6 episodes ‘The Good Wife’ considers Emmy-worthy

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Emmy Awards voters have always been kind to legal shows, probably because they offer grandstanding courtroom performances and ripped-from-the-headlines stories. Legal winners in the drama series category over the years have included ‘The Practice’ (1998, 1999), ‘Law and Order’ (1997), ‘L.A. Law’ (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991) and ‘The Defenders’ (1962, 1963, 1964).

After its first season last year, the Chicago-based law drama ‘The Good Wife’ scored nominations for drama series, lead actress (Julianna Margulies), supporting actress (Christine Baranski, Archie Panjabi), writers (Robert and Michelle King for the pilot episode) and guest stars (Dylan Baker and Alan Cumming). Panjabi won. Except for Baker, all of those contenders are back to try again, although Cumming is switching from the guest to the supporting slot. Other ‘Good Wife’ contenders in supporting: Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry and Chris Noth. Five-time Emmy winner Michael J. Fox competes in the guest category.

Below are the six episodes that will be submitted to Emmy judges if ‘The Good Wife’ is nominated again for drama series. Take special note that producers did not choose the mega-buzzed season finale, ‘Closing Arguments,’ in which Alicia Florrick (Margulies) and Will Gardner (Charles) finally hook up after flirting for many weeks.

‘Double Jeopardy’ (aired Oct. 5, 2010)
Alicia wins a trial for an Army reservist accused of murdering his wife, but Cary (Czurchy) has the case re-tried in military court. Alicia calls Cary as a witness to get a break in the case and save her client. Childs (Titus Welliver) tries to ruin Peter’s (Noth) reputation with dirty tricks.

‘VIP Treatment’ (aired Oct. 26, 2010)
An important dinner reception is the place where D.A. Wendy Scott-Carr (Anika Noni Rose) announces she is running for state’s attorney. While Peter and Eli (Cumming) figure out what this means for their campaign, Alicia returns to the office for a case in which a woman accuses a Nobel Prize winner of sexual assault.

‘Nine Hours’ (aired Dec. 14, 2010)
The law firm has only nine hours to get a stay of execution for a death-row inmate. Peter prepares for his first debate with Childs and Scott-Carr.

‘Real Deal’ (aired Feb. 8, 2011)
It’s a race to be the swiftest against Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) to gather the most neighborhood clients for a class-action lawsuit against a company dumping toxic waste. Someone at the law firm is secretly working for Canning.

‘Great Firewall’ (aired March 1, 2011)
A Chinese dissident (Ken Leung) posted an anonymous blog about democracy in China and was then jailed and tortured by his government when the site failed to turn over his IP address. The firm agrees to take on the case of the social-network website. Eli hopes to push Childs out of the race. Will and Diane (Baranski) hope to push Derrick Bond (Michael Ealy) out of the firm.

‘In Sickness’ (aired May 3, 2011)
The firm defends a liver-transplant patient against attorney Patti Nyholm (Martha Plimpton). When Patti’s firm then fires her, she asks Lockhart and Gardner to represent her. Alicia is still battling the emotional repurcussions from Peter’s one-night stand with Kalinda (Panjabi).

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-- Tom O’Neil