The BEST episodes of The Good Wife season 1

Every episode of The Good Wife season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Good Wife season 1!

The Good Wife is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail.

Last Updated: 8/29/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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Unplugged
star
7.83
2171 votes

#1 - Unplugged

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/2010

The winner is announced in the competition between Alicia and Cary.

Writer: Karen Hall
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Running
star
7.76
2170 votes

#2 - Running

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/25/2010

At Eli'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.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Pilot
star
7.69
2638 votes

#3 - Pilot

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/2009

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.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hi
star
7.67
1957 votes

#4 - Hi

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/9/2010

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

Directors: John Gallagher
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hybristophilia
star
7.61
1877 votes

#5 - Hybristophilia

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2010

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

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Threesome
star
7.59
1972 votes

#6 - Threesome

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/2009

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.

Writer: Ted Humphrey
Watch Now:Apple TV
Unorthodox
star
7.58
2061 votes

#7 - Unorthodox

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2009

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.

Directors: John Polson
Watch Now:Apple TV
Doubt
star
7.57
2317 votes

#8 - Doubt

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/6/2010

Alicia and Will defend a college student accused of killing her sorority sister while under the influence of a sleep aid. Diane and Kurt continue their flirtation.

Directors: Omar Madha
Writer: Karen Hall
Watch Now:Apple TV
Boom
star
7.57
2261 votes

#9 - Boom

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/27/2010

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. Peter uses religion to work on his appeal.

Writer: Ted Humphrey
Watch Now:Apple TV
Unprepared
star
7.54
1986 votes

#10 - Unprepared

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2009

While Alicia is preparing in a case defending a scientist accused of arson, she is suddenly asked to testify on Peter's behalf.

Directors: Jim McKay (II)
Watch Now:Apple TV
Conjugal
star
7.52
1968 votes

#11 - Conjugal

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/2009

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.

Directors: Rod Holcomb
Writer: Angela Amato
Watch Now:Apple TV
Heart
star
7.51
2067 votes

#12 - Heart

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/16/2010

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. Alicia gives Peter a proper welcome home.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Bang
star
7.49
1909 votes

#13 - Bang

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/2010

Peter gets accustomed 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.

Directors: Rob Holcomb
Watch Now:Apple TV
Lifeguard
star
7.48
1971 votes

#14 - Lifeguard

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/15/2009

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

Directors: Paris Barclay
Writer: Tom Smuts
Watch Now:Apple TV
Mock
star
7.47
2220 votes

#15 - Mock

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/4/2010

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.

Directors: Rod Holcomb
Watch Now:Apple TV
Infamy
star
7.46
1850 votes

#16 - Infamy

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/5/2010

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

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Fixed
star
7.44
2147 votes

#17 - Fixed

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/2009

Alicia stumbles onto something that indicates possible jury tampering on her firm's class action law suit against a pharmaceutical company. Peter's legal team continues their work for his upcoming appeal, and Alicia keeps butting heads with Peter's attorney.

Directors: Dan Minahan
Watch Now:Apple TV
Fleas
star
7.42
1975 votes

#18 - Fleas

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/9/2010

Peter strategizes on how to handle his retrial and the next steps in his public rehabilitation. Alicia and Will defend an attorney charged with murder.

Writer: Amanda Segel
Watch Now:Apple TV
Painkiller
star
7.37
1905 votes

#19 - Painkiller

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/12/2010

Alicia and the kids have to deal with some really bad news and then she has to give Peter some information that will make him furious. Alicia has to represent the doctor who prescribed the medication to a high school quarterback that appear to die from the painkiller overdose.

Directors: Steve Shill
Watch Now:Apple TV
Home
star
7.36
2308 votes

#20 - Home

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/6/2009

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.

Directors: Scott Ellis
Writer: Dee Johnson
Watch Now:Apple TV
Crash
star
7.35
1984 votes

#21 - Crash

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/2009

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. Jackie and Alicia clash over taking the children to visit their father in prison.

Directors: Gloria Muzio
Writer: Ted Humphrey
Watch Now:Apple TV
Bad
star
7.35
1892 votes

#22 - Bad

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/2/2010

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. Diane takes precautions when a prisoner she put in jail is to be released from prison.

Directors: Alex Zakrzewski
Writer: Ted Humphrey
Watch Now:Apple TV
Stripped
star
7.34
2311 votes

#23 - Stripped

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/2009

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.

Watch Now:Apple TV