The Good Fight: 26 Characters from ‘The Good Wife’ We’d Love to See on the Spinoff

The Good Fight took two very different characters from The Good Wife to create the next chapter of the legal drama. While it began with some familiar faces to fans of the original series, the show has successfully used a mix of new and old characters.

New characters took the franchise in a new direction and characters from The Good Wife’s deep bench were used in new ways, which was interesting to those who watched The Good Wife. The show had an incredible number of talented characters, but Alicia was the center of the series and many characters didn’t get their due as a result.

Julius Caine, who slipped in and out of the original series, was reintroduced as part of the firm at the center of The Good Fight and will be a series regular in Season 2. Audra McDonald is reprising her role of Liz Lawrence in the upcoming second season of the CBS All Access series.

Characters like Gary Cole’s Kurt McVeigh were expected and others, Mike Kresteva (Matthew Perry) for example, surprised viewers. Plus, the common practice of judges seamlessly returning to the franchise continued on The Good Fight.

The Good Wife favorites Colin Sweeney and Elsbeth Tascioni as well as Judge Abernathy, Pastor Jeremiah Easton, and Dylan Stack are among the other characters who returned from the flagship series.

The Good Fight viewers met interesting characters while those who watched the original series got the benefit of seeing some familiar faces. I hope to never see Celeste Serrano, Nick Saverese, and Jenna Villette again, but here are 26 characters I’d like to see on The Good Fight.

1. Geneva Pine

Geneva Pine deserved better on The Good Wife, but she was too far from Alicia’s orbit to really have her story told, which is understandable. Plus, a post-Hamilton Renée Elise Goldsberry would be a big deal for The Good Fight.

A simple re-introduction for Geneva could have her still working at the State Attorney’s office, going up against Diane’s firm. Or, if the producers are feeling generous, Geneva could have made some big career changes. A big firm, a promotion, or maybe even politics. Goldsberry deserves it.

2. Clarke Hayden

Clarke Hayden was a recurring character who had a wonderful arc on The Good Wife. He came in to help Diane and Will’s firm when they were in serious debt and ending up fulfilling his dream of becoming a lawyer. His arc had the added benefit of including a well-developed relationship with Diane.

Some viewers of The Good Wife would be happy to see Clarke again, but Nathan Lane is brilliant and The Good Fight should get him on the show.

3. Lana Delaney

When Maia went to FBI for questioning I was hoping FBI Agent Lana Delaney would be on the other side of the door. Jane Lynch was an amazing guest star, but the CBS All Access series should utilize Delaney in a story not tied to Kalinda.

As Kalinda’s very complicated love interest, Agent Delaney never really got to breathe as a character unattached to Kalinda. The Good Fight feels more open from a storytelling standpoint because of its ensemble cast, which could work in Delaney’s favor.

The Good Fight has many uses for the FBI. An FBI investigation of the firm or one of its clients could bring the organization to the show. Also, FBI is still after Maia’s father and currently has Maia in its crosshairs. Either way, Jill Flint’s Agent Delaney could be the face of a new or existing investigation.

4. Justin Coyne

Justin Coyne should return because Romany Malco was great as the Legal Aid frontman. He should also return because the character had a close relationship with Diane. They became friends, she gave Legal Aid a home at her firm and The Good Wife didn’t give Diane many instances where she built the strongest relationship with a recurring character.

It would be nice to see Diane reunite with an old friend, especially given how different her world in the new series is. There’s a lot of new in Diane’s life and tapping into her accomplished life and career would be nice.

5. Patti Nyholm

Over the seven seasons of The Good Wife, many lawyers went up against Alicia and her co-workers. Of the very interesting bunch, Patti Nyholm was one of the best, mainly because of Martha Plimpton’s performance.

Patti would be a useful person to bring back because she works on many levels. Alicia cut her teeth by going up against lawyers like Patti, so should Maia. Diane could still have a bone to pick with Patti after she teamed up with Louis Canning to buy her firm after all.

Plus, her tactics would drive Lucca and Adrian crazy.

6. Dean Levine-Wilkins

Diane recruited Dean Levine-Wilkins for her firm then brought him with her to Florrick-Agos, which saw him team with Alicia for several cases. Dean was smart and an interesting addition at a time where a new lawyer could have been an asset to the series.

Unfortunately, the seasoned lawyer just disappeared after a few episodes.

In 2018, Taye Diggs is an extremely talented actor not attached to a project. He is coming off a passed-over pilot and three seasons of TNT drama Murder In The First. Maybe it’s time to give Dean his due.

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