The Good Wife: The Third Season

This CBS legal drama stars Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, separated from her politician husband, Peter (Chris Noth), and working to establish herself as a litigator at a Chicago law firm. Continuing to mix the political with the personal, this 2011-12 third season brings challenges that include Peter's election to the office of district attorney, and disbarment proceedings against Alicia's boss and one-time lover, Will Gardner (Josh Charles). The realities of a legal partnership, including the politics of choosing which cases to try (and why) add a layer of practical consideration to the familiar courtroom drama, while private lives and political factors only grow more complicated as Peter comes to terms with the separation and weighs the cost of his ambition, and Alicia begins to realize how much she misses her family, despite the meddling of mother-in-law Jackie (Mary Beth Peil). The superb cast also includes Christine Baranski as senior partner Diane Lockhart; Alan Cumming as Noth's campaign manager, Eli Gold; and Emmy-winning Archie Panjabi as cagey investigator Kalinda Sharma, whose past comes back to haunt her. An adult show in the best sense of the term, The Good Wife delivers mature stories about grown-up characters facing tough decisions. Compiling all 22 episodes, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)