What's the Deal with the Feud Between Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi?

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 4, 2015 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 4, 2015 |

We here on the Internet are terrible, terrible gossip mongers, and sometimes, a rumor takes on a life of its own and turns into “Internet fact.” But “internet fact,” of course, is about the same as “Wikipedia Fact,” which is to say, maybe it’s true, maybe there’s some truth to it, and maybe it’s complete bullshit. Who knows?

One of those “Internet Facts” involves the so-called feud between Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi, who play Alicia and Kalinda on The Good Wife, respectively, and it’s one of those “facts” for which there’s just enough evidence to convince many of us that it’s true (which doesn’t mean it’s true. It just means that we believe it to be).

So, how did the rumor that Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi hated each other get started?

A quote from an “inside source” on the L Chat forum certainly helped to fuel the rumor:

Word is that the actress who plays Kalinda and the actress who plays Alicia hate each other and Alicia is trying to get Kalinda fired. The producers are bringing in new female investigator to ease out Kalinda. JM sounds like a real princess and big cry baby. This is word on the set in Brooklyn. It’s all about her in her mind. The show would be barely watchable without Kalinda.

Speculation was further fueled by the fact that Margulies and Panjabi haven’t shared a scene on the show together since 2012, despite the fact that their characters were once very good friends.

Asked about why they haven’t shared a scene together, Panjabi offered this:

Well, I mean, those two characters haven’t kind of had scenes since midway through Season 4. They’ve not a had a single scene together. I feel one of the reasons why my character’s kept apart is because she’s so disconnected from “The Good Wife” story wise and scene wise, and the very existence of Kalinda is her connection to Alicia. I’ve been told that is going to continue, but I’m really hoping it doesn’t because I feel like it’s so important for the character and something everybody that I meet always talks to me about. So, who knows. You never know with “The Good Wife,” do you?

Meanwhile, showrunner Robert King offered this quote about the two, and you can dissect any way you’d like:

“When you’re playing with a full deck of cards with a lot of characters you’ll find that there is a potent mixture that you can create that you didn’t expect. We can only say to the fans that we don’t close any door at all.”

Add to that the fact that Panjabi asked to leave the series, and the fact that most of her scenes the last two seasons were of her on telephones talking to the rest of the cast in other locations, and the fact that she was given a very poor send-off, and you can make your own inference.

However, last night’s flashback — which saw Kalinda and Alicia in the same scene for the first time since 2012 — should not necessarily affect your inference. Why? Because it’s fairly obvious the two weren’t in the same room, as the scene only included alternating close-ups of Alicia’s face and close-ups of Kalinda’s face, but no long shots suggesting they were in the same room at the same time.