What’s to become of broadcast television now that CBS’ “The Good Wife” has reached the end of its run? It’s an important question, given that this show has been the only network drama series during the last few years that could rightfully and without question be positioned alongside the best that cable channels and streaming services have had to offer. This sad milestone reminds me of those 12 long months beginning in January, 1998, when NBC had just announced that “Seinfeld” – widely regarded at the time as the last great American scripted series (of both the funny and dramatic kind) – would come to an end that spring (around the same time that CBS’ “Murphy Brown,” another important groundbreaker, also closed shop). Pundits decried that television as we knew it was over, and it wasn’t until HBO unleashed “The Sopranos” the following January that the industry exhaled. The magic could still happen. Television has been doing just fine ever since.
The End of "The Good Wife" is Another Blow for Broadcast TV
