The Good Wife Season 3 Review: From Strength To Strength

The first season of The Good Wife surprised me with its realism and tenacious leading woman. I had my doubts about season 2, but in the end it turned out to be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than the first season.

After two amazing seasons, I was convinced that this series would start to slow down and lose itself – but it did not.

Season 3 of The Good Wife is just as punchy as the first two and brings new and fresh content with it. 

For those of you who are new to the series, The Good Wife follows the story of Alicia Florrick, wife of the State Attorney, Peter Florrick.

When Peter is embroiled in a very public political corruption and sex scandal that lands him in prison, Alicia is forced back into the workforce after 13 years at home.

She joins the law firm Lockhart & Gardner as a junior associate, rebuilding her career and reputation entirely on her own terms, and without the protection of her husband’s influence.

You may want to read my reviews of The Good Wife Season 1 and Season 2 before continuing. There are spoilers ahead.

Season 2 ended with Alicia leaving Peter and seemingly on the brink of finally pursuing a relationship with her former Georgetown sweetheart and boss, Will Gardner. Season 3 picks up the fallout of that decision.

Alicia has now definitively left her husband following yet another scandal, this time involving her colleague and close friend Kalinda Sharma, and begins a secret affair with Will, something we’ve been anticipating for two full seasons.

This relationship brings a noticeable shift in Alicia’s character. She becomes more guarded, more calculating, and less willing to sacrifice herself for others’ comfort.

The “good wife” who always followed the rules starts crossing lines (professionally and personally) and the show allows her to sit with those consequences rather than softening them.

At work, Alicia appears to be on track for partnership, but the professional environment grows increasingly hostile.

Will finds himself under intense scrutiny from the State Attorney’s office, with Wendy Scott-Carr determined to dismantle his career by revisiting past misdemeanours, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to talk his way out of this one.

The threat of disbarment looms heavily, adding real tension to Will’s otherwise controlled exterior.

Meanwhile, Cary Agos continues to thrive at the State Attorney’s office, emerging as a formidable opponent for Lockhart & Gardner.

His trajectory provides an effective counterpoint to Alicia’s, reinforcing the show’s refusal to frame success as straightforward or inevitable.

Season 3 feels more tightly constructed than Season 2, with subplots that are engaging from the outset and sustained consistently across the season.

Will, in particular, becomes a more central figure, and his storyline proves unexpectedly gripping. While he remains emotionally reserved, the season offers glimpses beneath the surface, especially as Lockhart & Gardner face serious financial strain.

The dynamic between Will and Diane Lockhart is tested repeatedly, resulting in some of more twists and turns.

Things intensify further when Peter Florrick returns to power at the State Attorney’s office, this time determined to run a “clean” operation.

No favours, no shortcuts, and no leniency.

While this may be ethically admirable, it makes life considerably more difficult for the lawyers at Lockhart & Gardner, and eliminates the easy wins of earlier seasons.

The cases themselves grow more complex, demanding greater attention and moral engagement from both the characters and the audience.

Rather than becoming repetitive, the legal storylines evolve in a way that keeps the show intellectually stimulating and emotionally grounded.

Once again, the most compelling subplot belongs to Kalinda Sharma. Always operating in the background but never insignificant, Kalinda’s mysterious past continues to unravel throughout Season 3.

Her storyline builds steadily before reaching a dramatic climax in the finale – even more shocking than the previous season’s reveal.

Kalinda remains the most unpredictable character in the series. Nobody truly knows where she came from, what she’s capable of, or where her loyalties lie, making her endlessly watchable and crucial to the show’s ongoing tension.

By Season 3, Alicia is noticeably colder, tougher, and more self-protective, and who can blame her after she finds out her husband has yet more skeletons in the closet.

Her relationship with Will introduces a lighter, flirtier side that has been suppressed for much of the series, while simultaneously pushing her further away from the image of the obedient “good wife”.

Season 3 is the most dramatic and consistently engaging season of The Good Wife so far and the show is going from strength to strength.

With four seasons still to come, the show shows no signs of fatigue, continuing to deliver emotionally charged, intelligent television that rewards long-term investment.

If you liked this post, check out my other reviews of The Good Wife:
The Good Wife Season 1 Review
The Good Wife Season 2 Review 
The Good Wife Season 5 Review
TV Shows to Binge Watch Now