Spinoffs are always a dicey proposition. Is this new series even close to as good as the show that birthed it?
After two episodes, "The Good Wife" spinoff "The Good Fight" seems poised to answer that question in the affirmative, but it will take more time to know for sure.
"The Good Fight" debuts Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS but subsequent episodes will only be available on the subscription CBS All Access streaming service ($5.99 per month or $9.99 per month commercial-free at www.cbs.com/all-access/). A second episode will be available Sunday on CBS All Access and subsequent episodes will release weekly on Sundays at CBS All Access.
As the new series opens, it has been one year since the events of "The Good Wife" finale. Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) has merged her firm with two other midsize Chicago firms that result in posh new digs and a better-lit conference room. In the "Good Wife" finale, with her marriage to Kurt McVeigh (guest star Gary Cole) effectively over after his infidelity, Diane announced her retirement from the firm with plans to buy a villa in France.
But then her retirement savings are wiped out after the investment firm she used is revealed to be a Bernie Madoff-like Ponzi scheme. The firm is run by an old friend, Henry Rindell (Paul Guilfoyle), whose daughter, Maia (Rose Leslie, "Game of Thrones," "Downton Abbey"), has just passed the bar and started working at Diane's firm.
By the end of the premiere episode, both Diane and Maia are working at another firm where Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) has made her professional home. In episode two they're joined by Marissa Gold (Sarah Steele), daughter of "The Good Wife's" Eli Gold, who becomes Diane's new assistant.
There's one mention of Alicia Florrick and a photo of Will Gardner shown at Diane's retirement party, and other connections to "The Good Wife" flit in and out of the series, including some of Diane's work colleagues _ attorneys Howard Lyman (Jerry Adler) and David Lee (Zach Grenier) in the premiere; attorney Julius Cain (Michael Boatman) and Judge Charles Abernathy (Denis O'Hare) in episode two. It's enough to sell the notion that we're in the same universe, but without the Florricks on board, the focus is clearly elsewhere.
Judging by the first two episodes, it's not entirely clear whether the focus will be on Diane or Maia, whose place in the world bears some similarities to Alicia's status as a junior attorney when "The Good Wife" began, but Maia, who is 20 years younger than Alicia and a lesbian, carries slightly different baggage (a family rocked by financial scandal instead of political scandal).
Written and executive produced by "Good Wife" creators Michelle King and Robert King, "The Good Fight" marks a pretty seamless transition from "The Good Wife" that feels similar enough for viewer comfort, but also different enough to avoid being a total rehash.
Situating strong-jawed Diane at a majority African-American-owned firm allows "The Good Fight" to explore some new terrain. Populating that firm with several terrific new characters _ Delroy Lindo ("Believe") as the senior partner who brings Diane in; Erica Tazel ("Justified") as the Diane-like partner who is wary of Diane's presence _ only adds to the intrigue of potential stories to come.
Because "The Good Fight" streams online, the language is rougher than it was on "The Good Wife" _ five f-bombs in the premiere _ and episodes run slightly longer. (The premiere episode airing on CBS Sunday night will be broadcast-length and without the extreme profanity.)
