‘The Good Wife’ season 5 spoilers: Could the series ever go to a shorter episode count?

On Sunday night, “The Good Wife” season 5 is going to return to CBS, and will yet again be back with a pretty lengthy order of 22 episodes. For any network show, this sort of order has been the norm for quite some time. It enables shows to take a little more time to figure out their story, to craft it more in advance, and also usually spend less time in production.

So are we going to see this sort of move made for this show? If the ratings slide, it could make some sense to shorten the season, and allow the show to run its episodes in succession. However, as co-creator Robert King says to The Hollywood Reporter, it is not something that has been discussed too much at present:

“[It hasn’t been discussed], but it would work great for us because we have a daughter. We’d love it. But we’re very verbose. Or I am. The 22[-episode] schedule gives us the ability to explore other aspects. It’s kind of ideal for us because we plan the year that way. I can understand because CBS is exploring with Hostages and Intelligence, but I think that’s a cool way to go because it gives a very concentrated effort to make a purely serialized show. Because our show is both serialized and has standalone [elements], it gives us the ability to fill up 22 episodes.”

Ultimately, the creators really seem to believe that either way, they can make the show work; the most important thing to hope for is just that the ratings are strong enough that it stays on the air regardless of episode count.

What do you think: Do you think a shorter order for “The Good Wife” could actually be a smart move? Be sure to share your thoughts below! For some more specific scoop related to the season, click here, and we’ll be back later this weekend with a sneak peek of this first episode.

Photo: CBS