The Good Wife: The First Season

Neither nighttime soap opera nor tabloid exploitation, this network series is a legal drama reframed with a ripped-from-the-headlines twist, starring Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, the publicly loyal but privately ambivalent wife of a disgraced Chicago politician (Chris Noth) who resigned from office in the face of a sex scandal. Now she's supporting the family as a junior attorney at a firm run by an old friend and colleague, Will Gardner (Josh Charles), while her husband (now in prison) fights his conviction for corruption. In some regards, The Good Wife is a conventional courtroom drama with (mostly) innocent clients and plenty of Perry Mason–style last-minute saves. What makes the show interesting, however, is how the cases reflect back on Alicia's struggle with her marriage. Noth's Peter is a wonderful set of contradictions, while Margulies grounds the courtroom tactics and law-office politics with a compelling personal journey of a betrayed spouse trying to decide if she can trust her husband, who is trying to rebuild his career even as his appeal is barely underway. Archie Panjabi plays Kalinda, the legal investigator who eventually becomes an ally of Alicia's; Matt Czuchry is Cary, a young lawyer competing with Alicia for a permanent position; and Christine Baranski is excellent as Diane, the firm's liberal activist partner. Compiling all 23 episodes from 2009–10, DVD extras include episode audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)