The Good Wife (season 1)

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The Good Wife
Season 1
The Good Wife - The First Season.jpg
Season 1 U.S. DVD Cover
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes23
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 22, 2009 (2009-09-22) –
May 25, 2010 (2010-05-25)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of The Good Wife first began airing on September 22, 2009 and finished on May 25, 2010. It consisted of 23 episodes.

Premise[]

The series focuses on Alicia Florrick (Margulies), whose husband Peter (Noth), the former Cook County, Illinois State's Attorney, has been jailed following a notorious political corruption and sex scandal. After having spent the previous thirteen years as a stay-at-home mother, Alicia returns to the workforce as a litigator to provide for her two children.[1]

Cast[]

Main[]

Recurring[]

Guest[]

Episodes[]

See also: List of The Good Wife episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Charles McDougallRobert King & Michelle KingSeptember 22, 2009 (2009-09-22)13.71[2]
After having to return to work following her husband's corruption scandal and incarceration, Alicia Florick is assigned her first case – a straightforward retrial of a woman accused of murdering her ex-husband. Since her firm successfully deadlocked the first jury, sticking to the same strategy should work again, but Alicia soon discovers that she has a real fight on her hands.
22"Stripped"Charles McDougallRobert King & Michelle KingSeptember 29, 2009 (2009-09-29)13.69[3]
Alicia and Will represent a stripper who was raped at a bachelor party by the groom, a young man from a wealthy Chicago family. On the personal front, Alicia confronts Peter over his indiscretions; debates whether or not the children should visit him in prison. The kids find doctored photos of Peter's indiscretions, but hide them from their mother.
33"Home"Scott EllisDee JohnsonOctober 6, 2009 (2009-10-06)13.69[4]
Alicia returns to her old upscale neighborhood to defend a former friend's teen son, who is accused of murdering a security guard at a friend's house. The 18-year-old man admits he was at the home but claims he's innocent of the crime. Cary is assigned to help Alicia with the case, even though he has never tried one in court.
44"Fixed"Daniel MinahanTodd Ellis KesslerOctober 13, 2009 (2009-10-13)12.98[5]
Alicia discovers evidence that a juror may have been bribed with $35,000 in a class-action lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company. Alicia's client was paralyzed after taking one of the company's drugs. Meanwhile, Peter's lawyer tries to get Alicia to help in her husband's defense and attempts to bribe her with gifts.
55"Crash"Gloria MuzioTed HumphreyOctober 20, 2009 (2009-10-20)13.26[6]
Alicia and Will represent three widows of train engineers who have been accused by the company that they, not the company, were responsible for their deaths in a train crash. Alicia and Will have 72 hours to find the smoking gun to prove that the company was responsible. On the home front, Jackie and Alicia clash when Jackie goes against Alicia's wishes and takes the children to visit Peter in jail for his birthday.
66"Conjugal"Rod HolcombAngela Amato VelezNovember 3, 2009 (2009-11-03)12.74[7]
Alicia and Will work on the appeal of a death row inmate accused of killing a police officer. Knowing that her client was convicted of the crime under Peter's regime as state's attorney, Alicia agrees to his request of a conjugal visit in order to obtain any information Peter may have regarding the original case.
77"Unorthodox"John PolsonRobert King & Michelle KingNovember 10, 2009 (2009-11-10)13.35[8]
Alicia serves as co-counsel to a handsome storefront lawyer (Chris Bowers) who is defending an Orthodox Jewish couple being sued in a slip-and-fall case. Alicia is assigned because one of the defendants is a law partner's daughter. The victim claims she was badly injured when she tripped on a wire outside of the couple's house, but Alicia believes the incident may be a scam. Meanwhile, Will and Diane make a round of layoffs at the firm.
88"Unprepared"Jim McKayCorinne BrinkerhoffNovember 17, 2009 (2009-11-17)12.70[9]
Alicia defends a scientist accused of arson after the lab the woman works in is torched. It's soon learned that the scientist is the target of a hate group. Meanwhile, Alicia is asked to testify on her husband's behalf at his bail hearing, but she is uncertain if she wants him to return home; and Zach becomes determined to uncover the identity of the person who is leaving damaging photos and DVDs at the Florrick's front door.
99"Threesome"James Whitmore Jr.Ted HumphreyNovember 24, 2009 (2009-11-24)12.53[10]
Alicia represents the firm's senior partner after he is arrested for DUI and assaulting a police officer, and she must deal with the murky office politics that come with the case. Meanwhile, Chelsea Handler interviews Peter's mistress, who is promoting a tell-all book about her affair with Peter.
