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The Best Episodes of The Good Wife Season 1

Every episode of The Good Wife Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Good Wife Season 1!

Binge this in 16h 29m•Peaking at 8.4/10

Alicia Florrick boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 18 - Doubt
    8.4/10(1000 votes)

    S1:E18

    Alicia and Will defend a college student accused of killing her sorority sister while under the influence of a sleep aid. At the same time, they also deal with their growing sexual tension and Diane and Kurt McVeigh continue their flirtation.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King, Barry M. Schkolnick

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  2. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 14 - Hi
    8.1/10(902 votes)

    S1:E14

    Alicia defends a man accused of killing his child's babysitter. Meanwhile, Peter's appeal seems to be going well, and Alicia prepares for the idea of him returning to her life.

    Director:John Gallagher
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King, Barry M. Schkolnick

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  3. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 22 - Hybristophilia
    8.1/10(824 votes)

    S1:E22

    Eli Gold works on getting Peter's charges dropped, and Alicia defends Colin Sweeney, a client and accused wife killer, who claims self defense after she finds him handcuffed to a dead woman.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:Frank Pierson

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  4. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 23 - Running
    8.1/10(850 votes)

    S1:E23

    At Eli Gold's urging, Alicia must decide if she'll stand by her man during Peter's new political campaign, or if she'll pursue a relationship with Will instead.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King, Corinne Brinkerhoff

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  5. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 6 - Conjugal
    8.0/10(961 votes)

    S1:E6

    As Alicia works with Will on the appeal of a death row inmate, she agrees to a conjugal visit with Peter in order to get information from him since her client was convicted under Peter's regime as state's attorney.

    Director:Rod Holcomb
    Writer:Angela Amato Velez

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  6. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 10 - Lifeguard
    8.0/10(891 votes)

    S1:E10

    When a judge overturns a simple plea deal that Alicia arranged, she looks into his motivation, and Diane is made an offer she can not refuse.

    Director:Paris Barclay
    Writer:Tom Smuts

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  7. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 11 - Infamy
    8.0/10(932 votes)

    S1:E11

    Alicia learns more about Peter's fall from office when she represents Glenn Child's wife, Carla Browning, in her divorce appeal. Meanwhile, Will and Emily, an opposing counsel, get cozy during a death suit against Duke Roscoe, a caustic TV commentator.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Todd Ellis Kessler

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  8. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 16 - Fleas
    8.0/10(866 votes)

    S1:E16

    As Peter strategizes on how to handle his retrial and the next steps in his public rehabilitation, Alicia and Will defend an attorney arrested for murder.

    Director:Rosemary Rodriguez
    Writer:Amanda Segel

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  9. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 21 - Unplugged
    8.0/10(834 votes)

    S1:E21

    While the firm takes on a case involving a divorce settlement for the wife of a musician who is in a coma, Alicia reluctantly considers a bold move to make sure that Lockhart and Gardner choose her over Cary.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Karen Hall

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  10. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.9/10(1478 votes)

    S1:E1

    Alicia returns to work as a defense attorney after her husband's corruption scandal and incarceration. She is assigned her first case - a retrial of a woman accused of murdering her ex-husband. Her firm successfully deadlocked the first jury, and they hope that sticking to that strategy will work again, but Alicia realizes that this trial will be more of a fight than anyone expected.

    Director:Charles McDougall
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King

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  11. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 9 - Threesome
    7.9/10(936 votes)

    S1:E9

    Alicia is asked to represent a partner in the firm on a DUI charge. Her attention is split when she is suddenly forced to face the Other Woman.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writer:Ted Humphrey

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  12. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 17 - Heart
    7.9/10(889 votes)

    S1:E17

    In an emergency courtroom set up in a hospital, Alicia and Will battle Patti Nyholm and an insurance company that refuses to pay for life-saving in-utero surgery. Meanwhile, Alicia gives Peter a proper welcome home.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Corinne Brinkerhoff

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  13. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 8 - Unprepared
    7.8/10(894 votes)

    S1:E8

    While Alicia is preparing in a case defending a scientist accused of arson, she is suddenly asked to testify on Peter's behalf. Damages Peter Riegert guest stars as the judge in Peter's case and CBS' The Early Show star Russ Mitchell guests as himself and interviews Peter.

