‘The Good Wife’: Where Is Alan Cumming Now?

The Good Wife was one of the most critically acclaimed legal dramas on TV, with a cast full of beloved actors and a plotline based on a serialized story rather than the more common procedural format. It is a show that people still talk about today, and even has its own spinoff that started airing in 2017 and has been renewed for a fifth season. So with that level of success and popular interest, it is clear that fans of The Good Wife would be interested in following the careers of its cast. Fans are of course wondering if major actors will reprise their roles on The Good Fight. However, even if these actors don’t return to their old roles, fans want to follow their careers.

One big name that played a major role on The Good Wife was Alan Cumming. Alan Cumming was on the show throughout its entire run but has not yet appeared on The Good Fight. So if he’s with CBS right now, what is he doing?

Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming has been a major name in the entertainment industry for decades now. He began his acting career on TV, with roles in various United Kingdom drama programs including Taggart and Take the High Road. His first major film role was in 1992, when he played the lead in Ian Sellar’s drama Prague, which earned him one award and a BAFTA nomination. In the late 1980s he also entered the theater world, where he found success that would eventually lead him to one of his most well-known roles: the Emcee in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret. This role would earn him a Tony Award.

Other major roles that Alan Cumming has played include Macheath in a Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera, and Boris Grishenko in 1995’s entry into the James Bond franchise, Goldeneye. He’s even branched out into writing and directing films, starting in 2001 with The Anniversary Party, which was recognized by major critics associations. He also is involved in LGBTQ activism and participates in many different political causes. He’s just as active in the entertainment industry and vocal about politics today, too.

Alan Cumming on The Good Wife

Alan Cumming made his first appearance on The Good Wife in its first season as Eli Gold, the consultant and crisis manager for Peter Florrick, the husband of main character Alicia Florrick, whose imprisonment and corruption scandal sparks the plot of the show. Eli’s character is ambitious and career-focused, but ultimately sympathetic and carries a deep respect for Alicia. His role throughout the show grows; whereas he was a repeat guest in the first season, he eventually ends up as part of the main cast.

Interestingly enough, Alan Cumming actually had to put on a fake accent to play Eli Gold. Cumming is Scottish, but Gold is American. This means that Alan Cumming was acting with a fake accent for seven whole seasons!

After The Good Wife?

But since The Good Wife has ended, what is Alan Cumming up to now? Right after The Good Wife ended in 2016, Alan Cumming presented on an NBC travel program where he showed important locations in his native country, Scotland. He also starred in another CBS program, Instinct, though this program was not as beloved as The Good Wife.

But right now, Alan Cumming is working on a new project. Apple TV+ is putting together a musical comedy with a major ensemble cast including such figures as Keegan-Michael Key and Kristin Chenoweth. The plot involves a couple on a backpacking trip who stumble upon a town where daily life is like a mid-20th-century musical. Alan Cumming is to play the mayor of this town. And with Cumming’s Broadway experience and chops, it’s very likely that this project will be a success for him.