'The Good Wife' Spoilers: Why Is Kalinda Leaving After Season 6? Details On Archie Panjabi's Exit

Fans watching Season 6 of CBS’s “The Good Wife” are seeing the last appearances of Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) on the show. Panjabi, who has played Kalinda since the show premiered in 2009, is leaving after the current season, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Panjabi has signed a new talent deal with 21st Century Fox Television, which plans to give her a starring role in a future pilot. Signing with another network, though, means her time on CBS and “The Good Wife” must come to an end.

Sharon Klein, executive vice president of casting for Fox TV, told Entertainment Weekly, “Archie is an Emmy award-winning dramatic actress, and rightly so. Her work on ‘The Good Wife’ has been extraordinary, and the time has come for her to star in a project of her own. We couldn’t be happier that it will be with us.”

For “The Good Wife,” replacing Panjabi might not be as difficult as it seems. Although Kalinda has been a major character for most of the series’ run, she has had a smaller role since having a falling-out with Alicia (Juliana Margulies) after sleeping with her husband, Peter (Chris Noth). Also, the show has proved it can survive losing a major character before, not missing a beat after killing off its biggest male lead, Josh Charles (who played Will Gardner), in Season 5.

As for how the show will write Kalinda off, fans can only guess at this point. Kalinda’s storyline has been heavily intertwined with drug lord Bishop (Mike Colter) in Season 6, and she has gotten her fair share of threats from the crime boss. She angered Bishop earlier this season by, at first, withholding the identity of the snitch in the kingpin's crew. Could she be killed off?

Fans will have to watch and see to find out how the show plans to end Kalinda's run. “The Good Wife” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.

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