What ‘The Good Fight’s Christine Baranski Has Learned by Playing Diane Lockhart (VIDEO)
TV series come and go but not many have such a history as the stellar legal drama The Good Fight, which kicks off its sixth and final season on Thursday. Given the solidness of the show during its run (which began on CBS All Access and now ends on the newly branded Paramount+), the show is a gem for hardcore TV viewers who also watched the series from which it spun-off, The Good Wife, given we see the return of Wife‘s Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) and Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) as well as get a verbal-only update on that show’s core characters Alicia Florrick (Juliana Margulies) and her corrupt ex-husband Peter Florrick (Chris Noth).
Backing up in case you need reminding, The Good Wife, also set in the legal world in Chicago, ran from seven seasons from 2009-2016 on CBS and saw Margulies win twice in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. Diehard fans of that show (this reporter being among them) rejoiced when it was announced that a few characters — namely Christine Baranski’s sharp lawyer Diane Lockhart — would continue in a spin-off called The Good Fight from Wife‘s creators Robert and Michelle King.
The Kings took Fight to heights they wouldn’t have been able to on broadcast TV by tackling head-on the crazy world of a reality star becoming President of the United States while also having the benefit of using adult language apropos to the oddities the Fight characters faced on the show. And, going into its sixth season, Fight‘s ending on a high-note given it does not feel like a series that is running on fumes.
However, before we say goodbye, there’s still the final season of Fight to come and the Kings have given returning characters and new ones much to do in this last cycle of episodes (dropping every Thursday). For one, a weary Lockhart, after stepping down from partner at Reddick/Boseman, is finding the stresses of life getting more and more tough to ignore, stressed by protestors and threats happening right outside their place of employment.
To help ease her stress, she seeks the help of Dr. Lyle Bettencourt (Mad Men alum John Slattery), who can hopefully help her through some new-aged therapy. “There’s an edge-of-the-seat quality about our reality. We don’t quite know where to find our sense of optimism anymore,” says Baranski. “There’s a lot of confrontations with her own mortality and confrontations with death and [Diane is] seeking a relief from it.” During the interview, which you can watch in the above video, the Tony winner also talks about what she’s learned from playing Diane across two TV dramas and how she never wanted to bring her own politics into the show by using the character as simply a mouthpiece.
Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+
Also in the above video, Slattery talked about working with Baranski for the first time and more about the kind of therapy Dr. Bettencourt brings to his patients. Also, new cast member Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) explains finding the right kind of flair to bring to his character Ri’Chard Lane, who comes into the law offices on the show like a blustering tornado. “I feel like Ri’Chard is a huge character and I felt like I had to rise to the occasion,” he says.
Watch the video interview above for more.
The Good Fight, Thursdays, Paramount+
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services