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CBS

How To Stream 'The Good Wife' Spin-Off

After a projected May premiere, CBS decided to move up production on its The Good Wife spin-off The Good Fight in order to accommodate a postponement from its other highly anticipated new show Star Trek: Discovery. Both shows are coming exclusively to CBS All Access, which marks the first time CBS is making scripted series streaming-only. It previously debuted an original Big Brother spin-off on the platform and recently made NFL on CBS content available there, too. But since this is the first time a scripted show is making the jump, here's how to watch The Good Fight, since you won't be able to watch most of it on air.

CBS will air the series premiere on network TV on Sunday, Feb. 19, but after that, the 10-episode first season will release in weekly installments every Sunday only on CBS All Access. You can either watch online via the website or via the CBS All Access app, but the streaming platform is behind a paywall. If you don't already have an account, it's $5.99 a month for an account with commercials or $9.99 a month for commercial-free viewing. The move to put network television content behind a paywall (especially with commercials) is a bold one, and it's a particularly hard sell to pay that much essentially for the privilege of watching only one or two shows (although you do get access to the full library of other CBS shows with your account).

If you'd rather binge-watch The Good Fight, you can always wait 10 weeks for the complete season to release and then cash in your one week free trial of CBS All Access, provided you've never held an account before.

Though it seems unlikely that fans of The Good Wife would sign up for the streaming service just to watch one show, the plan to start with The Good Fight as CBS All Access' first scripted series is a smart one. The series already comes with a built-in fanbase and The Good Wife had a critically-acclaimed, multi-Emmy-Award-winning run. It's one of CBS' best dramas in years, and based on the trailer, The Good Fight looks every bit as sleek, steamy, and strongly character-driven as its predecessor. In addition to popular The Good Wife alums like Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo, the show snagged Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie to star alongside the powerhouse attorneys as a fresh-faced, budding young lawyer. The Good Fight has plenty of buzz surrounding it and CBS is optimistic about its success. But just how much new membership it'll drive remains to be seen. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.