The intelligent yet absurd and uniquely hilarious courtroom dramedy has been my favorite show since THE GOOD WIFE left the air. I never thought I would love a spin-off so much, but this is the REAL DEAL.

There are no good wives and good women in THE GOOD FIGHT, there are only disrupters, women who jump into opportunities prematurely, women who don’t behave, and those who battle the existential dread of how to keep up the good fight. The hopelessness and renewed purpose is a rollercoaster that keeps the show relevant and wild. These women are great characters, performed only by the industry’s top actors. And it is deliciously dramatic!

THE GOOD FIGHT is beloved by all who watch – its Rotten Tomatoes has a record 95% and for good reason, starring: Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Sarah Steele, Mandy Patinkin, Michael Boatman, and many more powerhouse performers, the writers know that whatever they throw at this team, it’ll be grounded and brilliant. The arcs are plotted in real world events as truth is stranger than fiction, yet this show decides (every single time) to become stranger than truth.

The series picks up one year after the events in the final episode of “The Good Wife.” After a financial scam destroys the reputation of young lawyer Maia Rindell and wipes out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s savings, the two are forced out of Lockhart & Lee and join forces with Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s pre-eminent law firms. At Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad, Diane finds familiar faces, including Colin Morrello, who is a rising star in the state’s attorney’s office, and Marissa Gold. Though starting at the bottom, Diane and Maia are determined to rebuild their careers and lives at the new firm.

Whenever a series regular exits, this show welcomes a new character whose sole purpose is to rub everyone the wrong way for their diversity of thought, their mysterious intentions, and their slow reveal of character. The erratic behavior of the newcomer is this show’s signature move. My favorite addition so far is Carmen:

From, “New ‘Good Fight’ Star Charmaine Bingwa Says Carmen’s ‘Not Afraid to Bend the Rules’” by Ileane Rudolph, …

“Carmen seems preternaturally calm and assured whether she’s talking to a murderous client or name partner Liz Reddick (Audra McDonald) who tells Carmen that she doesn’t seem to care if she’s liked by others.

Liz said, “I don’t think you give a s**t about whether people like you.” Carmen feels like everyone else around her is playing checkers and she’s playing chess. The season will tell whether she has too much faith in her abilities. I think in real life, when you meet people who are authentic and grounded and embrace their talents, that’s attractive to people whether they’re doing morally questionable things or not.

Liz tells Carmen that she will be her mentor. It seems she’s doing that to keep an eye on her, after she saw in court that Carmen got an underling of her drug kingpin client Oscar Rivi (Tony Plana) to admit to a violent crime that her client committed by basically bribing him to lie. What is her ongoing relationship with Liz?

Some part of Liz sees herself in Carmen, maybe when she was younger and more tenacious. She relates to Carmen’s streetfighter attitude and admires her attitude, quite frankly.”

I’m an actor, so maybe that’s why I love this show so much. Every new role is a monster to unwrap and enjoy like a candy bar. And I love love love these women for it.

This is not hyperbole: “fan favorite Carrie Preston (AKA Elsbeth Tascioni)” is my favorite character in all of television. I know, that’s weirdly high praise for a character you may have never heard of or even remember, but she is stunning.

In “The Good Fight: Carrie Preston to Return as Elsbeth Tascioni in Season 6” by Michael Ausiello,

“On the heels of our scoop that franchise vet Alan Cumming is returning as Eli Gold, TVLine has learned that fellow fan favorite Carrie Preston (AKA Elsbeth Tascioni) is also Good Fight-bound.

Preston — who originated the role of socially-stunted attorney Elsbeth on CBS’ The Good Wife before bringing her over to the Paramount+ spinoff for four episodes during Season 1 and 2 — will appear in one Season 6 installment….

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Carrie Preston back this year — both as director and Elsbeth Tascioni,” said showrunners and EPs Robert and Michelle King in a statement to TVLine.

In The Good Fight‘s sixth season, which will debut on Paramount+ this summer, Diane experiences an “uneasy sense of déjà vu, with everything from Roe v. Wade to voting rights to Cold War aggressions returning,” per the streamer. “Meanwhile, the lawyers of Reddick & Associates wonder if the violence that they see all around them points to an impending civil war.””

…But this ambitious show covers a whole lot more than this short excerpt. You are in for a fun ride. If being terribly upset by current events with a little humor can be fun. I think so.

Between Carrie Preston’s clumsy wildcard, young and ambitious Charmaine Bingwa, and Wanda Sykes’ legendary savant, this show just keeps getting better and better with every addition. The drama comes from sincerely diverse school’s of thought, unique origins, and clashing expectations of the world. The diversity of thought, of political calling, of addressing inequity, of morality, … is on display at all times. This show explores more than the average show because it can never stand still and preach, it can only pour women onto the screen and let them be as complicated as they are without apology. This show is about women taking up space and Black women, in particular, offered a chance to be uniquely Black – no colorblind casting, Black women are Black women AND individual in every other way.

And the clash between Christine Baranski‘s white woman feminism and Audra McDonald‘s Black leader of a Black lawfirm will never be a settled matter – racism, inequality, and operating a Black-Owned business will always be at the forefront of their professional lives, never a short seasonal arc or call-to-the-carpet moment, it is an ever present reality not unlike our own. I adore a show that keeps reality alive in an unreal world. This is not an after-school special steeped in propaganda and lessons to be learned, this is a show about messy people in a messy world.

Click To Watch THE GOOD FIGHT HERE