Archie Panjabi exiting 'The Good Wife'

Archie Panjabi will be leaving The Good Wife after six seasons, EW has confirmed.

The actress, who plays the fierce Kalinda Sharma on the CBS drama, has signed a talent deal with 20th Century TV, and will therefore not be staying on The Good Wife when her contract is up at the end of the season. The plan is for Panjabi to headline a drama pilot for 20th.

“Archie is an Emmy award-winning dramatic actress, and rightly so,” said Sharon Klein, 20th’s executive vice president of casting. “Her work on The Good Wife has been extraordinary, and the time has come for her to star in a project of her own. We couldn’t be happier that it will be with us.”

Added Good Wife showrunners Robert and Michelle King: “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 an Emmy award and two additional nominations, along with a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Kalinda.

Panjabi’s exit does not necessarily mean the end of The Good Wife. The series was able to bounce back earlier this year after Josh Charles’ character was suddenly killed off during the fifth season.

The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.