Where You've Seen The Cast Of The Good Fight Before

In a world where it's far too easy to ping-pong between the 24-hour news cycle and doomscrolling on your smartphone, it can often feel like everything is about to come crashing down. Political civility seems to be missing from the national conversation, a theme explored thoroughly in Robert and Michelle King's "The Good Fight."

The series picks up with lawyer Diane Lockhart from "The Good Wife" after she loses her savings and security in a crushing financial scandal, which drives her to go back into the courtroom. As she settles into her role at the law firm Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad, Diane gradually comes to realize that she is living in a United States she no longer recognizes.

An often-absurdist satire, "The Good Fight" dives headfirst into topics such as the Me Too movement and fake news, and it does so with aplomb — after six seasons, the series is still wowing critics. Let's take a closer look at where you've seen the outstanding cast behind "The Good Fight" before.

Diane Lockhart is an attorney struggling to maintain her grasp on reality because the madness of the political climate is unyieldingly at odds with her liberal values. A prominent character on "The Good Wife" as well, Diane is played by Emmy-winning actor Christine Baranski, who described the attorney as "a woman in search of clarity" in the featurette "The Good Fight: A Farewell." A Juilliard graduate, Baranski began her acting career on stage in 1980, appearing in Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. Through the years, she has remained active in theater productions, racking up dozens of credits (including several Shakespearean productions) and winning two Tony Awards.

Baranski is known for getting cast as affluent and classy characters and has appeared extensively on television and in films. She played Maryann Thorpe on "Cybill" from 1995 through 1998, and she appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Beverly Hofstadter on "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon." Baranski has also guest starred on several TV shows, including "Psych," "Frasier," "Law & Order," and "Ghost Whisperer," to name but a few.

She played Martha May Whovier, the well-to-do partner of Mayor Augustus Maywho, in Ron Howard's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and she has appeared in many other feature films, including "A Bad Moms Christmas," "Chicago," and "Cruel Intentions." You may also recognize Baranski for her voice — she has voiced characters in everything from "Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?" to "Family Guy."

Like several of her co-stars from "The Good Fight," Cush Jumbo's character Lucca Quinn was part of "The Good Wife" before moving to its sequel series. The London-born actor is a highly acclaimed stage performer and even wrote her own solo play, "Josephine and I," which is about one woman's interpretation of Josephine Baker. She told TheaterMania that she hoped to share Baker's story through her work.

In 2009, Jumbo appeared on the "Doctor Who" spin-off series "Torchwood" as the plucky Lois Habiba, whose curiosity lands her a job working with the Torchwood Institute. A skilled dancer, Jumbo trained in pole dancing for her role in 2021's "Stay Close," telling Digital Spy that she spent more than three months learning the art, which left her legs "completely battered." She said: "I did a lot of falling down the pole before I started to look anywhere near good. But I love learning new skills, so I actually came out of it really excited about the pole."

Jumbo has also appeared in quite a few other British series throughout the years, including "Lip Service," "Getting On," "Deadwater Fell," and the long-running medical show "Casualty." She's set to star opposite former Doctor Peter Capaldi in the upcoming crime drama series "Criminal Record."

Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart's Managing Partner Adrian Boseman is often tasked with navigating difficult waters and carries the weight of the world — or at least the firm — on his shoulders. Boseman is played by legendary British-American actor Delroy Lindo, whose extensive acting resume has earned him numerous awards, including a Tony Award and an NAACP Image Award. Lindo has been acting in films since the late 1970s, first appearing in the John Candy comedy "Find the Lady." Around that time, Lindo was also acting extensively on stage, appearing in numerous Shakespeare productions as well as the likes "Of Mice and Men" and "A Raisin in the Sun."

You might recognize Lindo from his many, many film credits. He has plied his trade in memorable pictures like "Malcolm X," "Blood In Blood Out," "Clockers," "The Cider House Rules," and the critically acclaimed Spike Lee movie "Da 5 Bloods," among others. Besides "The Good Fight," Lindo has worked on a number of other big TV shows, including "The Simpsons" — he voiced the character of Gabriel, who Homer mistakes for an angel in the Season 13 episode "Brawl in the Family." He has also been featured as a main cast member on several short-lived shows, including the NBC crime drama "Kidnapped," the ABC soap opera "Blood & Oil," the Fox crime series "The Chicago Code," and the NBC fantasy series "Believe."

