When does "The Good Wife" get good?

January 13, 2013 8:43 PM

Due to all the reviews, my wife and I gave Season 1 a shot and found it pretty boring... how long do you have to put up for it before it gets good?
posted by cgs to Grab Bag (18 answers total)

From a devoted fan - if you didn't like the first season, it's not going to change because it's pretty much the same.
posted by viggorlijah at 8:53 PM on January 13, 2013 [6 favorites]

It's not for everyone, it's a pretty slow burn and Alicia is such a repressed character that it's easy for her especially to come across as boring. I watched the first 5 or 6 episodes, found it incredibly tedious and gave it up, but eventually came back and it's a highlight for me now. It's hard for me to name a specific point where it's better, but the drama, while still fairly sedate, does ramp up as it goes on and the characters evolve, and the calibre of guest stars just keeps improving as it goes. Give it another season, or it's fair to bail. It's such a weird, uncool show and yet I love it so.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:54 PM on January 13, 2013

I started watching around the end of season 1, so I can say that certainly captivated me. But when I went back and watched from the beginning, I loved it. So it might just not be to your taste.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:54 PM on January 13, 2013

I think it improves in later seasons, but it's still much the same and if you didn't like season 1, you won't like season 2. Depends how much of season 1 you watched, though. Two episodes is probably not enough.
posted by jeather at 8:55 PM on January 13, 2013

the calibre of guest stars just keeps improving as it goes
Seconding that. Michael J. Fox and Martha Plimpton have delicious roles.
posted by unliteral at 9:07 PM on January 13, 2013

If you're not into it at the end of season 1, it's just not for you. It doesn't drastically change.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:25 PM on January 13, 2013

For me, it was great from the very beginning. Either you liked the first season or you don't like the show.
posted by hobo gitano de queretaro at 10:44 PM on January 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

It gets great in this scene here. If you can't love that scene, you can't love The Good Wife.
posted by MuffinMan at 4:42 AM on January 14, 2013 [1 favorite]

I agree, it's not for everyone, but then, what is?

Now, I have watched the first three seasons on DVDs borrowed from the library, and have no recollection of the talking lion. I do not believe I could possibly have forgotten it. Matt Czuchry should have won an Emmy for that! What episode was it?
posted by Dolley at 6:10 AM on January 14, 2013

This episode: Season 2, Episode 19; Wrongful Termination (Aired 5th April 2011).
posted by MuffinMan at 6:14 AM on January 14, 2013

Thanks!
posted by Dolley at 6:17 AM on January 14, 2013

Yeah, it's not for everyone. I do love the show a lot, though, but I do find Juliana Margulies to be the weak spot. I think it really shines with all the New York based character/theater actors they get to play the bit parts. I agree with Martha Plimpton and Michael J. Fox being awesome, and add in Carrie Preston as well. The writing gets sharper as it goes along. I found season 2 to be better than 1, but I think sitting through season 1 gives some back story.

But there is this theme in the beginning that Alicia is sort of this silent and chilly person on the outside as the "Good Wife," and if you find that boring, it might not get better.
posted by bluefly at 6:24 AM on January 14, 2013

I was initially watched the shows because I thought the subject matter was unique (i.e. the POV of the politician's wife wronged in public). In particular that press conference in the first act of the first episode was beautifully filmed. With that said, I was very disappointed that the show ended being a super slow burn with stereotypical "legal procedural of the week" elements used to pad out the schedule. Does this change any as the show goes on?
posted by mmascolino at 7:18 AM on January 14, 2013

I agree with others that if season one is a slog for you, move on. Maybe "Damages" with Glenn Close would be a good substitution?
posted by acheekymonkey at 7:47 AM on January 14, 2013

the show ended being a super slow burn with stereotypical "legal procedural of the week" elements used to pad out the schedule. Does this change any as the show goes on?

It makes a big change in that same direction, once Alicia starts to become her own person instead of just the wife. It really becomes a legal procedural drame, with a case of the week and a season-arching story that develops over many episodes.
posted by CathyG at 11:00 AM on January 14, 2013

i liked it from the very beginning (i like case of the week shows, though), but i think it really hit its stride in season 2 - specifically, i remember the last few minutes of season 1/first episode of season 2 being utterly riveting. if the last moments of season 1 happens and your wife isn't falling over herself to see the first episode of season 2, she should find something she likes more.
posted by nadawi at 1:15 PM on January 14, 2013

I just realized that The Good Wife is very likely my favorite TV show.
posted by bz at 8:50 PM on January 14, 2013 [1 favorite]

Season 5 is very, very good.
posted by unliteral at 3:11 PM on November 13, 2013 [1 favorite]