Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Season 5 – The Good Wife

Play trailer Poster for Season 5 – The Good Wife 2013 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
When a very public sex and political-corruption scandal lands her husband, Peter, in prison, Alicia Florrick (Emmy-winner Julianna Margulies) must get past the humiliation and betrayal and assume responsibility for her family. She resumes her career as a defense attorney, shedding her persona as the embarrassed wife of a politician, and takes charge of her destiny. Years later, after Peter wins the gubernatorial election, Alicia must balance her evolving career and family responsibilities with her new position as first lady of Illinois.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Good Wife — Season 5

The Good Wife — Season 5

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The verdict is in: The Good Wife is a solid adult drama, with a delicately fine-tuned performance from Julianna Margulies and storylines that become increasingly absorbing as they progress.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Eric Deggans NPR Producers finally jettisoned the Will/Alicia romance storyline in the best way, blowing it up with a war over competing law firms, which breathed new life into a show now in its fifth season. Nov 22, 2019 Full Review Alan Sepinwall Uproxx Overall, this year was a lot of fun, and a prime example of how much can still be done in the traditional broadcast network drama model. Nov 5, 2019 Full Review Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe With its boundlessly entertaining fifth season, which wrapped up on Sunday with a wonderfully giddy finale, The Good Wife has once again proven that it's the best drama on network TV. May 20, 2014 Full Review Robert Macfarlane AwardsCircuit.com The season premier brings a lot of potential to the show. I believe that we could be on the verge of a breakthrough for this show. Nov 5, 2019 Full Review Adam Sweeting The Arts Desk If anything, it's still getting better. Jul 23, 2018 Full Review Noel Kirkpatrick TV.com I feel like I say this every time The Good Wife returns: I had no idea how much I missed this show. May 20, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (18) audience reviews
Marianna K This show is dynamite! Every second is riveting.... I have never binged a TV show so fast before and am already desperately sad it will eventually end. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/28/23 Full Review Audience Member I pretty much hated it Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member No way it's terrible Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic writing and endearing characters! Amidst the drama and funny moments, it has an unforgettable profoundness to it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This season is undeniably the best one, and is the reason why I hated S6 & S7. Hitting The Fan would have made an amazing finale, way more satisfying than the one they gave us in S7. As far as I'm concerned, the show ended with this season. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member If I were asked which season to recommend to start with...I'd hand them a copy of Season 5. I'm pretty sure that it was the season where I finally found a way to appreciate the show, and in turn...be okay with watching all the other seasons. Even going back to season 1 while Season 7 started airing was okay...because the episodes still came through strongly. It is best watched in its entirety of course! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Good Wife — Season 5