Sarah Steele plays Marissa Gold (the only daughter of Eli Gold and his estranged wife) on both "The Good Wife" and "The Good Fight." The Pennsylvania native got her start acting onscreen in 2004, appearing in the Adam Sandler film "Spanglish" as adorable Clasky kid Bernie. After appearing on both "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" as separate characters, she went on to play Kira Abernathy on "Gossip Girl" in 2009. She began working on "The Good Wife" in 2011, and Marissa would become the role that she's best known for — she's played the outspoken investigator more than any other character.

Elsewhere, Steele has popped up in smaller roles on the likes of "Nurse Jackie," "Girls," and "Blue Bloods." In addition to her work on television, the actor has appeared in a number of films, including the comedy "Adult Beginners" and the romantic musical "Viena and the Fantomes" with Dakota Fanning, Evan Rachel Wood, Frank Dillane, and Zoë Kravitz. In addition to her film and television work, Steele also has an impressive theater resume, both on and off Broadway. For her work on "The Good Fight," she was awarded a Septimius Award for Best American Actress in 2022.

Part of the reason Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad runs so well is its gifted investigator Jay Dipersia, who is always working behind the scenes. His appearances in the show might be few and far between, but his moments make up some of the best in the series whether he's analyzing the reasons it's perfectly fine to punch a Nazi or hallucinating Black Jesus and Frederick Douglass. Jay is played by Nyambi Nyambi, who hails from Norman, Oklahoma. In 2006, Nyambi had a minor role in the independent film "Day Night Day Night," marking his onscreen debut. After a few smaller roles, including an appearance on "Law & Order," Nyambi was cast on the sitcom "Mike & Molly" as the sarcastic Senegalese waiter Samuel, a role he would play through the show's ending in 2016.

Besides Nyambi's appearances on screen, he has also voiced several animated characters, lending his vocal talents to the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops III" and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series, in which he played Verminator Rex. DC fans will recognize his voice as that of Martian Manhunter, who he played in the films "The Death of Superman" and "Reign of the Supermen." He also voiced the Green Lantern John Stewart in the video game "Lego DC Super-Villains."

Julius Cain is the firm's Head of Litigation and designated compassionate conservative. The Republican litigator often finds himself at odds with his colleagues, especially Diane, but he often finds common ground with them. Julius is portrayed by Michael Boatman, who got his start on the critically acclaimed 1987 Vietnam War film "Hamburger Hill."

Over the years, Boatman has maintained a steady acting career, regularly appearing in TV and in films. From 1988 through 1991, the actor played Private Samuel Beckett on "China Beach," which is also set during the Vietnam War. In 1992, he appeared in the main cast of the short-lived Roseanne Barr-produced series "The Jackie Thomas Show," and a few years later he was cast in a main role on the WB series "Muscle," which was canceled after only one season. He went on to land the role of Carter Haywood on "Spin City" as well as a spot on the main cast of "Arliss," both of which would prove successful shows.

In 2009, Boatman was cast as Julius on "The Good Wife," a role he would pick up again on "The Good Fight." His politics were never discussed on "The Good Wife," so when the showrunners of the sequel show told him the character was a Donald Trump-supporting conservative, he got quite the shock. "What it kind of opened up for me was a realization that there are different ways to be conservative," he told Bossip. "I began to try to reach into Julius's character via conservatives I could relate to, people like Colin Powell, Michael Steele, who used to be president of the Democratic party."

One of many powerful women in "The Good Fight," Liz Reddick is played by Audra McDonald, who is herself a force to be reckoned with. The Berlin-born actor started performing when she was a teenager and knew instantly that she wanted to work in theater, according to the Fresno Bee. The Broadway veteran is a legend on stage and has six Tony Awards, two Grammys, and a primetime Emmy Award to her name, according to her website bio.