1010"Lifeguard"Paris BarclayTom SmutsDecember 15, 2009 (2009-12-15)14.17[11]
Alicia investigates a judge's questionable motives after he overturns a simple plea bargain she arranged and sentences her juvenile client to nine months in detention. Her investigation reveals the judge has a history of unusual sentences and may be a racist. Meanwhile, Diane is offered a judgeship and considers leaving the firm.
1111"Infamy"Nelson McCormickTodd Ellis KesslerJanuary 5, 2010 (2010-01-05)13.98[12]
A Tucker Carlson-type TV commentator continually accuses a Chicago mother of killing her missing 3-year-old child, causing her to commit suicide. The firm represents the grieving husband in a wrongful death suit against the TV commentator and his television network. Alicia represents the wife of her husband's nemesis, Glenn Childs, in a divorce case.
1212"Painkiller"Steve ShillCorinne BrinkerhoffJanuary 12, 2010 (2010-01-12)13.87[13]
A star high-school quarterback dies from an overdose of painkillers, and Alicia defends the family physician who is charged with murder for prescribing the medication. The doctor claims he is innocent, and Alicia attempts to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Jackie suffers a stroke, and Childs asks Kalinda to work for him to help undermine Peter's appeal.
1313"Bad"Alex ZakrzewskiTed HumphreyFebruary 2, 2010 (2010-02-02)12.72[14]
Alicia defends a wealthy man in civil court who is accused of murdering his wife. Part of his wife's body is found near where the man lives, which makes him look guilty. The rest of her body is later found on the daughter's property, which raises the possibility that she killed the wife. The man is found not guilty in his criminal trial but Alicia suspects he may have committed the crime. Meanwhile, Peter's appeal begins, and Diane buys a gun for protection when a drug dealer she put in prison years ago threatens to kill her.
1414"Hi"John GallagherRobert King & Michelle King & Barry SchkolnickFebruary 9, 2010 (2010-02-09)14.75[15]
Sonya Rucker, whose company is a client of SL&G, has a crisis. Her babysitter, Lisa Pruit, was murdered at Rucker's home and her husband, Jason Rucker, is the lead suspect. Will and Diane call in Alicia and Cary to help with the case. Cary thought he had the following day off and has taken mushrooms with a friend in from Seattle; he must pull himself together for the next 48 hours. At the crime scene, Kalinda notices a small item that appears to be a rubber nub from the bottom of a laptop. When contact is finally made with Jason, who claims to have been in a movie, they bring him into the firm and have him take a polygraph test before the police arrive to arrest him. As Will, Alicia and a tripping Cary question Jason, they discover that he was at his studio where he works on his graphic novel. Lisa was working with Jason on a graphic novel at his studio, but their relationship did not go any further than that. At first, Kalinda suspects the neighborhood security guard is responsible, but turns her attention towards one of Lisa's classmates, Max, when she discovers a rubber nub is missing from the bottom of his laptop. Max may have got Lisa pregnant, but when she wouldn't have an abortion, he killed her and tried to frame Jason. Kalinda is subpoenaed to testify at Peter's appeal trial where she describes working for both Peter and Childs. Peter wins his appeal and is released on electronic monitoring.
1515"Bang"Rod HolcombCourtney Kemp AgbohMarch 2, 2010 (2010-03-02)13.29[16]
Alicia defends a man accused of murdering a financial adviser who lost the man's life savings in a Ponzi scheme. At home, Peter adjusts to house arrest and begins his comeback strategy with his legal team after his son shows him incriminating photos that were left at their door weeks earlier.
1616"Fleas"Rosemary RodriguezAmanda SegelMarch 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)13.91[17]
Alicia and Will defend an attorney who's arrested for murder because he allegedly leaked the witness list to his client, a drug lord, which resulted in the murder of the star witness. Now under house arrest, Peter strategizes how to handle his retrial the next steps in his public rehabilitation.
1717"Heart"Félix AlcaláCorinne BrinkerhoffMarch 16, 2010 (2010-03-16)13.41[18]