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 29, 2013 Everything Is Ending Alicia works to prevent the execution of a convicted murderer as she plans her exit from the firm with Cary; Eli helps Peter put together his staff. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 6, 2013 The Bit Bucket Unaware that Lockhart/Gardner's communications are being monitored, Cary and Alicia sue the NSA on Chumhum's behalf; Alicia receives support from her mother; Eli tries to secure Diane's Supreme Court nomination. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 13, 2013 A Precious Commodity Alicia receives a stunning offer that causes her to reconsider leaving the firm; the partners must take action when Diane is put at odds with her colleagues. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 20, 2013 Outside the Bubble Alicia tries to obtain Lockhart/Gardner files as she prepares to exit the firm; faced with a sexual harassment lawsuit, the firm hires Elsbeth Tascioni. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 27, 2013 Hitting the Fan A desperate battle to retain clients begins when Cary and Alicia's plan to leave the firm is exposed. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 3, 2013 The Next Day Alicia and Cary represent a client who changed firms and Will and Diane delay turning over the case files; Marilyn tries to give advice to Alicia. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 10, 2013 The Next Week Zach makes a discovery that leads Alicia and Cary to believe that the Lockhart/Gardner firm is spying on them; Will helps one of Alicia's former clients; Clarke Hayden (Nathan Lane) offers financial advice to Florrick/Agos. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 17, 2013 The Next Month Alicia must block the deportation of an undocumented immigrant who has been threatened by a cartel in Mexico; Eli's reconnection with Natalie Flores concerns Marilyn; Robin tries to emulate Kalinda. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 24, 2013 Whack-a-Mole When a college professor is accused of being linked to domestic terrorism, Alicia tries to hold a website accountable; Will hires an unpredictable attorney with ties to organized crime; Jackie and Eli clash over a family secret. Details Episode 10 Aired Dec 1, 2013 The Decision Tree When a former client leaves Alicia millions, Lockhart/Gardner contests the will on behalf of the deceased's wife; Marilyn is concerned about Peter being seen with Alicia's questionable clients. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 5, 2014 Goliath and David Will joins the opposing council when Alicia represents a band suing a TV show, transforming a simple case into psychological warfare. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 12, 2014 We, the Juries Alicia and Will insist on separate juries for their clients when they each represent one half of a couple accused of drug smuggling; Cary woos a Lockhart/Gardner client; Kalinda tries to fix a broken relationship. Details Episode 13 Aired Mar 9, 2014 Parallel Construction, Bitches Lemond Bishop is arrested on a drug-related charge, possibly due to a leak within Alicia's firm; an agent from the office of public integrity contacts Marilyn. Details Episode 14 Aired Mar 16, 2014 A Few Words Alicia reflects on the past for inspiration when she is invited to be the keynote speaker at the American Bar Association conference in New York; Cary and Alicia try to align with a powerful lawyer (Jill Hennessy). Details Episode 15 Aired Mar 23, 2014 Dramatics, Your Honor Alicia asks Cary to be her lawyer when Nelson Dubeck (Eric Bogosian) asks her to participate in a deposition; Will faces off with a new prosecutor while defending Jeffrey Grant (Hunter Parrish). Details Episode 16 Aired Mar 30, 2014 The Last Call Alicia tries to cope with Will's death, and Diane talks to the partners, who must decide how to proceed. Details Episode 17 Aired Apr 13, 2014 A Material World As Diane and Alicia work on opposite sides of a contentious divorce suit, they consider merging their firms; Alicia assists Finn when the state's attorney looks for a scapegoat in the Jeffrey Grant case. Details Episode 18 Aired Apr 20, 2014 All Tapped Out When Florrick/Agos takes on the case of an NSA whistleblower, they learn the agency has been monitoring both the firm and Alicia's personal life; Diane must adjust to working with Louis Canning. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 27, 2014 Tying the Knot Alicia visits Colin Sweeney and becomes a witness when a body is found in his home; an unfortunate picture of Zach could be a public relations nightmare for Peter. Details Episode 20 Aired May 4, 2014 The Deep Web Alicia turns to her mother for advice after a chance meeting with a charming entrepreneur; friends of Diane need legal counsel when their son is accused of selling drugs on the Internet. Details Episode 21 Aired May 11, 2014 The One Percent One of Alicia's clients makes an insensitive statement that threatens a billion-dollar merger; Diane and Louis Canning are on opposite sides of a class action suit; Eli makes a discovery. Details Episode 22 Aired May 18, 2014 A Weird Year Talk of merging Florrick/Agos and Lockhart/Gardner drives a wedge between Alicia and Cary; Louis Canning challenges Diane's role at the firm. Details
Close to Home 65% % Close to Home Watchlist Shark 52% 50% Shark Watchlist Hostages 56% 65% Hostages Watchlist Viva Laughlin 25% % Viva Laughlin Watchlist Doubt 55% 76% Doubt Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Season Info

Director
Brooke Kennedy, Josh Charles, Rosemary Rodriguez, Robert King, Felix Alcala
Executive Producer
Ridley Scott, Robert King, Michelle King, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Ted Humphrey, Keith Eisner, Leonard Dick
Screenwriter
Robert King, Ted Humphrey, Craig Turk, Erica Shelton, Leonard Dick, Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Michelle King
Network
CBS
Rating
TV-14 (L|D)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 29, 2013