2015 was an especially good year for McDonald, with President Barack Obama awarding her the National Medal of Arts for her outstanding contributions to American theater. That same year, she would be named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2015. A classically trained vocalist and opera singer, McDonald has toured and recorded extensively through the years. She has appeared in a number of films in roles that involve musical performances, like Madame Garderobe in the 2017 live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast."

McDonald also has a solid TV resume and is best known in that realm for playing the role of Dr. Naomi Bennett on "Grey's Anatomy" and the spin-off show "Private Practice." More recently, she appeared in 2021's "The Bite," a satirical miniseries about the COVID-19 pandemic from the creators of "The Good Fight."

One of the threads running through every season of "The Good Fight" is Diane's ongoing quest to find some sort of relief or release from the pressure of the current zeitgeist and the feeling that nothing is sane or completely manageable. Her journey finds her learning aikido, throwing axes, joining a would-be terrorist group, and micro-dosing mushrooms, all with varying results. Season 6 finds her exploring yet another avenue, this time getting dosed with ketamine by Dr. Lyle Bettencourt, played by John Slattery.

Slattery is perhaps best known for his work on "Mad Men" as Roger Sterling Jr., a role that scored the actor four Emmy nominations. Slattery has been acting on television since the late 1980s when he appeared in "Father Dowling Mysteries" and "Dirty Dozen: The Series." From 1991 through 1993, the actor played Al Kahn on the ABC series "Homefront." In 2007, he was cast in "Desperate Housewives" as Gabrielle's second husband Victor Lang. More recently, he played Fred Schlafly (the husband of real-life conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly) in the Cate Blanchett-led series "Mrs. America."

In terms of the big screen, movie-goers may well know Slattery from pictures such as "Eraser," "Mona Lisa Smile," and "Flags of Our Fathers." Marvel fans will no doubt recognize him from his MCU role: Slattery plays Stark Industries founder Howard Stark, father of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.

After the events of Season 4 bring a new name partner to the firm, the colorful and larger-than-life Ri'Chard Lane quickly moves in and shakes things up, rearranging the office, taking the biggest space and taking over the energy in the building with his Christian evangelical prayer moments. Lane's flamboyant persona is brought to life by Andre Braugher, who got his start acting on screen in the late 1980s. He appeared in the American Civil War film "Glory" as Union Army Corporal Thomas Searles and appeared as Detective Winston Blake in a series of "Kojak" made-for-TV films as he cut his teeth in the industry.

From 1993 through 1998, he played homicide detective Frank Pembleton on "Homicide: Life on the Street," and in 1995 he appeared in "The Tuskegee Airmen," an HBO film that paid tribute to the groundbreaking Black pilots who helped win World War II. From 2002 through 2004, Braugher played Marcellus Washington in the CBS crime series "Hack," earning an NAACP Image Award for the role. The actor went on to play Owen Thoreau Jr. in Ray Romano's TNT comedy series "Men of a Certain Age," with Romano and Scott Bakula. Braugher would also play Dr. Darryl Nolan on "House" beginning in 2009, and he appeared in the ABC military drama "The Resort" in 2011. Braugher is perhaps best known for playing the no-nonsense Captain Raymond Holt in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

One of the best things about "The Good Wife" and "The Good Fight" is the ship known affectionately to fans as McHart, made up of Diane Lockhart and her husband Kurt McVeigh. Between Diane's liberal outlook and Kurt's right-wing beliefs, the relationship serves as a constant reminder of a time when politics were more civil, with the pair always somehow able to find common ground. McVeigh is played by the versatile Gary Cole, who has been working in television and films since 1983. Through the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in several made-for-TV movies as he established himself.

Beginning in 1988, Cole played Jack "Nighthawk" Killian on "Midnight Caller," a series about a talk show host and detective. From 2000 through 2007, he voiced Harvey Birdman on the cult favorite "Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law." He played Uncle Bill on the 2002 WB sitcom "Family Affair," and he voiced Kim Possible's dad Dr. James Timothy Possible on the Disney show from 2002 through 2007. Cole went on to play Vice President Bob Russell on "The West Wing," and he would later join the cast of "Veep" as Kent Davison.

