The TV show with the best guest stars on Earth has its Season 4 finale on Sunday. From Michael J. Fox through Carrie Preston and Maura Tierney, let's rank them from first to worst!
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From left: Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski.
Via: CBS
There's no better current showcase for character actors than The Good Wife on CBS. It's given established stars such as Michael J. Fox and Nathan Lane fun new things to do as they play off the legal drama's leads, Julianna Margulies (as Alicia Florrick), Josh Charles (as Will Gardner), Christine Baranski (as Diane Lockhart), Matt Czuchry (as Cary Agos), and Chris Noth (as Peter Florrick). The show creators, the husband-and-wife team Robert and Michelle King, clearly delight in giving actors this showcase, and fans follow guest stars' comings and goings with great interest.
So I decided to rank them according to excellence. And now I'm barely alive. Oh, and "excellence" here is defined as "in my opinion."
A few notes, and then we'll get to it (I've included a longer explanation of my "methodology" — ha! — at the very bottom). I included actors who have been on three or more episodes; and I did not include actors such as Zach Grenier (as David Lee) and Mary Beth Peil (as Jackie Florrick), who are basically series regulars, even though they're not technically in that category. And so, as I went, the structure that emerged in the rankings was basically this: At the top are the characters (and actors) I consider to be superb; then it's ones I think are pretty great; after that are ones I like; then it's characters played by wonderful actors who maybe didn't have a ton to do (playing judges, mostly) and don't stand out in my memory; and then it's characters the show has forgotten (remember Courtney? Anyone?). The very bottom is filled with characters I actively disliked and/or was disappointed with: Some of my favorite actors are here.
As far as those bottom-dwellers go, there's no blame to be meted out here. It's not the actors' faults, and it's not the writers' faults, either. If the show is going to continue to take wild swings and offer us high points, there will be lows too. I appreciate the ambition. And if every judge and every friend of the Florrick kids had some memorably wacky attribute that stood out in our minds for all time, the show would be The Practice, and we'd all want to scream in frustration.
To the list!
Michael J. Fox
![Michael J. Fox]()
Character name: Louis Canning
Number of episodes so far: 8
First seen in: Season 2, Episode 6: "Poisoned Pill"
Most recently seen in: Season 4, Episode 13: "The Seven Day Rule"
While I'm happy for Michael J. Fox — and fans of Michael J. Fox — that he will have a new show on NBC this fall, if that means we never see Louis Canning again, I will freak out. His rapport with Julianna Margulies in his role as the diabolical Canning — especially when Louis is using his ailment to manipulative advantage and Alicia gets furious — is unparalleled.
Via: All photos courtesy of CBS
Martha Plimpton
![Martha Plimpton]()
Character name: Patti Nyholm
Number of episodes so far: 5
First seen in: Season 1, Episode 5: "Crash"
Most recently seen in: Season 4, Episode 22: "What's in the Box?" (Meaning, she's in the finale on Sunday!)
Another sneaky, winking attorney opponent of Lockhart/Gardner, the Patti character is known to use pregnancy and, later, her infant to win sympathy. Plimpton won an Outstanding Guest Star Emmy for this role for good reason (specifically for the Season 3 finale, in which Patti and Louis tried to take over Lockhart/Gardner). Patti! Grr.
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