Keep seeing “Robert and Michelle King” in the credits of your favorite shows — Elsbeth, Evil, Your Honor, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and now the upcoming Cupertino? Allow us to be your proverbial red string. The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Elsbeth exist within the same world, and their connections go way beyond the fact that all three series center on high-powered women lawyers. Meanwhile, Evil, Your Honor, and Cupertino each tell their own brilliantly bingeable stories, all created or produced by the Kings.
With the comedy Elsbeth becoming a comfort-watch smash and the new CBS legal drama Cupertino hitting your screen this fall, it’s understandable that newcomers might feel overwhelmed by the Kings’ body of work and a little lost about how to navigate it. This guide will help you make sense of which of the couple’s legal/crime shows connect, which stand alone, the best order in which to view them, and how to stream them all.
Key facts
- Creators: Robert King and Michelle King
- Shared universe: The Good Wife → The Good Fight → Elsbeth
- Stand-alone series: Evil, Your Honor, Cupertino
- First King series: The Good Wife (2009)
- Latest King series: Cupertino (Fall 2026)
- Streaming home: Paramount+
Which shows are connected?
There are three shows from the Kings that share story continuity: The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Elsbeth.
In 2009, The Good Wife established a world of razor sharp legal professionals navigating Chicago’s courts and political machine. Much like the weathered leather portfolio passed down from a mentor to a young associate, The Good Fight inherited the world of its predecessor and filled it with cases, conflicts, and convictions of its own. This 2017 series follows Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) into a new career chapter. In 2024, the delightfully eccentric Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), a minor character in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight, departed Chicago for the Big Apple. Viewers can now watch her put her legal skills and nose for the truth to work alongside the NYPD in the CBS mystery series Elsbeth.
Everything else in the Kings’ canon, from the supernatural drama Evil to Bryan Cranston’s tour-de-force performance in moral compromise showcased in Your Honor, exists in its own walled-off universe. Even the pair’s upcoming CBS show Cupertino, a legal drama, stands outside the shared legal world of The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Elsbeth. (We can’t complain; Christine Baranski has already given us more sizzling legal performances than we deserve.)
The shared universe
The Good Wife
Julianna Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, the wife of a disgraced politician. The show follows her as she returns to practicing law after a decade away, rebuilding her life and career in the crucible of a Chicago law firm. Marguilies is joined by costars Christine Baranski, Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry, and a rotating gallery of guest stars just beginning their 15+ minutes in the limelight.
The Good Wife folds a marriage story into a political thriller while exploring the double-edged nature of power and the fragility of reputation in an increasingly digital age. The series still holds up on its own while serving as the foundation for the universe that later expanded with The Good Fight and Elsbeth.
WATCH NOW: The Good Wife
The Good Fight
This show provides exactly what it says on the label: a narrative about surviving and striking back. Set a year after the events of The Good Wife finale, we follow prominent Chicago attorney Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) after she’s pushed out of her practice and goes on to revive her career and reputation at a predominantly Black Chicago firm.
Baranski sizzles as the leading lady, while rising star Cush Jumbo makes a memorable mark on the series. More politically charged than its predecessor, the show also gives the Kings room to experiment with their storytelling. Friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces return with a welcome regularity, expanding the universe while maintaining the beating heart at the center of it all.
WATCH NOW: The Good Fight
Elsbeth
Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth Tascioni always felt too unconventional to be contained in mere recurring guest spots on The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Her ability to see patterns others have missed while keeping a cheerful disposition makes it hard for her adversaries not to warm to her – or at least respect her.
Based in New York, she brings her Chicago-honed legal acumen to the NYPD to track down the city’s most entitled murderers. Much like Elsbeth herself, Elsbeth can stand on its own with ease, but watching her appearances on The Good Wife and The Good Fight will reward you with a deeper understanding of her personality – not to mention fun little Easter eggs.
FYI: Elsbeth Season 4 premieres Thursday, Oct. 8. New episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+*.
WATCH NOW: Elsbeth
The stand-alone series
While the Kings have built an impressive shared universe, they’ve also been busy creating some of the most interesting standalone television shows of the past decade. These distinct offerings are connected only by their creative teams (okay, and a pretty major cast member) rather than by story or character continuity.
Evil
A departure from the Kings’ usual tone, Evil is a supernatural psychological drama that follows a skeptical psychologist (Katja Herbers), a priest-in-training (Mike Colter), and a contractor (Aasif Mandvi) as they investigate unexplained phenomena for the Catholic Church. Throughout its four-season run, the smart, unnerving show grappled with questions of faith and science using a storytelling style that feels timeless. In addition to Herbers, Colter, and Mandvi, Evil stars Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin.
Fun fact: Evil star Mike Colter is the brand-new star of the Kings’ upcoming CBS series Cupertino.
WATCH NOW: Evil
Your Honor
In this crime thriller, Bryan Cranston plays a New Orleans judge unraveling after his son (Hunter Doohan) is involved in a fatal hit-and-run. The Kings served as executive producers and showrunners on this tense, morally complex series, delivering prestige television with high stakes, unimaginable choices, and a lead performance that will make you think Cranston needs a retroactive Emmy®.
