Margulies Drawn To the Political Woman Scorned

By Lisa de Moraes
Tuesday, August 4, 2009

PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 3

CBS's "The Good Wife," in which Julianna Margulies plays the wife of a state's attorney in Chicago caught with a hooker, was developed a year ago "when you could still hike the Appalachian Trail and not snicker," co-creator Robert King told TV critics at Summer TV Press Tour 2009.

In the series, Margulies's character returns to work as an attorney while cheating husband Chris Noth cools his heels in jail.

King is, of course, referring to Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), who famously held a news conference at which he 'fessed up, without wife Jenny by his side, after pretending to hike the Appalachian Trail when he was really doing the tango with his mistress in Argentina.

Margulies said she was drawn to the show because of such women as Jenny Sanford; Silda Spitzer, wife of former governor Eliot Spitzer (D-N.Y.); and Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic presidential contender John Edwards.

"I feel like these women really don't get their due," Margulies said.

"They're supposed to have children, support the husband. These are smart women. Silda Spitzer right now is heading a hedge fund in New York City. . . . Elizabeth Edwards just wrote a book. Look at Hillary Clinton. It's not like these are silly wallflowers that are waiting for their husbands to come home. Most of them have two degrees, and they're incredibly accomplished. So I found it a fascinating role to play."

Critics inquired as to whether any of the true-life "good wives" had been approached to guest-star on the show or even to dish for story-line purposes.

"I think all of those women are way too classy to ever rumble about any of it," Margulies speculated. "It's very important to all of us on the show that this show isn't about demeaning who they are and gaining from their downfall, because it's very painful what they went through."

"Would you include Mrs. [Rod] Blagojevich in that assessment?" a critic cross-examined.

"I don't consider her a wife of scandal like this," Margulies shot back about the Democratic former governor of Illinois. "He didn't cheat on her. He cheated on everyone else, right? And then she went on some reality show, didn't she? I mean, God!" Margulies rolled her eyes at the very thought of Patty Blagojevich on "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!"

Eek! Jenna Elfman! Protect Yourself!

CBS set the bar very high for the Big Four portion of Summer TV Press Tour 2009 when it began handing out ramekins filled with condoms.

The handout of prophylactics -- product of Thailand, expiring in 01-2014 -- was intended to get TV critics in the mood, so to speak, for a Q&A session for "Accidentally on Purpose," a middling sitcom about a newspaper film critic who gets knocked up by much younger guy during a one-night stand because, apparently, condoms only work when you take them out of your purse. The much younger guy then moves into her apartment instead of living in his car, and hilarity ensues.

"There is not a hotel conference in America where there is less demand for them," TV Guide business editor Stephen Battaglio, noted of the condoms.

The stunt got quite a rise -- sorry -- out of the critics. And of course the sitcom is based on the best-selling autobiography "Accidentally on Purpose: The True Tale of a Happy Single Mother" by Mary Pols, now Time magazine's Web movie critic. But there's no getting around the fact the show stars robo-perky Jenna Elfman.

Elfman thought it would be a really good idea to regale the TV Critics Association, whose ranks have been greatly reduced as newspapers go under or reorganize, with a long sad story about how tough it's been for her over the past few years suffering through all these six-figure network- and studio-development deals -- out of which all she got was one short-lived sitcom after another. The best part of this new sitcom -- I know, not setting the bar very high -- is Larry Wilmore, a.k.a. "The Daily Show's" Senior Black Correspondent. He has only a bit part in the pilot episode as Elfman's OB-GYN, but executive producer Claudia Lonow says they want "as much as we can get of him." If only more of him meant less of Jenna.

The 'D-Girl' Gets The Last Laugh

CBS programming chief Nina Tassler danced a little jig on the remains of NBC programming chief Ben Silverman's network career. TV critics, who have listened patiently through new pitches in the cable demimonde all week, were enchanted.

Silverman, having accomplished everything he'd set out to do at NBC (last place in the ratings among major broadcast networks, "Kath & Kim" foisted on an unsuspecting public, resuscitation of "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!," etc.) is returning to his roots as a foreign-rights-brokering, product-placing, jet-setting entrepreneurial producer-party boy.

"What is the CBS reaction to Ben Silverman's departure from NBC?" asked one critic, not really expecting much of an answer, given that Tassler has played the role of Most Buttoned Up Big-Four Programming Chief at the TV press tour for years.

"I'm really just a D-girl so I wouldn't comment on that," Tassler simpered; then she winked.

Tippety tap tap. . . .

"Nicely played!" one surprised critic responded.

Tassler has had that line tucked away in her brassiere since December 2007, when NBC's newly hired Silverman assured Esquire magazine "the [TV] industry hasn't seen an executive like me in a long time" and that his counterparts at the other commercial broadcast networks "are basically all D-girls." That's industry slanguage for "cute development suit with no actual power."

One critic, drunk on NBC Kool-Aid, wondered aloud if Jay Leno's show "is a success, what are your plans to follow suit?"

"Whatever numbers [Leno] gets, NBC is going to declare victory, so it really doesn't matter," Tassler said, smiling coyly.

Tappity tippity (spin) tip. . . .

It was an interesting response. We would have gone with clumping the guy on the side of the head with our shoe and screaming at him to wake up and smell the ratings.

Because, of course, CBS routinely wins the last hour of prime time and has, since NBC made the Leno announcement last December, aggressively gone after the week-night timeslot, moving last season's most successful freshman series "The Mentalist" to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, and promising new drama "The Good Wife" to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Tassler's response was a homage to the news release NBC issued after Conan O'Brien's first week hosting "The Tonight Show" declaring him King of Late Night. Now, CBS's David Letterman is attracting more viewers than Conan and is closing the gap among the 18-to-49-year-old viewers NBC sells to advertisers in late night.

"Ten o'clock is a great business for us," Tassler told the critic, continuing to opt against the head-clumping option.

"We have great scripted shows at 10 o'clock. We're not going to fix what isn't broken. . . . We see [the Leno move] as a great opportunity. It's a sea change in our business. We have a huge commitment to scripted programming and we'll continue to follow that course."

Could you tell us what your reaction was when NBC issued a release declaring Conan the new King of Late Night and maybe how you feel about that a few weeks later?

This Q&A had become a love fest.

"We said, 'Really? Really?' It seemed premature," Tassler hopped, skipped and jumped.

One critic asked Tassler if she would perform the Handicap Jay's Chances for Success at 10 rumba.

"No, I have no desire to do that," Tassler grinned.