Monday 15 February 2010

Are you watching The Good Wife?

Monday 15 February 2010

Legal drama The Good Wife has become one of those rare shows I'm watching but not blogging about. Maybe I'll watch the whole season, currently airing on More4 (Thursdays, 9pm) and repeated on Channel 4 (Mondays, 10pm), and then post a full review. Suffice to say, I think it's very good so far -- which is a great sign after just three episodes. If you're unaware of The Good Wife, it's all about Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies, who won a Golden Globe for her performance), a middle-aged mother who works as a lawyer in a position where her peers are typically half her age, who also has to contend with the fact she's the wronged wife of a renowned State Attorney sent to prison for political corruption.

Each episode deals with a different court case, most of which appear to drop in Alicia's lap because clients (particularly women) find her a sympathetic person because of her public image as "the good wife" on the TV news, but there's also some ongoing intrigue with the circumstances behind her husband's affairs. Was he framed? Is there something else going on Alisha doesn't know about, involving her husband's competitors at the firm she works for?

Anyway, I'm watching because it's a quality drama that tells its stories very well and has something to lure you back every week -- despite the fact I don't generally respond well to crime/legal procedural shows. I recommend you tune in. It's also had a second season commissioned by CBS in the US, so there's no danger of this being a short-lived TV blip, although I do have to wonder how long they can string out the mysteries inherent in the Florrick scandal.