LOS ANGELES — “The Good Wife” creators Robert and Michelle King say they welcomed CBS’ decision to end the series, allowing them to write its final chapter.
The Kings already had decided to exit as executive producers after this season, the seventh, leaving CBS to weigh whether to keep the critically acclaimed show afloat without them.
On Sunday, the network used its Super Bowl telecast to announce that “The Good Wife” was heading into its final nine episodes, with the series finale to air May 8.
The Kings had just learned of the decision in the past week, they told a phone news conference Monday.
“We felt very fortunate and flattered that we’re being allowed to end the show …. the way we hoped it would end,” Michelle King said. “The Good Wife” airs 9 p.m. EST Sunday.
CBS may have faced the loss of series star Julianna Margulies as well. At an event last month honoring the Kings, Margulies joked in her speech that she’d only shown up because she would soon be out of work and needed the exposure.
The actress “was kind of up in the air” about returning as lawyer Alicia Florick, Michael King said. Margulies has won two Emmys for the role.
But after conversations in recent days involving her, CBS, the studio and the Kings, the conclusion was that everybody “really wanted to go all together,” Michelle King said.
The couple, who are moving on to a new series for CBS, the comic political thriller “BrainDead,” said they had long envisioned “Good Wife” as lasting seven years.
To avoid spoilers, the Kings spoke in broad strokes about how their critically acclaimed drama will conclude.
Robert King said he likes shows that “end with some resonance,” citing “Breaking Bad” and “Six Feet Under” as memorable examples.
“What I admire an ending that feels inevitable and surprising,” Michelle King said.
There will be a return of characters who have been offstage, including Gary Cole’s Kurt McVeigh, but viewers won’t see private investigator Kalinda Sharma, played by Emmy-winner Archie Panjabi.
Kalinda chose to disappear and “it wouldn’t make any sense to bring her back,” Michelle King said.
Asked about a possible “Good Wife” spinoff, she said “nothing’s off the table but there’s nothing formal. … We’re not saying ‘no’ to anything at this point.”
Robert King said such a spinoff likely would be an ensemble drama focusing on characters who haven’t gotten as much attention, such as Elsbeth Tascioni, played by Carrie Preston, or Martha Plimpton’s Patti Nyholm.
“The Good Wife,” initially built on the response of Margulies’ character to a scandal involving her politician husband (Chris Noth), was centered on the world of Chicago law and politics.
In early January, CBS programming chief Glenn Geller told reporters that the network hadn’t decided the show’s future without the Kings.
Lynn Elber, Associated Press
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