Matlock (2024 TV series)

Matlock
Genre	Legal drama
Based on	Matlock by Dean Hargrove
Developed by	Jennie Snyder Urman
Starring	Kathy Bates Skye P. Marshall Jason Ritter David Del Rio Leah Lewis Aaron Harris Sam Anderson
Music by	Zach Robinson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	23
Production
Executive producers	Frank Siracusa John Weber John Will Kat Coiro Kathy Bates Joanna Klein Eric Christian Olsen Jennie Snyder Urman Nicki Renna Jeffrey Lieber Amanda Tudesco
Producer	Thom J. Pretak
Cinematography	Craig Wrobleski James Bagdonas John Tanzer
Editors	Gregg Featherman Scott Melendez Kyla Plewes Christina Castro Jane Huff
Running time	44 minutes
Production companies	Sutton Street Productions Cloud Nine Productions CBS Studios
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 22, 2024 (2024-09-22) – present
Related
Matlock

Matlock is an American legal drama television series that premiered with a sneak peek on September 22, 2024, before its timeslot premiere on October 17 on CBS. The show was developed by Jennie Snyder Urman, and draws from the original Matlock TV series which starred Andy Griffith, but with a gender flipped lead character played by Kathy Bates and a vastly different premise overall. In October 2024, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 12, 2025.

Premise

Wealthy retired lawyer Madeline Kingston returns to practice seeking justice for the death of her daughter Ellie in the opioid epidemic. Kingston gets a job under the persona of needy widow Madeline "Matty" Matlock, at the law firm she believes hid evidence that could have saved her daughter's life. To gain the firm's trust, she must first apply her intellect to help her colleagues with other challenging cases. ^{[1] [2]}

Within the universe of this series, the original Matlock series aired as it did in the real world, and Ellie's love of the series inspires Madeline's alias. ^[2]

Cast and characters

Main

• Kathy Bates as Madeline "Matty" Matlock / Madeline Kingston, who claims to be a widowed lawyer, returning to the workforce following decades of retirement due to financial distress from her husband's gambling troubles, and having to raise her grandson following her daughter's death in a car accident. Matlock takes a job at the law firm Jacobson Moore, working with Olympia, a junior partner at the firm who becomes her boss. In fact, Kingston is wealthy and happily married, though indeed grieving the loss of her daughter who died from an opioid overdose and seeking retribution. She gave herself the alias of "Matlock" after the original television series. ^[1]
• Skye P. Marshall as Olympia Lawrence, ^[3] a junior partner at Jacobson Moore who becomes Matlock's boss. In the pilot episode, she is in the midst of divorcing Julian while aiming at a senior partner role with the support of her father-in-law. Olympia is reluctant to take Matty under her wing as she acknowledges that Matty is the threat to her promotion in the law firm due to her exceptional skills.
• Jason Ritter as Julian Markston, ^[4] a senior partner at Jacobson Moore. In the pilot episode, he is in the midst of divorcing Olympia and engaged in a major settlement action involving a large pharmaceutical corporation.
• David Del Rio as Billy Martinez, ^[3] a first-year associate at Jacobson Moore working with Olympia
• Leah Lewis as Sarah Franklin, ^[3] a first-year associate at Jacobson Moore working with Olympia
• Aaron Harris as Alfie Kingston (season 2; recurring season 1), Madeline's genius grandson who is in charge of the family's technical operations
• Sam Anderson as Edwin Kingston (season 2; recurring season 1), Madeline's husband

Recurring

• Eme Ikwuakor as Elijah, an attorney at Jacobson Moore who was in a romantic relationship with Olympia
• Beau Bridges as Howard "Senior" Markston, ^[5] a managing partner at Jacobson Moore, father of Julian, and soon-to-be ex-father-in-law of Olympia. He guardedly supports Olympia's career and efforts to develop a new revenue stream for the firm, telling her how he believes being father-in-law is a forever role.
• Patricia Belcher as Mrs. B, an administrative manager at Jacobson Moore. It is later revealed her full name is Emmalyn Belvin.
• Yael Grobglas as Shae Banfield, a jury consultant at Jacobson Moore
• Piper Curda as Kira, a woman who works at the information technology (IT) department at Jacobson Moore who begins a relationship with Sarah.
• Andrea Londo as Simone, a recently hired junior associate at Jacobson Moore who attended the same law school as Sarah
• Justina Machado as Eva (season 2), ^[5] Senior's fourth ex-wife who is also a lawyer and member of the executive committee at Jacobson Moore

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released		Rank	Average viewers (in millions)
			First released	Last released
1	19		September 22, 2024 (2024-09-22)	April 17, 2025 (2025-04-17)	3	6.16
2	16 [6]		October 12, 2025 (2025-10-12)	TBA	TBA	TBA

Season 1 (2024–25)

"Pilot (Matlock)" redirects here. For the pilot of the 1986 series, see List of Matlock (1986 TV series) episodes § Pilot (1986).