In addition to his many television appearances, Cole has also played in several films, including "Office Space," "The Chicago 8," and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ." In one of his most memorable turns, he played the drug dealing villain Ted in the Seth Rogen comedy "Pineapple Express." It's his character that Rogen goes on the run from after witnessing him shoot a man.

Carmen Moyo is a gutsy lawyer who dares to take a tiger by the tail and somehow manage to tame it again and again. Slightly Machiavellian and exceedingly brilliant, she is simultaneously magnetic and terrifying to behold, thanks in no small part to a stellar performance by actor Charmaine Bingwa. The Zimbabwean-Australian actor hails from Perth and credits her first big break as her Sydney performance in John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt: A Parable." Speaking of the role, Bingwa told FilmInk, "I always deeply connect with stories of racial inequality," foreshadowing her work on "The Good Fight."

In 2013, she appeared in the documentary series "Facing Evil" and later in "Deadly Women," both on the Investigation Discovery network. After appearing in a number of short films, Bingwa was cast in the Australian comedy sci-fi horror film "Nekrotronic," playing a woman who gets possessed. In 2018, the actor wrote and starred in the series "Little Sista." That same year, she would be awarded the Heath Ledger Scholarship. The late Joker actor is someone she greatly admires. "As Heath Ledger said, 'In order to not hold a frame with someone, you have to be intimidated by them,'" she once said of acting.

More recently, she starred as Miranda Brooks in the 2020 Welcome to the Blumhouse film "Black Box," a terrifying flick that is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Bingwa also acted in the Apple horror podcast "The Burned Photo" from 2021 through 2022, so you may well know her voice.

Arguably the most pragmatic player in "The Good Fight," David Lee is played by Zach Grenier, who you will no doubt have seen in numerous films and TV shows over the decades. Grenier started acting on television in 1986 when he appeared in the original spy series "The Equalizer." Through the 1980s and 1990s, he could be seen on primetime series like "Kate & Allie," "Miami Vice," "The Golden Girls," "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue," and "Ally McBeal." From 1997 through 1998, Grenier played in the main cast of the short-lived and cumbersomely named series "C-16: FBI."

The new millennium brought new challenges for the New Jersey native. In 2001, the actor began working on "24," appearing on nine episodes as Carl Webb, an associate of David Palmer when he was still a senator hoping to become president. He gets fired for his part in a cover-up scandal. He would later play Wild West confidence man Andy Cramed on the HBO western "Deadwood," once dubbed "the best drama HBO has ever made" by The Guardian. In 2016, he appeared in Michelle and Robert King's short-lived political satire "BrainDead," and he appeared as Ed Feratti in "Ray Donovan" between 2018 and 2020.

Grenier has also acted in a long list of films including "Twister," "Donnie Brasco," "Fight Club," and "Zodiac." He popped up as Senator Hubert Dreyfus in the Joel Kinnaman-led "RoboCop" reboot.

Of all of the oddball characters and complicated criminals the firm interacts with on "The Good Fight," one of the more troubling is the creepy Charles Lester, played by Wallace Shawn. Shawn is a playwright as well as an actor and has won three Obie Awards for his work. He is also an active political commentator and essayist and has written extensively about political topics, with his work featured in publications like Guernica and The Nation.

Besides Shawn's extensive writing and stage experience, the actor has been active in television and film since the late 1970s. One of his most well-known film roles is Vizzini in the cult classic "The Princess Bride." He later cemented his place in the "Star Trek" fandom when he played the recurring role of Grand Nagus Zek on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Shawn has played Dr. John Sturgis on "Young Sheldon" since 2018, and in 2022, he appeared in the Kings' other big series "Evil" as the resurrected but soulless Father Frank Ignatius.

Shawn has a very distinctive voice, making him perfectly suited for voice acting. He has played the character Rex in the Disney "Toy Story" series since 1995. Shawn also lent his voice to the animated films "Chicken Little," "The Incredibles," "Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King," and "The Addams Family 2," among others. His voice has been featured on more than a dozen video games over the years, including the "Disney Infinity" series.