In addition to Cranston and Doohan, Your Honor stars Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Michael Stuhlbarg, and Carmen Ejogo.
WATCH NOW: Your Honor
Cupertino
In the Kings’ latest, highly anticipated CBS project, audiences can expect a David-vs.-Goliath legal drama set in Silicon Valley. Mike Colter (of Evil) plays a lawyer who joins forces with a young attorney (Rachel Keller) to take on the tech elite after being cheated out of his stock options. Part Erin Brockovich, part modern tech satire, this standalone story brings the Kings’ signature wit to a timely take on the legal system.
Along with Colter and Keller, Cupertino stars Ella Stiller, Nik Dodani, Busy Philipps, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
FYI: Cupertino premieres Thursday, Oct. 8. New episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+*.
WATCH NOW: Cupertino
Best watch order
Unlike some other creative universes out there, the Kings’ body of work demands less of a “rigid syllabus” style of watching and more of an “at-your-leisure adventure” mindset. The standalone shows, Evil, Your Honor, and the upcoming Cupertino, operate in their own little bubbles, so you can watch them in any order without feeling the need to refer to a spreadsheet.
For the shows that do share a universe, there’s an uncomplicated logic to the order:
- The Good Wife: Start with the press conference heard round the world. You can’t skip the foundation and expect the house to stand.
- The Good Fight: This direct sequel takes everything the first show built and pushes it into feistier and more political territory.
- Elsbeth: A spin-off that readily justifies its own existence and has built its own fan base.
Not trying to do a full deep dive? Here’s where to drop in:
- Legal drama purists: Begin with The Good Wife and you’ll be intrigued in the first 10 minutes and utterly hooked by Season 1 Episode 3. It’s the most undiluted expression of the Kings’ sharp yet humane voice and the pair’s ruthless lens on the machinery of power.
- Mystery fans: Go straight to Elsbeth for the most accessible entry point – a show that needs approximately zero prior knowledge of earlier shows. Light on continuity and heavy on charm, Carrie Preston dazzles in this Columbo riff where New York City is a member of the cast.
- Supernatural enthusiasts: Evil offers horror-adjacent drama for intellectuals – a series that asks big questions and refuses to give easy answers.
- Prestige crime-drama aficionados: Your Honor is your move if you want to see Bryan Cranston make terrible choices that result in even worse consequences. Set far outside The Good Wife universe, this intense New Orleans drama won’t make you crave a po’ boy, but it will have you saying the phrase while slowly shaking your head.
- Trendsetters: Well, you’ll want to watch the hot new thing, of course! Start your Kings fandom with CBS’ legal drama Cupertino, coming this fall.
The Kings have quietly built a body of work that rewards commitment but doesn’t punish casual viewing. Binge it all, or cherry-pick. With all of their hit shows available on Paramount+, you can take your time with each cerebral tale.
What makes their shows unique?
Robert and Michelle King are known for intelligent, character-driven storytelling that blends procedural elements with serialized character arcs. Each of their shows highlights morally complex protagonists forced to navigate sticky ethical and legal dilemmas. Often these characters are strong female leads – from Alicia Florrick to Diane Lockhart to Elsbeth Tascioni – operating at high levels of both skill and compassion. Sharp dialogue delivered by talented character actors gives the Kings’ works a kinetic energy that keeps even the driest procedural mechanics moving.
The Kings also demonstrate a willingness to experiment with genre to keep the tempo going. Evil in particular pushes boundaries with supernatural horror elements within a procedural framework, while The Good Fight drapes legal drama with political commentary.
Watch Robert & Michelle King’s shows on Paramount+
Paramount+ is the primary destination for the Kings’ acclaimed series. Whether you’re streaming The Good Wife and its sequel shows, or a standalone favorite like Evil, the service offers the complete King catalog.
With Cupertino arriving in Fall 2026, the Kings’ body of work continues to grow – so catch up on all the shocking twists and heartrending monologues by streaming any of their titles on Paramount+.
Elsbeth
Watch NowFAQs
Do I need to watch The Good Wife before Elsbeth?
No. Though Elsbeth is a spinoff of The Good Wife, it works as a standalone series, so you can jump right into her first case. However, you can gain valuable backstory on her character (and perk up at her delightful cameo appearances!) by checking out The Good Wife and The Good Fight.
Is The Good Fight a sequel to The Good Wife?
Yes, The Good Fight serves as a chronological spin-off to The Good Wife. Fans follow Diane Lockhart and Cush Jumbo’s Lucca Quinn (among others) in the same fictional world of high-stakes legal battles following the events of the original show.
Is Evil connected to The Good Wife universe?
No. While the Kings are creators of both shows, Evil exists in its own fictional universe.
Which Robert and Michelle King show should I watch first?
If you love legal dramas and want to get a feel for the creators’ earlier work, start with The Good Wife. For mystery fans, Elsbeth is an easy entry point that’s more tongue-in-cheek than grisly. For a show with a darker lilt, try Evil for supernatural thrills or Your Honor for a prestige crime drama. Can’t possibly get enough legal dramas? Check out CBS’ Cupertino this fall.
*New episodes can be streamed live on Paramount+ as they air on CBS via the Paramount+ Premium plan, or they can be streamed on the day after they air via any Paramount+ plan.
