How The Good Fight premiere remembered Alicia and Will

The Good Fight type TV Show network CBS All Access Where to watch Close Streaming Options

During Sunday’s premiere of The Good Fight on CBS All Access, fans saw lots of familiar faces from The Good Wife — but there were several veiled (and not so hidden) shout-outs to others. We asked creators Michelle and Robert King to address who was definitely there in spirit.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When coming up with a name for the spinoff, was it important for you to have the word “good” in it?

ROBERT KING: We looked at a bunch of titles. It seemed like a good idea to keep the word “good” in it because it would create an echo with the original title, but we also like how “good” plays ironically. The only other title we were serious about was The Greater Good, but that seemed like it could be perceived as presumptuous.

Did you mean that as a bit of a joke, having so many name partners at Diane’s firm?

MICHELLE KING: Yes. The Good Wife law firm kept changing its name, and rebranding itself, this felt like a funny way to play off that. We liked the idea of a merger of three mid-sized law firms where no partner would give up their billing. Also when we were location scouting, the best opportunity was a massive and grand law firm on the 55th floor. It looked like a place where Diane’s old firm was swallowed up.

Did you feel an obligation to somehow address Alicia’s whereabouts?

ROBERT KING: Yes, a bit. It would seem odd if the characters pretended she never existed — especially because the tension between Lucca and Diane was based on their connection through Alicia. We didn’t want to build an elaborate backstory for Alicia because then that would become the true end of The Good Wife. So a passing reference felt right.

You have Diane saying, “People who I thought were saints, weren’t.” Was that meant as a back to Alicia?

MICHELLE KING: Yes, it was meant to be a veiled callback to Alicia. Diane has become more realistic in the last few years, realizing that people she idolized really did have feet of clay.

The slide of Diane and Will at her goodbye party… why did you decide to do that?

ROBERT KING: The slideshow was a summary of Diane’s life. A major part of her life was Will, and Will’s death. It felt appropriate to see Diane’s reaction. We love her reaction: it’s just the right mix of bittersweet and sad.

Lucca stood up for Diane when her firm was deciding to hire her, but she appeared bitter toward Diane during the brutality case. Where does that bitterness come from?

MICHELLE KING: That was an instruction from the Adrian Boseman character (played by Delroy Lindo). He wanted her to throw Diane off emotionally by playing up their differences.

The Henry Rindell situation: Will that be addressed and resolved throughout the season?

ROBERT KING: Yes. More interesting to us than the particulars of the scandal is how the scandal impacts Maia. Good Wife was about the darkness in a marriage. Good Fight is about the darkness in a family.

It was great to see David Lee and Howard Lyman. Will we see them again?

MICHELLE KING: Unfortunately, not this season. We want to bring them back, they’re too much fun to leave sidelined.

The Good Fight premiered Sunday night on CBS All Access.