The Good Wife's co-creators personally explain last night's shocking twist

The Good Wife&#039;s co-creators personally explain last night&#039;s shocking twist

(Image credit: Facebook/The Good Wife)

Last night's episode of CBS drama The Good Wife ended with a twist so shocking that co-creators Robert and Michelle King have taken an unusual step to justify it: Writing a personal letter to the show's fans explaining the decision.

(Spoilers below.)

(Seriously, if you care about The Good Wife, don't read any further.)

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In an extended note on CBS.com, the duo explains that everything from the need for a new "dramatic hub" to their philosophical belief in "the irredeemability of death" was a part of their decision to kill off Will Gardner (Josh Charles), one of The Good Wife's most pivotal and popular characters:

The Good Wife, at its heart, is the "Education of Alicia Florrick." To us, there always was a tragedy at the center of Will and Alicia's relationship: the tragedy of bad timing. And when faced with the gut punch of Josh's decision, made over a year ago, to move on to other creative endeavors, we had a major choice to make.

We could "send him off to Seattle," he could be disbarred, or get married, or go off to Borneo to do good works. But there was something in the passion that Will and Alicia shared that made distance a meager hurdle. The brutal honesty and reality of death speaks to the truth and tragedy of bad timing for these two characters. Will's death propels Alicia into her newest incarnation. [CBS.com]

To read the rest of the letter, click over to CBS.com.

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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.