Ratings Bubble Report: Is ‘The Good Wife’ season 7 on thin ice?

“The Good Wife” has through the majority of its run the show that could do no wrong on CBS, and for good reason. It is the rare network show these days to generate any sort of critical acclaim, and to go along with that there of course a certain amount of leeway that a network will be able to give a show.

However, we are now at the point where the rubber is starting to meet the road. We’re in the seventh season, which was a time once rumored to be the end. Ratings are lower than they’ve ever been, costs are going to increase, and sooner or later, the awards buzz is going to quiet. Is now the time to end “The Good Wife”? Read on for more from our latest Ratings Bubble Report story.

The good news – The show is still great. While we’d love to see more of Diane and Cary actually working with Alicia Florrick, we’re not going to have that take away severely from the fact that this is a well-written and well-acted show that somehow manages to still do 22 episodes a year — a rarity these days. CBS clearly loves the show and will do what they can to support it no matter what. It also helps “The Good Wife” that there are so many other bubble shows on the network. “CSI: Cyber” is likely out, “Elementary” is in danger, and you basically have the entire Friday-night lineup in a little bit of jeopardy.

The bad news – Let’s talk about money for a second. Many series regulars opt to sign six-year deals when they join a show in the pilot stage, and some of these shows include an option for a seventh. After season 7 is when many shows decide to shut the door because of cost. Just look at “The Mentalist.” Over time “The Good Wife” is going to be more expensive, and it’s clear at this point that it is not getting any more viewer.

Also, there is something to be said for ending the series when you are still going strong rather than going out with a whimper.

Chance of renewal – Moderate to moderately low. Some of this depends on whether or not executive producers Robert and Michelle King want to continue, since they now have other material on “BrainDead.” You also have a potential story with Peter’s Presidential campaign that could serve as a way to warp things up. As a whole, this just feels like a show that could make an announcement soon that it is in its final season … even if we’d love to see at least a 13-episode season 8 to give it a full send-off.

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