Subject positions and seriality in The Good Wife

This chapter explores the cultural politics of the US network drama The Good Wife (2009–2016). By reading the idea of “the good wife” through Michel Foucault’s understanding of subject positions, the chapter considers the extent to which the initial setup and development of the series make possible a subtle exploration of norms, subjectivity, and agency, ultimately staging a powerful subversion of certain dominant norms of gender and sexuality. Anchoring this analysis is the central role of the unique and intentional seriality of the show, manifest in both the fundamental idea of “the good wife” as subject position and in a variety of explicit techniques used by the showrunners.