CBS hasn’t ruled out a potential eighth-season renewal for its flagship legal drama The Good Wife, but if it does return in the fall, creators Robert and Michelle King won’t be back as its showrunners. CBS’ recently installed president Glenn Geller confirmed the news at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour, igniting speculation as to whether the critically-acclaimed show could live beyond the seven-season arc the Kings originally planned. Robert King told TVLine’s Michael Ausiello the network is still keen on the show and is actively working on a plan to keep it on the air for another year. “The bottom line is CBS is trying to make deals for an eighth season, so we would be there in a supervisory role, but the storytelling we have will finish in the seventh year,” King said.
The announcement is a blessing and a curse for Good Wife fans, given the conventional wisdom that the storytelling has wobbled in seasons six and seven, as well as the fan backlash that came after Archie Panjabi’s suspicious season-six exit. A new showrunner with fresh ideas could be precisely what The Good Wife needs to reclaim its former glory, but that’s what NBC executives said about Community once upon a time, and we all know how that panned out. The Kings are set to work on their previously announced political horror-comedy BrainDead.