Most people know that I am a bit of a geek about pop culture, most notably television. In this upcoming TV viewing season among all the new sci-fi shows, the primetime soaps and the rehashing of bad 90s programming there is a show that caught my eye: The Good Wife.

The premise of the show is simple; a politician gets caught in a scandal and his wife, a former attorney, is forced back to work when her husband is accused of all sorts of improprieties all the while standing by him. Well at least that’s what the commercials tell me. I don’t know whether this is going to be a good show or not, but what I find interesting is how often we’ve seen a new version of “the good wife” in the past few years.

The typical “good wife” that we think of is the woman who stands there with a stoic look on her face as her husband either apologies for anything he might have done, or resigns, or denies that he did anything wrong. Yes Suzanne Craig I’m looking at you.

Probably the most recent scandals have been Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign. Sure we all can chuckle at the lurid and sometimes insipid details of their actions, but what about the wives?

I actually feel bad for a lot of these women. I don’t know what they wanted in their everyday life, or what goals and dreams they have, but I don’t think being put under a microscope because of the actions of someone they loved and trusted was one of them. It’s interesting though; a lot these women have not reacted in typical “good wife” fashion.

The aforementioned Governor Sanford’s wife issued a statement about "resurrecting" her marriage, moved out the Governor’s mansion, and took their kids back home to Sullivan’s Island, SC. The much respected and beloved Elizabeth Edwards channeled her energy into her children, a book, and new furniture business. She doesn’t sugarcoat that she and John have marital issues but she keeps living her life. Dina McGreevey has been in the midst of a nasty divorce and custody battle. Hillary Clinton focused on becoming a formidable political force of her own. And Patty Blagoavich spent two weeks on a reality show in a Costa Rican jungle to get her voice out there and over the din of the craziness her life had become.

I’m glad that we’re finally seeing reactions that reflect real life (well mostly). Yes, some marriages can be worked out and saved after a scandal, but some can’t. It’s refreshing to see that those are not being swept under the carpet and kept quiet like they used to be. It’s good to see strong woman in the world of politics (whether they hold office or not) not feel like they have to play the old fashioned “good wife”.