"We don't want this show to be in that Cheers mode of "when will they or won't they" kind of thing. As good as that is, we wanted to show the reality that Alicia has a lot of things pressing on her and a lot of guilt trips and emotions that factor into whether she carries on an affair," co-creator and executive producer Robert King tells TVGuide.com. "There was an emotional moment last year where Grace says, 'Mom, you need to protect us more.' That has been nagging at Alicia all this year."

However, King and his wife, co-creator and executive producer Michelle King, stress that doesn't mean those doors have shut forever. "In our minds, Will is in love with Alicia. There is, yes, romanticism about the past and a romantic instinct towards finding commitment in your life," Robert King says. "But there will be the tension for both Will and Alicia once Will starts seeing women again, if he does. There can't help but be this pang with Alicia because she is a highly charged sexual being now."

Romance will be the furthest thing from Alicia's mind though as she returns her focus to her kids and especially her career. "Do you choose the route of Diane, who is someone who put family on hold and put career first? Is there any way you can do that with family?" King says. "I think when things are not about emotional risk, they are about advancing your job."

Alicia's continued struggle to balance her career and her family will bring Peter (Chris Noth) back into the picture. "Peter and Alicia share a lot of difficulties and a lot of pain," King says. "What Alicia shares with Peter is something she could never share with Will, which is that they are trying to raise children. But with Peter, obviously comes the baggage of Jackie, and how many Molotov cocktails she can throw into this."

On top of Jackie's scheming, spying ways, there's also the issue of the Peter's office's investigation into Will (Josh Charles), which Alicia (Julianna Margulies) has yet to find out about. "Clearly, he wanted to hurt Will in private. It was also sort of a political advantage to pursue the Will investigation. It is very difficult when those two things are aligned: something that you want and yet something that advances your career," he says. "Does that undercut the honesty of it? Alicia is going to have to face that with Peter too."

"Ultimately these two characters are really bonded with each other and care about each other as friends. While their relationship and intimacy level has deepened, I think what's happened right now feels right," Charles says. "He has his hands full with trying to remain a lawyer and stay out of prison."

It will take a lot to keep Will out of the prison, as the investigation brings more than a few skeletons out of his closet. "It brings in a lot of major threads that have been pursuing Will for a while. Will has always cut very close to the ethical line, sometimes crossing it," King says. "That stuff doesn't go away. If there is any lesson the show has sent, it's that the sins of the past keep coming back."

The investigation will also further open Will's eyes about his desire to have more in his life than just a corner office at Lockhart & Gardner. "Will is going to have a brush with death, in terms of his career because of what is happening with this investigation," he says. Will's search for commitment "is going to really nag at him over the course of the second half of the season. He is going to come to a decision by the end of the year."

Does that mean there is hope for a reconciliation between Will and Alicia? "That doesn't mean that it wouldn't bring her back into Will's sphere in some way. It just would have to be a very different permutation because you don't want to just go backwards with the narrative," King says. "There is this constant forward momentum to who Alicia is becoming."

The Good Wife airs Sunday at 9/8c on CBS.

(Additional reporting by Robyn Ross)

Image Credit: CBS
In a parallel universe The Good Wife films on a sun-drenched studio lot in L.A. and stars someone other than Julianna Margulies. It turns out that Robert and Michelle King, the writing duo behind the much-loved CBS drama, originally planned to shoot the series in L.A. or Vancouver. But their top pick to play scorned wife Alicia Florrick, Julianna Margulies, wouldn’t leave her native New York for the role. “Good luck with that,” she told them. So the Kings agreed to make some adjustments to get the actress to sign on.
That’s just one of the interesting admissions from last night’s Good Wife panel at the 11th annual New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend. Robert and Michelle King, Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, and Christine Baranski were all on hand to chat about the show with moderator Patricia Cohen. Here are a few other highlights from the Jan. 6 event:
On how the show has evolved from Robert and Michelle King’s original plans:
Michelle King said that, structurally, she was hoping the show would be a little more procedural, but now she’s fortunate that they are able to explore all the characters. She also admitted that two of the show’s popular characters, Diane and Cary, were “failures.” “Diane was supposed to give Alicia more trouble. But we liked her too much. She couldn’t be the antagonist,” Michelle King said. “Same thing with Cary. We fell in love with Cary and Matt Czuchry. So we lost another antagonist.” Without missing a beat, Margulies gave the Kings some advice: “Just hire a–holes!”

On Will and Alicia’s seemingly short-lived relationship:
Josh Charles said it “feels right. It allows us to go deeper into Will as a character.” Charles added that the end of their relationship means that the show could explore Will’s relationship with other characters, like Diane. But before you get too disappointed about the end of Will and Alicia, Margulies was quick to add: ”Who’s to say that it’s over?”
Christine Baranski on her strong female character, firm partner Diane Lockhart:
“She’s a woman over 50 who doesn’t go home and drink herself into a stupor. And she’s not a bitch.”
On this season’s new Sunday night timeslot:
Robert King said the move wasn’t presented as a negative thing by network CBS: “They have confidence in the show.” But at the same time, they’ve been frustrated with the many east coast delays due to NFL games, so he said they’re in constant talks with CBS. Michelle King had a different take: “We’re just hoping the NFL strikes,” she joked.
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‘The Good Wife’ recaps