Julianna Margulies: CBS Refused to Pay My Asking Fee to Appear on The Good Fight!

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Julianna Margulies has revealed that she was willing to reprise her role from The Good Wife on the CBS All Access spinoff, The Good Fight. 

The actress confirmed to Deadline that showrunners had a plan to bring her character, Alicia Florrick, back for a three-episode stint on the spinoff during the current third season. 

Julianna Margulies Promotes The Good Wife

I was really excited about the idea, but CBS refused to pay my [ask],” she told the website about why the plan did not come to fruition. 

The actress confirmed that she was asking for the fee was paid per episode on The Good Wife, but admitted that CBS was not willing to play ball and offered her a guest star fee for the spinoff. 

Related: The Good Fight Renewed at CBS All Access

“I’m not a guest star; I started the whole thing with The Good Wife,” the Emmy winning actress added.  

“I wanted to be paid my worth and stand up for equal pay. if Jon Hamm came back for a Mad Men spinoff or Kiefer Sutherland wanted to do a 24 spinoff, they would be paid.”

Julianna Margulies Photo

The Good Fight premiered in 2017, less than a year after the original series came to a close. It followed Diane Lockhart as she was forced out of the law firm she was part of after a huge financial scam that derailed her career. 

While there was never any confirmation that Margulies would return as Alicia, many fans thought it was only a matter of time before the actress reprised her role. 

Related: The Good Wife Season 7 Episode 22 Review: End

It's unclear at this stage whether CBS will give in increase the fee so that Margulies can return in a future season. 

For now, it seems like a long shot. 

Julianna Margulies Attends Event

Margulies followed The Good Wife up with a series regular role on AMC's one-and-done Dietland, and can next be seen on National Geographic's upcoming miniseries, The Hot Zone. 

What are your thoughts on the way all of this played out?

Hit the comments. 

Remember you can watch The Good Wife online right here via TV Fanatic. 

The Good Fight streams new episodes on Thursdays, exclusively on CBS All Access.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

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Good Wife Quotes

Cary: How are things in the bar attorney trenches?
Alicia: Same as there only without the fees, resources or muffins.

There is a mutiny brewing below deck and we are going to start losing good, young associates because of him.

Cary