee, and joins the prestigious Chicago firm Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart. The firm, later renamed Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad, is a leading African-American-owned firm specializing in civil rights litigation. The series uses its Chicago setting to explore contemporary socio-political issues, often blurring reality with fiction through animated sequences, fourth wall breaks, and direct commentary on the Trump administration, the #MeToo movement, and fake news.

Cast and characters

The ensemble is led by Christine Baranski, reprising her role as the formidable litigator Diane Lockhart from The Good Wife. Cush Jumbo plays Lucca Quinn, a savvy lawyer who becomes a close ally to Diane, while Rose Leslie portrays the beleaguered Maia Rindell, whose family's fraud case triggers the central plot. Delroy Lindo stars as name partner Adrian Boseman, a brilliant and principled litigator, and Audra McDonald joined as Liz Reddick, a formidable attorney and the daughter of the firm's founder. Supporting characters include the firm's resourceful investigators, such as Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold and Nyambi Nyambi as Jay DiPersia, and attorneys like Michael Boatman as Julius Cain. Notable recurring and guest stars include Michael Sheen as the chaotic Roland Blum, Mandy Patinkin as the insightful Hal Wackner, and John Larroquette who appears as a conservative television host.

Production and development

Developed specifically for the then-new CBS All Access streaming service, the series was a bold experiment for CBS Studios. Showrunners Robert King and Michelle King utilized the creative freedom of a streaming platform to craft more politically charged and structurally adventurous storylines than was possible on broadcast television. Filming primarily took place in New York City, standing in for Chicago. The production faced significant real-world events, notably rewriting storylines following the death of actor John Slattery's planned character and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, which was incorporated into the show's fifth season. The series concluded after its sixth season in 2022, with the finale providing a surreal and meta-fictional conclusion to Diane's journey.

Reception

The series received widespread critical acclaim throughout its run, with particular praise for its sharp writing, timely political commentary, and the performances of its cast, especially Christine Baranski. It holds high scores on aggregate review websites and was frequently cited as a flagship success for CBS All Access and later Paramount+. The show earned numerous award nominations, including several Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Audra McDonald, and Michael Sheen. It also received recognition from the American Film Institute and the Peabody Awards. Critics from publications like The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vulture hailed it as one of the most relevant and intelligently crafted dramas of its era.

Cultural impact and legacy

It is regarded as a pioneering series in the streaming era, proving that a spin-off could successfully transition from network television to a subscription model while deepening its artistic ambitions. Its unflinching, often surreal, engagement with the political turmoil of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including the January 6 Capitol attack, established it as a unique cultural artifact. The series expanded the narrative universe of The Good Wife and influenced a wave of legally and politically themed dramas. Its legacy is cemented as a bold, experimental drama that used the legal procedural format to dissect American institutions, media, and power structures during a period of profound national division.

Category:2017 American television series debuts Category:2022 American television series endings Category:American legal drama television series