The first season of The Good Wife began airing on September 22, 2009 and finished on May 25, 2010. It consisted of 23 episodes.
Premise
The series focuses on Alicia Florrick (Margulies), whose husband Peter (Noth), the former Cook County, Illinois State's Attorney, has been jailed following a notorious political corruption and sex scandal. After having spent the previous thirteen years as a stay-at-home mother, Alicia returns to the workforce as a litigator to provide for her two children.
Cast
Main Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick Matt Czuchry as Cary Agos Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma Graham Phillips as Zach Florrick Makenzie Vega as Grace Florrick Josh Charles as Will Gardner Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart
Recurring Chris Noth as Peter Florrick Mary Beth Peil as Jackie Florrick Titus Welliver as Glenn Childs Joe Morton as Daniel Golden Martha Plimpton as Patti Nyholm Jill Flint as Lana Delaney Emily Bergl as Bree David Paymer as Judge Richard Cuesta Alan Cumming as Eli Gold Michael Boatman as Julius Cain Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney Sonequa Martin-Green as Courtney Wells Renée Elise Goldsberry as Geneva Pine Dreama Walker as Becca Gary Cole as Kurt McVeigh Kevin Conway as Jonas Stern Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni Zach Grenier as David Lee
Guest Mamie Gummer as Nancy Crozier Ana Gasteyer as Patrice Lessner Mike Colter as Lemond Bishop Felix Solis as Kevin Rodriguez Nitya Vidyasagar as Frida Verma
Episodes
Reception The first season of The Good Wife received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 83% rating based on 27 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Along with Julianna Margulies and a fine cast, the gripping drama The Good Wife, boasts hook-heavy plotlines torn from the headlines." On Metacritic, the first season of the show currently sits at a 75 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.
Awards and nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series Nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Julianna Margulies) (for the episode "Threesome") Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Christine Baranski) (for the episode "Bang") Won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Archie Panjabi) (for the episode "Hi") Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Dylan Baker) (for the episode "Bad") Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Alan Cumming) (for the episode "Fleas") Nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Michelle King & Robert King for "Pilot") Nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (Mark Saks)
Ratings Episode Title Air Date HH Rating 18-49 Rating Viewers/Live+7 Rank Ref 1 Pilot September 22, 2009 9.2 3.1 13.714/15.39 #15 TV by the Numbers 2 Stripped September 29, 2009 9.1 3.1 13.690/15.31 #14 TV by the Numbers 3 Home October 6, 2009 8.9 2.9 13.693/15.21 #11 TV by the Numbers 4 Fixed October 13, 2009 8.7 2.7 12.798/14.55 #17 TV by the Numbers 5 Crash October 20, 2009 8.8 2.8 13.258/14.74 #14 TV by the Numbers 6 Conjugal November 3, 2009 8.6 2.7 12.743 #16 TV by the Numbers 7 Unorthodox November 10, 2009 8.8 2.8 13.352 #15 TV by the Numbers 8 Unprepared November 17, 2009 8.4 2.6 12.699/14.45 - TV by the Numbers 9 Threesome November 24, 2009 8.1 2.8 12.529 #15 TV by the Numbers 10 Lifeguard December 1, 2009 9.1 2.8 14.170 #10 TV by the Numbers 11 Infamy January 5, 2010 9.0 3.0 13.975 #10 TV by the Numbers 12 Painkiller January 12, 2010 9.0 3.0 13.871 #15 TV by the Numbers 13 Bad February 2, 2010 8.4 2.6 12.808/14.62 #16 TV by the Numbers 14 Hi February 9, 2010 9.6 3.1 14.754/16.72 #12 TV by the Numbers 15 Bang March 2, 2010 8.5 2.7 13.319/15.45 #15 TV by the Numbers 16 Fleas March 9, 2010 9.0 2.9 13.950 #10 TV by the Numbers 17 Heart March 16, 2010 8.6 2.7 13.399 #6 TV by the Numbers 18 Doubt April 6, 2010 7.9 2.3 12.061/14.21 - TV by the Numbers 19 Boom April 27, 2010 8.0 2.2 12.074 #13 TV by the Numbers 20 Mock May 4, 2010 8.4 2.4 12.881 #9 TV by the Numbers 21 Unplugged May 11, 2010 8.3 2.4 12.851 #13 TV by the Numbers 22 Hybristophilia May 18, 2010 7.9 2.3 12.038 #14 TV by the Numbers 23 Running May 25, 2010 7.0 2.0 10.603 #13 TV by the Numbers
References