When the decision was made to end The Watch Sex (1994) Part 1Good Wifelast season, star Christine Baranski admits she had trouble with the idea of letting go of Diane Lockhart, even after seven seasons in the role.

Luckily, Good Wifecreators Robert and Michelle King weren't ready to let go of the fierce legal eagle either, choosing the character as the anchor for CBS All Access' spinoff,The Good Fight.

At CBS' Television Critics Association press tour presentation on Monday, the Kings and Baranski were joined by fellow Good Wifealums Cush Jumbo (Lucca Quinn) and Sarah Steele (Marissa Gold) and new cast additions Rose Leslie, Delroy Lindo, Erica Tazel and Justin Bartha to give reporters the scoop on the new series.

Here's what we learned:

The show will take place a year after the events of The Good Wife finale, and a lot has changed.

Baranski says she and the Kings had some discussions about Diane's trajectory in the intervening months, to establish "how she processed what happened to her and where her life was when this new show began."

In that time, Diane has separated from her husband, Kurt McVeigh, due to his infidelity (as revealed in The Good Wife's finale), but when we rejoin her, Baranski says, "she's at the top of her game." Sadly, as the new trailer for the spinoff (above) reveals, she doesn't stay that way for long, soon finding herself shut out of her law firm with her retirement funds lost in a catastrophic Ponzi scheme.

Original image replaced with Mashable logoOriginal image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Plenty of Good Wife stars will make appearances -- but what about Julianna Margulies?

In addition to Baranski, Jumbo and Steele, the Kings promised return appearances from many Good Wife alums, including Matthew Perry as Mike Kresteva; Michael Boatman as Julius Cain; Denis O'Hare as Judge Charles Abernathy; John Benjamin Hickey as Chumhum founder Neil Gross; Rita Wilson as rival lawyer Viola Walsh and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, among others. Basically, "it's a wonderful revolving door" of old favorites, Baranski says.

As for Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Peter Florrick (Chris Noth), Robert King says "they’re mentioned -- I wouldn’t say constantly. The whole point is to treat the world like it’s real."

Still, don't hold your breath for an Alicia cameo any time soon, at least in the show's 10-episode first season: "We talked to Julianna about the show, and Julianna and we agreed that The Good Wife ended that story," King said.

The show will have a "premium cable" sensibility.

Since the show was designed for CBS All Access (although the first episode will also air on CBS Television Network on Feb. 19), the Kings are looking forward to being able to make use of swear words and more adult themes that aren't suitable for broadcast.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"You’re going to hear people talk the way they speak in life – you’re not gonna hear them sound drastically different, but they’re going to use the swear words that you’d expect," Michelle King reveals.

"It’s sometimes hard to have a character say friggin’ when you know they want to say fuck," Robert King agrees.

Original image replaced with Mashable logoOriginal image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Since the premiere is also airing on CBS, however, they did have to film different versions of certain scenes. "We had to use 'son of a bitch' for network," Baranski says of a particular scene in which we see Diane dropping an F-bomb.

The premiere is being cut into two versions -- one around 49 minutes for CBS All Access, and one around 42 minutes for broadcast.

The show will also look a little different from The Good Wife, says Robert King: "Visually, we can do a different aspect ratio, which makes for a classier look."

The Good Fight won't shy away from politics in the Trump era.

The Good Wifewas known for tackling politics head on, and Robert King says that will continue in The Good Fight.

"The show has always tried to be fairly even-handed," he says, noting that The Good Wifewas, in many ways a satire of a liberal mindset as much as of conservative views, and the new show will continue that tone.

"It’s not just anti-Trump, it’s also looking at how liberals are reacting," he says, noting that they're more interested in exploring the changes in culture as a whole, "with false news and the confusion between what’s real and what’s not real."

The cast were filming the pilot for the show during the last days of the election (including on election night), and the Kings said that they rewrote the first episode after Trump won, revealing that the show begins with viewers hearing Trump's inauguration in the background.

"As a writer, you’re always kind of wondering 'what is the spine of the show?' This election gave us a spine," Robert King says. "The Good Wifewas really about the Obama years… this gives shape to a new show. This is all gonna change, some people say for better, some for worse. I think that gives a lot of worth to the show."

SEE ALSO: As predicted, Donald Trump wakes up and rants about Meryl Streep on Twitter

Since Diane always had a photo of herself with Hillary Clinton in her office during The Good Wife(and Baranski imagines that Diane probably campaigned for the Democratic nominee), there's a natural entry point for the show to utilize the election as a backdrop.

Noting that the election was "about the passing of power from one generation to another in terms of female power," Baranski says, "I’m hoping that this show has a positive message of women having to continue the good fight."

The Good Fightpremieres Sunday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on demand on CBS All Access, the network's digital subscription video on demand and streaming service, and on air on CBS Television Network. The second episode will also be available on CBS All Access the same night.

After the premiere, new episodes will be available weekly on Sundays exclusively for CBS All Access Subscribers.


Featured Video For You
Michelle Obama tears up during final speech as First Lady