1. The Characters
It seems an obvious choice but the characters truly are the most interesting part of
The Good Wife. Sometimes shows possess the interesting storylines but have a host of underdeveloped, lacklustre characters who are often eschwed and disposed of, forgotten. That is something
Good Wife is famous in doing - one-off characters are often re-used throughout the show's duration in new and interesting ways. A wonderful example is Dylan Baker's narcissistic Colin Sweeney, a debauched bachelor who's first accused of killing his wife and then accused of killing a lover in a bizarre sex game who later reappears as both an informant for Alicia (whom he takes a shine to) and as a man in the middle of a child paternity case. The recurring characters are expertly used - personal favourites include Dallas Roberts' Owen, the fun, sparky sibling who often helps bring out the recklessness and fun in repressed Alicia, and Carrie Preston's Elsbeth Tascioni, a vivacious redhead whose bubbly and seemingly ditzy persona hides a brilliant mind that helps Lockhart & Gardner get out of trouble. Best of all are Michael J Fox and Martha Plimpton as Louis Canning and Patty Nyholm, a pair of villainous lawyers who find themselves the legal foes of our protagonists more than once (teaming up together brilliantly in the third season finale), Canning and Nyholm clearly fan favourite baddies. The regulars themselves are the core of the show, naturally - while it's easy to give credit to Alicia's complex heroine, Will and Diane's parental dream team of senior partners and even Cary and Peter's sneaky anti-heroes, the most interesting and complex character truly is Kalinda Sharma, the in-house investigator at L&H who's as easy with a desert-dry quip as with a baseball bat. Kalinda's true self is hidden beneath layers and layers of complexity - from her past with fellow investigators, to her fluid sexuality, to the near-impenetrable veneer of icy, snarky professionalism she keeps up everywhere. Her and Alicia's friendship is a core component of the show and her relationships with other people, past and present, have a significant impact on the events of the show, making her the most enjoyable person to watch and a reason on her own to watch
The Good Wife. So there you go - if my reasons to watch
The Good Wife have failed to make you want to check the show out, then my apologies, but if any of them have piqued your interest, give the pilot a spin and see if the life of Alicia Florrick entices you in. Let me know if you agree.