The Good Wife Shocker: All the Questions You’re Dying to Know by Tonya Papanikolas

It came out of nowhere – the plot twist viewers never saw coming. Granted, fans wouldn’t have wanted to know earlier. But denial won’t change the outcome. No matter how much we wish it weren’t true, cutthroat yet charming lawyer Will Gardner is dead – and he’s not coming back. Josh Charles, the male lead of CBS’ The Good Wife opposite Julianna Margulies, has exited the show, leaving viewers scrambling to understand what happened and why.

The scenes started so casually that we had no reason to anticipate anything out of the ordinary. Will goes to trial just like any other day. Only this time during the proceedings his client steals a gun and starts shooting. As Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) hear what is happening, they run toward the commotion. Their anticipation mimics ours as we see that Will has been shot. But even after they rush to the hospital, viewers don’t expect to see Gardner’s body lying gray, pale and lifeless under the sheet. It’s a new reality that takes some adjustment. So what happened? What propelled Charles to leave the show? And why did the writers make the decision to kill him off? We break down all the questions you’re dying to know.

Why is Charles leaving?
The good news is no one forced him out. He decided to leave on his own. In a video posted on The Good Wife website, Charles says, “I felt, however much I’ve enjoyed the experience, that I was ready for the next chapter of my life, both creatively and personally.” Additionally, he tells TVLine, “It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. [But] you just kind of know sometimes when you’re ready to move on to new experiences. And that [doesn't mean] there’s something wrong with this experience. It’s more about what I want to explore.”

So what does he want to explore? He doesn’t say specifically. It sounds like something with a different filming schedule, for one. When asked by TVLine if he would do another TV show, he says yes, he loves television, but “more than likely it would probably not be 22 episodes a year. It’s just that 22 [episodes] a year is really hard for everybody. For me, just newly-married and wanting to have a family and wanting to do other things, the more likely scenario is a 10 or 13-episode situation.”

He also says it’s the longest job he’s ever had, another potential reason for wanting to move on to something new. Charles formerly spent two years on ABC’s Sports Night as a regular cast member. Having starred in numerous films, it’s possible Charles may also want to transition back into movies. He is currently filming an indie flick with Sarah Silverman.

Why was Will’s character killed off?
Bottom line: It was good for the story. Michelle King, series co-creator, says in the CBS video, “The reason we went this direction with the storyline was the hope that it would impact every area of [Alicia’s Florrick’s] life. That kind of big loss is going to make you reconsider everything. We’re hoping from a story sense, that we’re going to be able to capitalize [on] it – that this is going to be an opportunity to see how it changes Alicia, how she grows and how she moves forward. It’s an event that impacts every one of our characters emotionally.”

King and fellow co-creator Robert King emphasize in a posted letter to fans, “We’re always looking for these turning points—some event midway through the season that will spin everybody’s lives in new directions. These turning points keep the show from slipping into a numbing sameness, and keep the characters fresh: because you see how they react to a completely new status quo. Will’s death in many ways becomes a hub for the whole series, violently spinning everybody in new directions.”

As for considering another send-off for Will, the creators said with the passion between Will and Alicia, it just wouldn’t have rung true. They told TVLine: “It was a relationship that would always be there in the background for Alicia, even if Will went to Amsterdam or something to work. You’d always have this sense that, ‘That’s the real relationship.’ So it didn’t seem like the best way to keep making Alicia an underdog — an underdog emotionally, an underdog in her career. The better way was to pull the Band-Aid off and make Alicia face, ‘OK what is my life about? Is it about Peter? Work? Power?’ It felt like that jolted Alicia into the better place.”

Why did they kill Will mid-season?
The uncommon and surprising choice was necessitated by Charles’ wishes and then built around giving his character a “proper” ending. Charles actually approached the producers about leaving last year. But his co-star persuaded him to stay through part of this season. Once Margulies found out his intention, she says, “I called the producers and said, ‘How about we try and keep him for at least half of next year and write his character out.”

Charles tells TVLine, “Where Julianna was really helpful was in coming up with the idea of doing maybe a little bit more than just a few episodes this season, and that’s where I came up with the number 15. It got stuck in my head; it sounded like the right amount. And that allowed everybody to plan for it and build accordingly.” (Charles later agreed to appear in episode 16 as well - next week’s episode.)

Killing Gardner mid-season also left more room for the writers to build on the aftermath of the tragedy. Robert King tells TVLine, “One of the reasons we wanted to have this incident [take place] two-thirds into the season and not at the end of the season is so that you really could see the outcome of all of this on all levels in Alicia’s life. What impact does this have on Peter and Alicia? What impact does this have on Alicia and her kids, especially with her daughter who believes in God? And what about Cary, who has never had the best relationship with Will?”

What can we expect in future episodes?
The CBS video interviewing the actors and creators of the show gives a few hints. Clearly the next episode will go back and show what happened in the courtroom. And the prosecutor in the courtroom during the shooting will become instrumental moving forward.

Attorney Finn (Matthew Goode) is expected to be the new jolt of male energy in the show. Robert King explains to TVLine, “He’s Alicia’s connection to Will’s last moments, because he was there [in the courtroom]. He was with Will. And it turns out he was fairly heroic in covering Will. And Finn was hit a few times with gunfire because of that. So Alicia feels a connection there.”

But the creators tell fans in their letter not to expect all tears. They will lighten the mood with comedy as well. Michael J. Fox will be back for four episodes and Stockard Channing reappears, along with other guest actors. And watch for Diane to fire a prominent client. Her portrayer, Christine Baranski, says, “I think she will become a little more like Will Gardner in an opportunistic, survivalistic way.”

Will Viewers Continue to Tune In?
Only time will tell. Fans were definitely upset with the choice and expressed their dismay on social media and internet message boards. Many said without Will they wouldn’t be watching any more. But others expressed an interest to see where the series would go from here.

CBS and the Kings certainly anticipated fan anger and shock. Both the Kings’ letter and the CBS video posted on The Good Wife website clearly intended to let viewers know why the decisions were made, curbing backlash by letting viewers in on their choices. But they also emphasized that the show has always centered around Alicia.
“The Good Wife, at its heart, is the “Education of Alicia Florrick,” write the Kings.

Margulies herself says, “I think she’s going to miss the excitement of Will. He was a powerful aphrodisiac in her life. You’ve seen her through this whole journey of trying to stand up on her own two feet out of necessity. And now I think she’s going to look a little deeper inside herself rather than just be in survival mode.”

The Kings expressed appreciation for their fans and emphasized what is to come: seven more episodes, including one that Charles will be directing.

While Charles will soon be in the midst of new adventures, he has nothing but gratitude toward his fans: “If you ask me what I would say to the fans I would say thank you - that from the bottom of my heart I really appreciate it.” He also encourages fans to keep watching. “I understand there will be audience members that will be upset. I would just tell them that I guarantee it will continue to just be such an excellent show. I know I’m going to keep watching.”