An emergency courtroom is set up in a hospital conference room. Will represents Kate Willoughby, whose unborn child requires an in-utero surgical intervention on its heart. Lifestate, Kate's insurance provider, has put a stop to the surgery two days before it's scheduled because they don't cover experimental procedures. SLG is also in charge of a class action lawsuit against Lifestate and the case with the Willoughbys would set the precedent for the 68 other cases where Lifestate denied coverage. Lifestate's lawyer offers Will a deal, drop the class action suit and they'll find the money to save her baby, but Will says no. When it looks like the outcome will be in favor of Kate, Lifestate's defense claims that Kate's husband inaccurately filled out their application for coverage and thus voids their contract for insurance. With Kalinda's help, Will gets leverage on Lifestate's unethical practices and rather than the information becoming public, a settlement is reached and the baby's surgery is a success. On the personal front, Peter continues to repair his reputation through religion; while at the office, Alicia and Will share a kiss which leads to Alicia sleeping with Peter.
1818"Doubt"Félix AlcaláRobert King & Michelle King & Barry SchkolnickApril 6, 2010 (2010-04-06)12.06[19]
Alicia and Will defend a college student accused of killing her roommate while under the influence of a sleep aid. As they defend their client Will and Alicia must deal with the tension that exists between them since the night of their kiss. Meanwhile, Diane continues her flirtatious relationship with a conservative ballistics expert.
1919"Boom"Lesli Linka GlatterTed HumphreyApril 27, 2010 (2010-04-27)12.07[20]
Jeffrey Sanborn's widow, Karen Sanborn, is seeking punitive damages for her husband's death which her new attorney, Jonas Stern, claims was the intentional act of SLG's client, Charles Clay, owner and editor of The Cook County Vindicator. A Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility for the pipe bomb explosion at the newspaper's office after Charles published a controversial political cartoon that showed Muhammad being humiliated. Managing editor, Jeffrey Sanborn was killed in the blast. As Jonas and his team try to convince the jury that Charles published the cartoon to sell more newspapers, SLG looks closer at the crime scene and realizes that the bombing was an inside job. Also, Alicia plays on Jonas's dementia, throwing him off during the trial while Cary foils Jonas's attempt at poaching a number of SLG associates. On the personal front, Peter and the family attend a church service, but he uses this opportunity to secretly meet with Gerald Kozko about his potentially damning testimony. Alicia is furious at Peter for making her believe he had found religion and was trying to be a better man. She leaves and the episode ends on Peter going after her with the electronic monitoring alarm going off.
2020"Mock"Rod HolcombTodd Ellis KesslerMay 4, 2010 (2010-05-04)12.88[21]
When Peter crosses the threshold, the electronic monitoring alarm begins to sound followed shortly by the phone ringing. When the police arrive, Peter is back in the apartment and Zach blames a skateboarding trick gone wrong on the broken sensor. Will participates in a mock trial as a judge. Alicia's building manager is arrested because of a smuggling ring and is in danger of being deported.
2121"Unplugged"Christopher MisianoKaren HallMay 11, 2010 (2010-05-11)12.85[22]
SLG divorce lawyer David Lee is representing Caroline Wilder, the soon-to-be ex-wife of rock star Max Wilder. Just before the court date, Max Wilder ends up in a coma, with the soon-to-be ex-wife and the soon-to-be new wife fighting for control of his estate. Eli Gold comes to Alicia to discuss Peter's re-election. Alicia goes to Eli for a favor. In the meantime, the contest between Alicia and Cary is decided.
2222"Hybristophilia"Frederick E. O. ToyeFrank PiersonMay 18, 2010 (2010-05-18)12.17[23]
Alicia is celebrating her victory with Kalinda when she gets a request from Will to get client, and accused wife killer, Colin Sweeney, to sign off on the new language in his company's merger. When she arrives, she finds that he is handcuffed to a dead woman. Colin claims she attacked him and killed his dog.
2323"Running"James Whitmore Jr.Robert King & Michelle King & Corinne BrinkerhoffMay 25, 2010 (2010-05-25)10.58[24]
Alicia and Diane facilitate an immunity deal for an undercover cop who will testify in front of a grand jury that his fellow officers, Task Force members, have been conspiring with gang members to deal in illegal firearms. Two hours later, the cop is dead. The cop's widow files a multi-million dollar wrongful death suit against Cook County and the City of Chicago and Alicia is her lawyer. Now working for Childs, Cary offers $300,000 to settle the wrongful death suit. Alicia rejects the offer and preps for trial. Kalinda finds the cache of illegal weapons, but the Task Force officers maintain their innocence in the death of their comrade. Further investigation reveals that the cop's widow was the one who tipped off the gang member of her husband's true identity. Alicia confronts her and the widow confesses, her husband was physically abusive, beating her on a regular basis and by telling the gang he was a cop, she knew they would kill him and this was her way out for her and her children.