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writer:Corinne Brinkerhoff

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  14. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 13 - Bad
    7.8/10(871 votes)

    S1:E13

    Tensions are high as Peter's appeal begins while Alicia has to defend a wealthy client who doesn't seem that innocent, even after he's found not guilty of murdering his wife. Meanwhile, Diane takes precautions when a prisoner she put in jail is to be released from prison.

    Director:Alex Zakrzewski
    Writer:Ted Humphrey

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  15. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 15 - Bang
    7.8/10(869 votes)

    S1:E15

    While Peter gets acclimated to life at home and works on a comeback strategy with his political team, including Eli Gold, Alicia and Diane wrestle with spousal privilege laws in a murder case that hinges on their ability to get a wife to testify against her husband.

    Director:Rod Holcomb
    Writer:Courtney Kemp Agboh

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  16. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 2 - Stripped
    7.7/10(1155 votes)

    S1:E2

    After the State's Attorney refuses to pursue criminal charges, Alicia becomes second chair on a civil suit involving the rape of a prostitute at a bachelor party who may have been hired and abused by her own husband.

    Director:Charles McDougall
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King

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  17. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 7 - Unorthodox
    7.7/10(935 votes)

    S1:E7

    Alicia, representing a daughter of one of the partner in the firm, finds herself very attracted to her co-counsel, mostly because of his unorthodox approach of defending their client.

    Director:John Polson
    Writers:Robert King, Michelle King

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  18. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 19 - Boom
    7.7/10(803 votes)

    S1:E19

    When Alicia goes head-to-head in the courtroom with former boss Jonas Stern, she debates whether or not use personal information to her advantage. Meanwhile, Peter uses religion to work on his appeal.

    Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
    Writer:Ted Humphrey

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  19. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 3 - Home
    7.6/10(1059 votes)

    S1:E3

    The son of Alicia's former friends is charged with felony murder, and Alicia decides to defend him, despite the fact that they ostracized her ever since the scandal.

    Director:Scott Ellis
    Writer:Dee Johnson

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  20. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 4 - Fixed
    7.6/10(1001 votes)

    S1:E4

    Alicia uncovers evidence that possibly proves that the jury is tampering with her firm's class action law suit that she has against a pharmaceutical company, while the legal team of her husband continues to mount the case for his appeal.

    Director:Daniel Minahan
    Writer:Todd Ellis Kessler

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  21. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 5 - Crash
    7.6/10(958 votes)

    S1:E5

    Alicia and Will have only 72 hours to find the smoking gun that proves the train company, and not the three engineers, is responsible for the crash, thus securing the widows their pensions the company is holding back. Meanwhile, Jackie and Alicia clash over taking the children to visit their father in prison.

    Director:Gloria Muzio
    Writer:Ted Humphrey

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  22. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 12 - Painkiller
    7.6/10(876 votes)

    S1:E12

    Alicia and the kids have to deal with some really bad news; Peter learns some new information that makes him furious. Meanwhile, Alicia has to represent the doctor who prescribed medication to a high school quarterback, who appeared to die from a painkiller overdose.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Corinne Brinkerhoff

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  23. The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 20 - Mock
    7.6/10(814 votes)

    S1:E20

    The police are quickly at the door when Peter's electronic monitor sounds after he chases Alicia out of the apartment. As a result, Grace and Zach scramble to figure out a way to keep him from being arrested.

    Director:Rod Holcomb
    Writer:Todd Ellis Kessler

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Doubt" is the best rated episode of "The Good Wife" season 1. It scored 8.4/10 based on 1000 votes. Directed by Félix Alcalá and written by Robert King, Michelle King, Barry M. Schkolnick, it aired on 4/6/2010. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Hi".