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IAN SPELLING
NYT Syndicate
Join us as we plunge deep into the mind of Christine Baranski, and simultaneously get a peek at Hollywood's inner workings, the business behind the glitz.
The occasion was an interview with the frank, playful actress about her upcoming show, 'The Good Fight', a spinoff of 'The Good Wife' (2009-2016), on which she co-starred with Julianna Margulies. The question that elicited a fascinating eight-minute reply was this:"As 'The Good Wife' (2009-2016) neared its end, did you think the experience was over and done, or was there talk even then of a spin-off?"
"Well, I think by our seventh season, knowing it was Julianna's final year, in terms of contract, there was a general sense that something was going to happen either way," Baranski said."They would renew it and go for another season or two, end it completely or do a spinoff, and talk of possibly spinning it off happened by the end of 2015, I guess. Lots of rumours behind the scenes. 'What's going to happen to all of us?'
"We were all, I think, very happy to be part of 'The Good Wife' for all those years," she said."It was wonderful on so many levels ” but, yes, we all feared having to repeat ourselves and what would happen if it were renewed. Were we in danger of repeating ourselves? Lots of considerations, but we really didn't know until ... When was the Super Bowl?"
Ah, the Super Bowl. During the Super Bowl broadcast on February 7, 2016, CBS used a promo spot to reveal to viewers that the show's seventh season would be its last. The network followed that with a press release confirming that the show would end in May 2016.
Baranski recalled hearing the news a day or two before"the entire world knew" as a result of the Super Bowl announcement. When the decision came down, suddenly the reality of the situation hit the winner of two Tonys and an Emmy. Soon she would bid farewell to her powerful character, the liberal, hard-charging lawyer Diane Lockhart.
"It seemed very abrupt, even though it had been brewing for a long time," the 64-year-old said."Then there was a feeling of, 'Oh, my God, so it really is ending. Wow.' I felt all the feelings you have, which is a bit of anxiety about what's next, and anticipation, and thought, 'Maybe they could reconfigure it.'"
Nothing in terms of a spinoff occurred for a while, however. That's because producers/creators Michelle and Robert King were"deeply preoccupied" with their next series, the short-lived 'Braindead' (2016).
Then, in May, Baranski received a"definite offer" for a series at another network. That changed the course of events.
"When CBS found out that I was in play, seriously, and had to make a decision," she recalled,"then everybody got on the phone and said, 'Well, wait a minute. What about this possible spinoff? Would you be interested?' I said, 'Well, honestly, I would be interested if the Kings would write it, and if it could be a happy continuation of all that was good about 'The Good Wife.''"
Baranski chose to pass on the other offer. She did so with no commitment whatsoever from anyone for a 'Good Wife' spinoff, without the benefit of a pilot script or even an outline for what the show might explore or how Lockhart might evolve.
"I was basically going on the strength of my relationship with the Kings, my faith in them and my respect for them as writers," the actress said,"and my love for playing a character as intelligent, educated and interesting as Diane. It was also out of my love for a marvellous crew of people with whom I'd worked for seven years, a tremendous bonding experience, and thinking, 'You know, this is really as good as it gets.'
"I also got to work and live in New York, and be with terrific actors who came on as guests," she said."There was so much that was great about 'The Good Wife' that I felt, 'If just maybe we could extend this and reconfigure it ... 'So here I am, staring at a palm tree in Pasadena, at the TCAs, and we're on our fifth episode. I'm extremely happy."
CBS All Access, a fledgling streaming service, will launch 'The Good Fight' on February 19, kicking off a 10-episode first season. Baranski and several other 'Good Wife' actors will reprise their roles, including Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quinn, one of Lockhart's associates, and Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold, daughter of Eli Gold (Alan Cumming). Both Jumbo and Steele will be regulars, while Gary Cole, who recurred as Lockhart's husband, Kurt, on 'The Good Wife', will recur as well on the new show.
New faces will include Rose Leslie as Maia Rindell. She's Lockhart's goddaughter, who only recently passed the bar before joining her godmother's firm. Also in the cast as regulars are Justin Bartha, Delroy Lindo and Erica Tazel.
The pilot opens a year after the events of the final season of 'The Good Wife'. Lockhart is at the height of her powers, one of the eight named partners on the door at her law firm. She's even ensconced in a spanking-new office. However, she decides that she's had enough and announces her retirement.
Lockhart is wrapping up a police-brutality case when she discovers that she's been the victim of a Ponzi scheme perpetrated by members of her family. She has not only poured all her money into it, but also encouraged other people, including several women's organisations, to invest their money as well.
"So Diane's assets are frozen and she's told that she has to hold onto a job," Baranski said."Diane can't continue living the way she's been living. She has to sublet her apartment, and her reputation is tainted. Her own firm won't take her back, even though she created it. She signed her exit package, and they won't let her back in.
"The pilot is rather breathtaking in its steep descent of a character we've known for seven years to always stand behind that desk in her couture outfits and be poised, and even under pressure be able to weather the storm," Baranski said."She goes through a tremendous personal upheaval, where her foundation is exploded from under her, and she has to start again.
"And the only place that will offer her a job is an African-American law firm," Baranski added."Episode 2 is Diane beginning her new life. Finding the energy to continue, that to me is 'The Good Fight.'"
Baranski went on to describe 'The Good Fight' as both familiar and brand-new. Her makeup artist from 'The Good Wife' joined her for"The Good Fight." Much of the rest of the crew is back too. It's doubtful, however, that Margulies will return during Season 1 of 'The Good Fight' ” though, for the record, Baranski noted that she had exchanged emails with Margulies that morning and that"the door will always be open."
Further, while Baranski is playing Lockhart, this version of the character is"180 degrees different, so that it's not just Season 8 of 'The Good Wife.'"
Thanks to the show's berth on CBS All Access, the language will be saltier and more reminiscent of how actual lawyers speak. However, Baranski promises that this won't be a David Mamet version of 'The Good Wife'.
"I know I use the F word in the pilot, but even a woman as educated, well-dressed and elegant as Diane, if you're alone in a room and you find out you just lost all your money, you might likely say (that word) too," Baranski said, laughing."Chances are that, if you break your fingernail, you might do the same thing ” but it's not like you're going to see me suddenly swearing all the time, I promise."
