The Good Wife premiered on CBS in September 2009. The series revolves around Alicia, the wife of Peter Florrick, a state attorney who was imprisoned after an embarrassingly public corruption and sex scandal. To provide for her children, the stay-at-home mom returns to her former job as a litigator and is surrounded by these memorable characters:
Kalinda Sharma is the bisexual private investigator at the law firm. Kalinda's real name, which Peter helped her change, is Leela Tahiri.
Will Gardner, a senior partner at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner, helped Alicia land her job at the firm. He was killed in the courtroom by his own client, Jeffrey Grant.
Diane Lockhart is a liberal feminist and partner at the law firm.
Cary Agos, a Harvard grad, was a first-year associate with Alicia. Although rivals, they eventually defect and form their own partnership.
Zach Florrick is the teenage son of Alicia and Peter. A budding politician, Zach is active in the dating scene, with Becca and Neesa as two prominent players.
Grace Florrick is the teen daughter of Alicia and Peter. She is confused by her parents' situation and has difficulty making friends. Grace works with a tutor named Jennifer.
Eli Gold is Peter's campaign and crisis manager. Eli is separated from his wife Vanessa, with whom he has a daughter, Marissa. Eli's brief romantic overture involved Natalie Flores.
David Lee is a divorce lawyer and equity partner at the firm. He has a bit of crush on Veronica.
Julius Cane, an equity partner, is the Head of Litigation at Lockhart/Gardner.
Finn Polmar is wounded along with Will during the courtroom trial of Jeffrey Grant.
Secondary recurring characters include these baby name inspirations:
- Blake Calamar
- Caitlin d'Arcy
- Clarke Hayden
- Dana Lodge
- Daniel Golden
- Derrick Bond
- Elsbeth Tascioni
- Geneva Pine
- Glenn Childs
- Jackie Florrick
- Jeffrey Agos
- Lana Delaney
- Laura Hellinger
- Louis Canning
- Maddie Hayward
- Mike Kresteva
- Nancy Crozier
- Owen Cavanaugh
- Patti Nyholm
- Robyn Burdine
- Veronica Loy
- Wendy Scott-Carr
The inspiration for the series was drawn from real-life scandals involving the likes of Bill Clinton and John Edwards. Both Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Edwards were lawyers — and both stood by their husbands' side when the scandals erupted.
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