Spoiler: ‘The Good Wife’ shocks fans by killing major character

Warning: Do not read any further if you have not yet seen Sunday’s episode of The Good Wife.

In a shocking twist, Sunday’s episode of CBS legal drama The Good Wife spelled the end of a major character who’s been on the series since its 2009 start.

Lawyer Will Gardner (Josh Charles) was shot in an open courtroom during an offscreen rampage by his deranged client, murder defendant Jeffrey Grant (Hunter Parrish). He died later in a hospital.

The fifth-season shocker came without warning, in an episode that also saw Gardner’s onetime lover, former law partner and new rival Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) defend against accusations of involvement in voter fraud that may have helped elect her estranged husband Peter (Chris Noth) as governor.

Series creators Robert and Michelle King plan to address the episode and its aftermath in a panel discussion Wednesday moderated by Charlie Rose.

The fifth-season drama is one of the most critically acclaimed on a major broadcast network, and has won Emmys for Margulies and co-star Archie Panjabi.