As fans eagerly await the return of the rest of season 6 of The Good Wife, it is important to remember that a crucial turning point will be Kalinda's (Archie Panjabi) exit from the CBS legal drama.

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It was revealed earlier this year that season 6 was Panjabi's last season for the show, but there hasn't been a hint about how the character's exit will be written out. Up until recently, as Cary (Matt Czuchry) faced the biggest predicament of his life, being put away for 4 years in jail. In his greatest hour of need, it seemed likely that Kalinda would sacrifice for his good, or even get in deep trouble with Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter). But as that hasn't quite panned out, and Kalinda will surely not be killed off, after Will's (Josh Gardner) shocking death in season 5, the mysterious detective, who is equal parts bad ass and vulnerable, will be perhaps leaving for other reason.

On October 15, The Hollywood Reporter broke the bit of news about Panjabi leaving the show after season 6. Panjabi's contract with the CBS legal drama expires at the end of this season and it was revealed that she had no intention of renewing it, as she had made other commitments. More specifically, starring in a new Fox drama, the pilot for which should air next spring. Panjabi's move might also have been spurred by the fact that her character arc was weakening as the seasons went along, in the last chapter she became less significant to the plot of the show.

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Sharon Klein, executive vice president at 20th century Fox, expressed her excitement at getting Panjabi on board.

"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," she said. "We couldn't be happier that it will be with us."

The creators of The Good Wife, Robert and Michelle King, were sorry to see Panjabi leave, but only wished her greater success and looked forward to seeing her in new roles, as was expressed in their collective statement:

"Archie is an amazing actress who helped build Kalinda from the ground up as an enigmatic, powerful and sexy character. It's been a pleasure to write for her, and we'll be sad to see her go; but we still have her for the rest of season six, so let's not exhaust our goodbyes yet. We look forward to meeting all the wonderful new characters Archie brings to the screen. But either way, we're keeping the boots."

Panjabi earned three Emmy nominations, of which she won once, for her work on the show as the badass detective.

Watch a clip of Kalinda doing what she does best on the show:

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The good wife, CBS, Television