She will play a smart, stylish lawyer who is recruited to work for former Sex and the City star Chris Noth's character, Peter Florrick.

The character is being described as a "hard-to-resist temptation" for Florrick, once disgraced in a sex and corruption scandal but newly returned to politics as state governor.

The role will also position George's character as a major nemesis to lead actress Julianna Margulies, whose character, Alicia Florrick, is "the good wife" to Peter.

Securing the gig is a major win for George.

The Good Wife has drawn almost universally positive reviews since its debut four years ago, and its cast — including Marguiles, Noth, Christine Baranski and Josh Charles — is considered one of the strongest in American network drama. It is filmed in New York.

In commercial terms, the show is one of the jewels in the crown for the US studio CBS Studios. In Australia it airs on the Ten Network.

George will have a busy finish to this year; in addition to The Good Wife she is also working on a spin-off to her British spy series Hunted, announced last week.

The new project will be titled Sam Hunter, and will star George in the title role. It will air in the US on the HBO-owned channel Cinemax.

George's other US credits include Alias (2003–2004), In Treatment (2008), Grey's Anatomy (2008–2009) and Lie to Me (2010).

In 2011, she starred in the ABC drama The Slap, for which she won a TV Week Logie Award for most outstanding actress.