Christine Baranski and Showrunners Robert and Michelle King Reflect on Bringing The Good Fight to its Final Verdict in Emmy Magazine
With The Good Fight in its sixth and final season, Christine Baranski reflects on the character Diane Lockhart, whom she carefully crafted over the span of 13 years and two hit series. The actress and executive producer, along with showrunners Robert and Michelle King, talk with emmy about both the successes and controversies surrounding the hit show—now streaming on Paramount+. The award-winning official publication of the Television Academy is on newsstands Oct. 11.
When the Kings decided to end the popular spinoff of The Good Wife, they knew they needed to do it in a way that satisfied audiences while being true to the show by not subscribing to the fantasy of justice. Though it would have been easy to kill off Alan Cumming’s character, Eli Gold, co-executive producer Aurin Squire suggested a more absurdist assassination, and the Kings agreed.
The more significant concern, though, was the demise of the show itself. In “She’ll See You in Court,” Baranski recalls getting the call on the morning of a shooting day. “I didn’t react. It didn’t seem like there was any argument to be made.” After processing the news, the celebrated actress prepared for the final season, which delivers a logical conclusion to the show’s examination of the breakdown of the U.S. justice system with themes that included the increasing division between political parties and the threat of civil war.
The final season also presented an opportunity to deal with unfinished storylines, some dating back to The Good Wife—one of which included references to China, resulting in The Good Wife being banned in that country and The Good Fight being censored by CBS. Sarah Steele, who plays investigator-turned-rookie lawyer Marissa Gold, believes the Kings handled it well. “They just called out the censorship, which felt even more powerful. It felt like more of a protest.” A placard “CBS HAS CENSORED THIS CONTENT” appeared where an animated musical short about China was meant to go.
Like many Americans, Baranski’s character struggles with the mental challenges of navigating current events, including the recent Supreme Court’s momentous decision to reverse Roe v. Wade. The Kings had already been thinking about incorporating the abortion-rights conflict into the season. When the Supreme Court draft decision was leaked, they briefly paused production to work the reversal into the story. Baranski described how her real-life reaction was incorporated into the show. “I was shooting a scene where I was supposed to be watching the news [with] my mouth hanging open. And Carrie [Preston, who directed the episode] came in and said, ‘It’s just been announced that they’ve reversed Roe v. Wade.’ There were no words. My close-up reaction was based on [what Carrie had told me.]”
“We’re walking a tightrope right now with the real world versus our narrative,” says Robert King. And though it’s difficult to bring that story to a close, Baranski takes comfort in the fact that “We had each other, and we had a show about the times we were living in. It was very special indeed.”
Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:
- In "Speaking Volumes," emmy captures highlights from the 74th Emmy Awards, presented on NBC and Peacock on Sept. 12, including memorable acceptance speeches by Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lizzo, along with backstage remarks from Lorne Michaels and others.
- With wins by musical titans, The Beatles and Adele, memorable moments were plentiful at the Creative Arts Awards, held Sept. 3-4. In "Words and Music," emmy reports on the multicultural celebration, including a posthumous win to Chadwick Boseman for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for his role in Marvel's animated What If...? series.
- In a special section, Emmy Bash Photo Splash, emmy takes readers inside the magazine's star-studded backstage portrait studio, showcasing exclusive moments from television's biggest night.
- All six episodes of writer-director Hugo Blick's revenge Western The English will drop on Prime Video Nov. 11. In "Their Western Union," actors Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer talk with emmy about bringing this epic tale to an audience.
About emmy
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 52 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is published 12 times per year and is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.
Download the press release here.
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Stephanie Goodell
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breakwhitelight for the Television Academy
