Archie Panjabi leaving ‘Good Wife’ — but for very good reason

Archie Panjabi, who has played Kalinda Sharma on “The Good Wife,” since the Chicago-set, hit CBS drama series debuted in 2009, is leaving the popular show at the end of this season.

But it’s all for a great reason. The 42-year-old English actress’ contract expires this spring and she already has been tapped to star in a yet-to-be-determined pilot for 20th Century Fox Television.

Panjabi’s Kalinda character will be the second one to exit “The Good Wife,” which stars Julianna Margulies. Josh Charles‘ Will Gardner character was killed off after the actor indicated he did not want to renew his contract, preferring to move on to other projects.

Panjabi won an Emmy in 2010 for her performance as Kalinda, a very shrewd investigator on the series, now entering its sixth season.