Reception[]

The first season of The Good Wife received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 85% certified fresh rating based on 27 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Along with Julianna Margulies and a fine cast, the gripping drama The Good Wife, boasts hook-heavy plotlines torn from the headlines."[25] On Metacritic, the first season of the show currently sits at a 75 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.[26]

Awards and nominations[]

Primetime Emmy Awards

Ratings[]

Episode Title Air Date HH Rating 18-49 Rating Viewers/Live+7 Rank Ref
1 Pilot September 22, 2009 9.2 3.1 13.714/15.39 #15 [28]
2 Stripped September 29, 2009 9.1 3.1 13.690/15.31 #14 [29]
3 Home October 6, 2009 8.9 2.9 13.693/15.21 #11 [30]
4 Fixed October 13, 2009 8.7 2.7 12.798/14.55 #17 [31]
5 Crash October 20, 2009 8.8 2.8 13.258/14.74 #14 [32]
6 Conjugal November 3, 2009 8.6 2.7 12.743 #16 [33]
7 Unorthodox November 10, 2009 8.8 2.8 13.352 #15 [34]
8 Unprepared November 17, 2009 8.4 2.6 12.699/14.45 -

[35]

9 Threesome November 24, 2009 8.1 2.8 12.529 #15 [36]
10 Lifeguard December 1, 2009 9.1 2.8 14.170 #10 [37]
11 Infamy January 5, 2010 9.0 3.0 13.975 #10 [38]
12 Painkiller January 12, 2010 9.0 3.0 13.871 #15 [39]
13 Bad February 2, 2010 8.4 2.6 12.808/14.62 #16 [40]
14 Hi February 9, 2010 9.6 3.1 14.754/16.72 #12 [41]
15 Bang March 2, 2010 8.5 2.7 13.319/15.45 #15 [42]
16 Fleas March 9, 2010 9.0 2.9 13.950 #10 [43]
17 Heart March 16, 2010 8.6 2.7 13.399 #6 [44]
18 Doubt April 6, 2010 7.9 2.3 12.061/14.21 - [45]
19 Boom April 27, 2010 8.0 2.2 12.074 #13 [46]
20 Mock May 4, 2010 8.4 2.4 12.881 #9 [47]
21 Unplugged May 11, 2010 8.3 2.4 12.851 #13 [48]
22 Hybristophilia May 18, 2010 7.9 2.3 12.038 #14 [49]
23 Running May 25, 2010 7.0 2.0 10.603 #13 [50]

