The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/63640
The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 27, 2012 2 coverstory By Dee Wright TV Media T Jobs, families, homes and cir- cumstances all change so quickly, and sometimes it's hard to keep up. Three years ago, the Flo- rricks were happy. Alicia Flo- rrick (Julianna Margulies) had stepped away from her dream career as a lawyer to take care of her children. Her hus- band, Peter (Chris Noth), was a successful state's attorney who provided very well for Alicia and their children, Zach and Grace. hink about how much your life has changed in the past three years. CBS series takes legal drama to another level Law and order Christine Baranksi stars in "The Good Wife" The series premiered back But the white picket fence would soon come crashing down. The series started just as news of Peter's sex scandal hit the media. His actions led to an investigation, which ex- posed the corruption in which he'd been involved, and he was sent to prison. Since Alicia had given up her position many years ago, it was difficult for her to find a job. She finally takes a bot- tom-rung position with Stern, Lockhart & Gardner, where she is quickly resented by ju- nior attorney Cary Agos, who sees her as competition. Alicia faces the decision of whether to stay with Peter and face the gossip and buzz that now surrounds her marriage, or to leave and raise her kids alone. Though she does not di- vorce Peter, they decide to separate, and she finds her- self attracted to former class- mate and partner at the firm, Will Gardner (Josh Charles). The two have a relationship in Season 3, but she's unable to allow herself to trust anyone and breaks it off. The season finale of "The Good Wife" airs Sunday, April 29, on CBS. in 2009, and it is said to be in- spired by several of the true political sex scandals that had come out in the recent past. Creators Michelle and Robert King -- who, ironically enough, are husband and wife -- cite Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton and John Edwards as sources for the concept and several plot lines. "There had been this waterfall of these kinds of scandals, from Bill and Hillary [Clinton], to Dick Morris, to Eliot Spitzer, to name just a few. I think they're all over our culture," Michelle said in an interview with BitterLaw- yer.com. "And there was al- ways this image of the hus- band up there, apologizing, and the wife standing next to him. I think the show began when we asked, 'What are they thinking?' And Robert and I started talking about it from there." Though the series is not specifically based on any poli- tician in particular, there are many similarities and hints that viewers may pick up if they follow the news. For example, Spitzer is said to have worn socks during his escapades with a prostitute, and in "The Good Wife," Peter is said to have a foot fetish. It's not a direct link, but many critics have drawn connec- tions like that. Dr. Doug Ross. Margulies also had a four-episode stint in HBO's hit series "The Sopra- nos" and the female lead in "Snakes on a Plane" (2006). Noth rose to popularity as the man you love to hate. In "Law & Order," he starred as the aggressive Det. Mike Lo- gan for five seasons. He then reprised the role in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" 10 years later. For fans of roman- tic comedy series, he's likely more known for his role as Mr. Big from the wildly popu- lar "Sex and the City" fran- chise. rate "The Good Wife" from reality is its ability to tie hu- mor into tense moments. "I think there's a lot more humor in court than gets por- trayed on most shows," said Robert King. "If you think about the courtroom from a different perspective, you see that a lot of what happens can be quite humorous. I mean, you've got this fickle god who can come out and pull the rug out from under two people engaged in a struggle, albeit with words, that's as brutal as any blood sport. That's funny -- from a certain perspective." Alicia is played by Margu- One thing that does sepa- Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What's David Hyde Pierce up to now? A: As might have been expected, David Hyde Pierce, who played the very cultured Niles Crane on the hit NBC sitcom "Frasier," has mostly gone over to the stage in recent years. He appeared in the smash-hit run of the Monty Python- lies, who got her big break into television on NBC's icon- ic series, "ER." She starred as nurse Carol Hathaway for six seasons, having an on-again- off-again relationship with George Clooney's character, Wife's" stellar main cast, the series also has many recur- ring guest stars. Recently, Matthew Perry ("Friends") has appeared in several epi- sodes, and Rita Wilson, Parker Posey and Michael J. Fox have had multiple-episode arcs. Diane Lockhart, a strong and opinionated senior part- ner at Stern, Lockhart & Gard- ner, is played by Christine Ba- ranski. Her past work has in- cluded soap operas ("All My Children" and "Another World"), comedy ("Cybill" and "The Big Bang Theory") and musicals (2002's "Chica- go" and 2008's "Mamma Mia!"). The series also stars Josh Charles ("Sports Night"), Ar- chie Panjabi ("Grease Mon- keys"), Matt Czuchry ("Gilmore Girls"), Alan Cum- ming (1995's "GoldenEye") and Mary Beth Peil ("Daw- son's Creek"). In addition to "The Good inspired "Spamalot" and won a Tony in 2007 for his role in "Curtains" -- both on Broadway. This summer he'll be directing and producing an innova- tive take on the classic Oscar Wilde play "The Importance of Being Earnest," adding a "'Guys and Dolls'-style" gangster twist, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachu- setts. But that's not to say he's given up on the screen entirely. He made a minor splash two years ago when he played the lead in a twist-laden psychological thriller called "The Perfect Host." It was also announced recently that he will reprise his role as an astrophysics professor in a sequel to the cult-favorite 2001 film "Wet Hot American Summer." Writer and star Mi- chael Showalter announced the sequel in an interview on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live," saying, "The whole gang, everyone's back. We're doing it." That "whole gang" also included a number of notable stars who were largely unknown at the time, including Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. A/Krazy Tom's 2 x 3