Greetings from Banff TV fest: David Zucker

David Zucker, exec producer of “The Good Wife,” said he got mixed signals from CBS before the drama made it to air last season.

Many from the Eye were saying the Julianna Margulies starrer should be more of a procedural – the network’s sweet spot -- until entertainment topper Nina Tassler said it need to have more emotion from the viewpoint of Margulies’ character, Alicia.

“Nina’s notes were very broad and a little disturbing at the time,” Zucker recalled. “She said she was missing deeper character study.”

Combining the two schools of thought have worked wonders for the Thursday night drama, which saw Margulies pick up a Golden Globe in January and is ready to again take on “Parenthood” in the 10 p.m. timeslot once the new fall season begins. By May, “Parenthood” had overtaken “The Good Wife” in the 18-49 demo while “The Good Wife” draws more total viewers.

But the big reveal at the panel was Margulies wears a wig as Alicia, and she ensured that was written into her contract before she took the role. For the pilot, the wig was flown in from London – where it was made – and delivered to Vancouver, where first episode was shot, all at a very hefty cost.

The reason? According to Zucker, she wanted to look completely different from Nurse Carol Hathaway, the role she played on “ER” for 135 episodes.