References[]

  1. ^ "About The Good Wife". CBS.com. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Robert Seidman (September 23, 2009). "NCIS gains in 18-49 demo, goes over 20 million (20.60M) in broadcast finals". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  3. ^ Robert Seidman (October 6, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, Grey's win week with adults 18-49; NCIS leads with total viewers". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  4. ^ Robert Seidman (October 7, 2009). "Tuesday broadcast finals – "The Forgotten" goes below a 2.0". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  5. ^ Robert Seidman (October 20, 2009). "TV Ratings: Yet again Sunday Night Football, House, Grey's win week with adults 18-49; NCIS leads with total viewers". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  6. ^ Robert Seidman (October 21, 2009). "Tuesday Broadcast Finals: "NCIS" rises to 21.25 million; "The Forgotten" drops a tick". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  7. ^ Robert Seidman (November 10, 2009). "TV Ratings: V premiere bests Grey's Anatomy; NFL and MLB top weekly charts". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  8. ^ Robert Seidman (November 11, 2009). "Tuesday broadcast finals: V, NCIS up slightly". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  9. ^ Robert Seidman (November 18, 2009). "Tuesday broadcast finals: The Biggest Loser, Dancing With the Stars up; the forgotten, The Jay Leno Show down". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 2, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Big Bang, Dancing With the Stars and NCIS top weekly broadcast charts". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 22, 2009). "TV Ratings: New episodes of Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Survivor and NCIS propel CBS to top of charts". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 12, 2010). "TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and The Simpsons and NCIS top weekly viewing". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  13. ^ Bill Gorman (January 13, 2010). "Tuesday Broadcast Finals, Plus American Idol Demo Ratings Breakdown". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  14. ^ Bill Gorman (February 3, 2010). "TV Ratings: Lost Premieres Up; Idol Lifts Fox To Ratings Win". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2010). "Tuesday Finals: NCIS: LA, Lost Rise; Past Life Falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  16. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 2, 2010). "TV Ratings: American Idol Leads Easy Fox Win; Parenthood Debuts Modestly; Lost Falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  17. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 10, 2010). "TV Ratings: Fox Tops Night; Parenthood Slips; Lost Gains; Melrose Place Invisible". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  18. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 17, 2010). "TV Ratings: Fox & Idol Win; But Lost, NCIS, Parenthood & Many Others Fall". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  19. ^ Robert Seidman (April 7, 2010). "Broadcast Finals: "Lost," "NCIS," "NCIS: LA" Tick Up; "V," "The Good Wife" Tick Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  20. ^ "Broadcast Finals Tuesday: Idol, Dancing, NCIS Adjusted Up; Glee Adjusted Down". TV By The Numbers. April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  21. ^ "Broadcast Finals Tuesday: Idol, Lost, 90210 Adjusted Up; Good Wife, V, Parenthood Adjusted Down". May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  22. ^ "Tuesday Finals: Lost, NCIS Adjusted Up; Good Wife, V, Glee Adjusted Down". TV By The Numbers. May 12, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  23. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 19, 2010). "TV Ratings: Idol, Glee Win Again, Lost Up; V Finale Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  24. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 26, 2010). "TV Ratings: Idol, Glee Tops; NCIS: LA, Good Wife Hit Lows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  25. ^ "The Good Wife : S01 reviews". rottentomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  26. ^ "The Good Wife : Season 1". www.metacritic.com. Metacritic.
  27. ^ a b c d e http://www.goldderby.com/forum/topics/view/2076
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  50. ^ TV by the Numbers
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