The acclaimed Paramount+ legal drama “The Good Fight” has been a show defined by its relationship to the Trump era and has both a fearlessness and bite that’s surprising.
On Friday, the creators and stars of the series gathered for a virtual ATX panel and confirmed that despite the change in U.S. political leadership, and the departure of regulars Delroy Lindo and Cush Jumbo, they’re remaining as topical as ever.
Showrunner and executive producer Robert King says the Washington, D.C. riots earlier this year had a big impact:
“I do think this season is influenced by January 6 more than anything, the sense that the country is broken up a bit, and is there a way to bring it back together?.”
The murder last May of Minneapolis native George Floyd, and America’s subsequent reckoning with its long history of systemic racism also ties into it – especially with Adrian (Lindo) gone which leaves Diane (Christine Baranski) and Liz (Audra McDonald) in charge and dealing with the question of how appropriate it is for Diane to remain as one of the most powerful figures within a predominantly African-American law firm. McDonald says:
“Once Adrian leaves the firm…Liz is having to step into even more of a leadership position, and as the top Black lawyer at this firm, she has to step into this thorny issue. I think she very much likes the idea of the firm being led by women but understands the optics of it being dominated by someone white.
It’s a difficult dance she has to do because she also very much respects Diane. They have a complicated but deep friendship and have been through a lot together, so it’s a very tricky spot.
What I always say about the Kings [Robert and Michelle, creators and showrunners] is they always step up to the line…and say, ‘This is what’s happening’ and shine a light on it. They’re not afraid to get messy, and that’s what happens this season: It gets messy.”
The panel screened the season premiere which, much like the fourth season premiere set predominantly in an unconscious Diane’s mind, is effectively a standalone piece with this one seeing the lead characters wrestling with major events of the past year. Michelle King said the decision was deliberate in the wake of the fourth season being curtailed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic:
“We realized before we could start with any story, we had to know, what did they live through in this last year?. You know, this pandemic year was so difficult for everybody. What was it like for Liz and Diane and everyone else? We wanted to do that in one episode to catch us up.”
“The Good Fight” returns for its fifth season on June 24th.
Source: Deadline
