PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2015: THE GOOD WIFE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 32nd William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEYFEST 2015 seminar honors "The Good Wife," the drama series about a Chicago lawyer who returns to work after her politician husband is embroiled in a public scandal. Host Rene Reyes (director of public programs and festivals, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and introduce executive producers/creators Robert and Michelle King. The Kings preview the episode "Mind's Eye," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 121877.)
After the screening, Reyes introduces James Corden (comedian and future host, "The Late Late Show With James Corden"). Corden moderates the following panelists: the Kings; and cast members Matt Czuchry (Cary Agos), Christine Baranski (Diane Lockhart) and Julianna Margulies (Alicia Florrick).
The panelists touch on such topics as: the freedom given by the network to create unusual, non-"status quo" episodes; the Kings' inspiration for the show from a combination of current events around 2008; the fifth-season departure of Josh Charles, who portrayed Will Gardner, and how Margulies "guilted" him into staying long enough to facilitate a proper exit; the "insane reaction" from heavily-invested fans to Will's shocking murder; parallels with the loss of Margulies' previous leading man George Clooney on "ER"; how the marriage of Alicia and Peter (Chris Noth) is "a Bill and Hillary story," held together only for politically-advantageous reasons; Margulies' desire for Alicia to eventually leave her philandering husband, having learned from the experience of Will's death; how Alicia is becoming "more tainted" by her experiences despite her good intentions; the effect of Will's death on Diane as a character; Baranski's relief that the show's female characters are not "stereotyped victims"; Czuchry's reaction to learning of Cary's stint in prison; his hopes for closure in the Cary/Kalinda relationship with the upcoming departure of co-star Archie Panjabi; their favorite guest stars, including many real-life political figures, and how Margulies "made a fool of herself" in front of Gloria Steinem; the show's non-judgmental depiction of atheism as well as other non-"dinner party"-friendly topics; the Kings' experience as a married couple writing unusual sexual scenes together; and ideas for future guest stars, including Alan Rickman and Margulies' longtime friend Alfred Molina.
Questions from the audience and from Twitter and the PaleyFest app then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Baranski's enjoyment of her dramatic role after many years of comedies; hopes for Alicia's current romantic life; why the show does not currently have any spin-offs despite its popularity and many interesting secondary characters; Cary and Diane's current status as "teammates" despite their past conflicts; what the actors have in common with their characters; Margulies' opinions on being the "sloppy second" choice for the role of Alicia, which was offered to other actors first; how fan responses and suggestions affect the writers' decisions; comparisons between Alicia and Carol Hathaway, Margulies' beloved "ER" character; and how Margulies is "more secure" now as a veteran actor.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:47:27
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 121488
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- James Corden … Moderator
- Robert King … Panelist
- Michelle King … Panelist
- Matt Czuchry … Panelist
- Christine Baranski … Panelist
- Julianna Margulies … Panelist
- Josh Charles
- George Clooney
- Alfred Molina
- Chris Noth
- Archie Panjabi
- Alan Rickman
- Gloria Steinem