The Good Wife producers rule out Archie Panjabi return for finale

Former Good Wife cast members are expected to return to the show for its last-ever episodes.

Gary Cole, who plays Diane’s (Christine Baranski) husband Kurt McVeigh and possibly Jess Weixler, who played investigator Robyn are tipped to return.

But Archie Panjabi, who exited last year as Kalinda, has been ruled out.

“It wouldn’t make sense for her to come back,” co-creator and co-showrunner Michelle King told the Hollywood Reporter.

Josh Charles is also out.

“Will Gardner’s dead so that’s sort of problematic right there,” she said.

In January Michelle and Robert King confirmed they would be departing as showrunners, but reports now indicate a decision to wrap the series only took hold quite recently. It was confirmed during a Super Bowl ad yesterday.

“CBS was still considering the possibility of continuing on so we only heard about the Super Bowl possibility within the last week,” co-creator Robert King told reporters.

“It was first pitched as perhaps a possibility and started to solidify,” Michelle King added.

“We knew that we could control our fate but we were very aware that we did not control the fate of the series.

“That that was the studio and the network to decide, so we felt very fortunate and flattered that we’re being allowed to end the show with the other writers and the other producers the way we hoped it would end.”

Star Julianna Margulies would have also needed to sign a new contract for a potential eighth season.

“I don’t think it actually really got that far formally. There were conversations with the network, with the studio, with Julianna,” Michelle said. “Really, everybody came to the same decision that to be able to go out all together is really what we all wanted.”

No return for Kalinda is unfortunate given she appeared in 134 of 147 episodes. Many fans were not buying the CGI-enhanced final scene in 2015 of Kalinda and Alicia (following over a year of no scenes together).

Margulies later told media, “It was shot the way Robert wanted to shoot it, and the story line, too.

“You also have to remember, there’s difficulty … (Panjabi) was also doing another show, called The Fall. I went along with whatever Robert asked me to do and I did it happily.”

Panjabi previously commented, “I think that’s a question you need to ask the producers.”

The Good Wife returns to TEN tomorrow at 9:30pm.