Have you ever heard of Robert and Michelle King? While their names might not strike a chord, series like “The Good Wife”, “Brain Dead”, Evil”, and the recent “Elsbeth” will probably ring a bell. To be up front, I never got in to “The Good Wife”. (That may be about to change.)

In 2019 I got hooked on the television series “Evil”. It is a fascinating fictional look at a female psychologist who works with the New York City’s District Attorney as a consultant, a priest in training who is working with the Catholic Church to investigate possible demonic possessions or miracles, and a scientist looking at scientific explanations for what appear to be evil manifestations or other unexplained phenomena. The show’s writing is witty, sometimes controversial, and always intriguing. It started out on CBS before being picked up by Paramount+ in 2021. Regrettably Covid followed by the Screen Writers Strike killed it. I believe it could easily have continued for several seasons if not for that one-two punch. (It can be viewed streaming on Paramount)+) One of the subtleties of the series was the discreet political references. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_(TV_series)

Segue… My sister Kathy watches more current TV shows than I do. On the whole, her tastes are different from mine. She enjoys romantic comedies and love stories, I like crime documentaries or anything based on Stephen King. She’d been nagging me to watch a few new shows, including “Elsbeth”. She insisted the main character reminded her of me. That steered me away from watching it. But, during one weekday afternoon when I was suffering from a prolonged case of writer’s block I watched the first episode. Perhaps because I saw the resemblance between myself and the quirky Elsbeth I wasn’t immediately drawn in. It’s a series about a lawyer who “temporarily” relocated from Chicago to New York. Elsbeth Tascioni is assigned by the Department of Justice ostensibly to oversee some controversial arrests by the New York Police Department. However, there’s a subplot. She’s investigating an NYPD police captain’s possible corruption. The interesting thing about the crimes is that they occur at the beginning of the show. The viewer follows Elsbeth as she uses her quirky vision to track down killers. She is like a Sherlock Holmes/Monk character. Similar to “Evil”, there are subtle political references that pop up here and there. By the third episode I was invested. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsbeth_(TV_series)

I always watch the credits at the end of films. Yes, I know. A lot of people do that. Sometimes there are little “surprises” after the credits. That isn’t why I wait and watch. I love film and appreciate the skills of the people who use their talents and training to bring movies to the screen. I seldom watch the credits after television shows. It happens sometimes. If a show has great characters or creative scripts I’ll check out who did the work. If the directing is impressive or the editing sharp I want to know if the talent has worked on other projects. Imagine my surprise when the names Robert and Michelle King appeared in the credits of both shows.

In June 2016, I discovered “Brain Dead”. Described on Wikipedia as a “political satirescience fiction^[1][2][3]comedy-drama” (that’s a mouthful) it kept me hooked from the first episode. During the hectic days of the presidential campaigns, the show brought enough ironic humor to television to tickle my funny bone. Centered in Washington, D.C., the premise is based on alien bugs infesting the brains of Congress members and other random people—obviously, a conspiracy to take over the government of the United States. Documentary filmmaker Laurel Healy takes a position working for her brother, Senator Luke Healy. She discovers the conspiracy and proceeds to investigate further. While the alien bugs manipulate members of Congress, occasionally, their interference causes the heads of the affected to explode. Rather than give the entire plot away, I encourage viewers to find this gem and watch. With our current political situation in the US it will provide an amusing look at the environment we live in. The show was supposed to last four seasons, with the bugs going on to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. I would love to have seen the expansion of the alien control; the show was canceled. Perhaps some streaming service will pick it up. It’s more pertinent now than ever. And we need to be able to laugh at the insanity of the current political climate.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrainDead

Perhaps you have already been aware of the incredible talents of the Kings. If you have watched any of the shows they created and wrote, you are fortunate. They are able to combine serious subjects with satire and tongue in cheek humor, taking the edge off controversy while acknowledging its existence.

UPDATE

As I suggested in the original blog about the brilliant television series created by Robert and Michelle King, I might watch “The Good Wife”. I’ve never been a fan of Julianna Margulies or Chris Noth. But the draw of a King creation was too strong to resist. And so began another fun journey with Robert and Michelle.

I’ve been a follower of “law” shows since I Perry Mason was originally on television. Courtroom dramas fascinate me. “The Good Wife” did not disappoint. In addition to exploring legal cases that were often inspired by current events, the lives of the characters outside of the courts are engrossing.

Beginning with the resignation of Peter Florrick, Cook County Illinois’s States Attorney, after political corruption and a spicy sex scandal land him in jail. This leaves his wife of thirteen years, Alicia, to take on supporting their two children. Alicia had been a lawyer before her hiatus to raise their children, so she returns to her career. Finding it almost impossible to get hired by any local law firms because of her lengthy absence, she is rescued by her former law school classmate, Will Gardner. From the beginning it’s apparent Will is not giving Alicia the opportunity to work for the firm he partners with Diane Lockhart because he feels sorry for her. There’s an electricity between them that indicates his feelings for the betrayed Alicia go beyond friendship.

While Diane has some hesitation about hiring Alicia as a full time law associate, she sees something in the woman that motivates her to take her on. At the same time Cary Agos, a young, confident lawyer, is hired.