No. overall	No. in season	Title  [7]	Directed by	Written by	Original release date  [7]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Kat Coiro	Jennie Snyder Urman	September 22, 2024 (2024-09-22)	7.74 [8]
Retired lawyer Madeline "Matty" Matlock lands an associate position at New York City law firm Jacobson Moore, citing financial hardship brought on by her deceased husband's gambling debts. Her first case involves Raymond Harris, who is seeking compensation for being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for serial rape and murder. Working with fellow associates Billy and Sarah and aspiring senior partner Olympia, Matty tracks down a former prostitute who filed a police report that was not submitted into evidence, earning Raymond a $20 million settlement. Unbeknownst to everyone, Matty is really Madeline Kingston, a wealthy retiree living with her husband and grandson and determined to avenge her daughter's death, which was the result of someone at Jacobson Moore concealing documents that could have helped take opioids off the market.
2	2	"Rome, in a Day"	Kat Coiro	Jennie Snyder Urman	October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17)	6.38 [9]
As Matty tries to settle in at Jacobson Moore while also trying to figure out how to get evidence connected to Ellie's death, Olympia is approached by one of her clients, Deidre, whose 18-year-old nephew Michael has been accused of killing 16-year-old Ariana Perez behind the bodega owned by his friend Charlie's family. Michael has developmental delays and has gone mute following the incident. Olympia reluctantly agrees to defend Michael, enlisting Matty, Billy, and Sarah to help her. Matty manages to find a discrepancy in the testimonies between Charlie's father Jimmy and another eyewitness, forcing Jimmy to admit there was a party in the bodega where alcohol was served to minors. A seemingly incriminating video of Michael crops up but, with Matty's help, Olympia proves Charlie doctored the video and that Ariana died in an accident while she went around back to have sex with Charlie. Olympia and her estranged husband Julian argue after she fails to tell him their daughter got sick, but eventually they make amends and decide to try and make their divorce more amicable. Matty is able to manipulate Olympia into visiting her Queens apartment so she can get the passcode for Olympia's phone.
3	3	"A Guy Named Greg"	Brad Silberling	Nicki Renna	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)	6.48 [10]
Now starting to gain Olympia's trust, Matty is brought on to help her in a lawsuit, where a woman claims she was wrongfully fired after refusing her boss' sexual advances. Shae, a woman with a reputation for detecting lies, is brought in as a jury consultant. Matty is nervous Shae will uncover her ruse, but manages to deflect suspicion. Unable to find any evidence connected to the opioids on Olympia's phone, Matty manages to get into her laptop, but again finds nothing conclusive. The lawsuit starts to go south when a damaging recording is revealed, but Billy discovers the defendant has a history of sexual assault, enabling Olympia and Matty to make a comeback and win the case. Matty sets her sights on gaining access to the file room.
4	4	"The Rabbit and the Hawk"	Kat Coiro	Jeffrey Lieber	October 31, 2024 (2024-10-31)	6.54 [11]
Matty is asked to help Olympia represent Robert, an elderly artist who is suing the owners of his building for inadvertently causing the illness that killed his wife Sandy. The case becomes tough for Olympia when her colleague and friend Darius is discovered to be leading the defense. Matty manages to gain access to the files connected to the opioid cover-up, but the ones she was after are encrypted and untraceable. The building owners provide a report insinuating Robert's slight hoarding might have made Sandy sick, derailing the lawsuit. Matty and Edwin fight over Alfie slacking off at school in order to help with her investigation. Matty befriends Robert and soon manages to prove that the building owners really were responsible for Sandy's illness. Robert is offered a settlement which he quickly accepts, but Matty discovers that Howard "Senior" Markston, Julian's father and the senior partner at Jacobson Moore, has done some legal wrangling that makes the settlement worthless. Olympia is crestfallen, but cheers up quickly when Julian takes her side. Matty and Edwin reconcile and he takes over as her investigative partner so Alfie can focus on school. Matty soon finds evidence that suggests Senior was responsible for hiding the opioid files.
5	5	"Claws"	Marie Jamora	Michelle Leibel	November 7, 2024 (2024-11-07)	5.98 [12]
Jacobson Moore is tasked with an extremely big class-action case, a female ex-con suing the prison system for mistreating her while she served time for drug use. Matty soon bonds with the plaintiff, whose troubles were similar to Ellie's, but the case quickly goes awry when the plaintiff relapses and disappears; none of the other female prisoners will testify out of fear of being a snitch. Matty manages to track down the plaintiff and discovers she was manipulated into relapsing by the prison warden, so the money meant for the settlement could be used for funding the prison's rehabilitation, allowing Olympia to win the case. Edwin allows Alfie to start helping Matty again on a smaller scale. Against Matty's objections, Billy sets her up on a dating site, only for someone to recognize her.
6	6	"Sixteen Steps"	Kat Coiro	Sara Rose Feinberg	November 14, 2024 (2024-11-14)	6.12 [13]
In a flashback to two years earlier, Julian and Olympia represent a lesbian couple suing a baby formula company for making contaminated formula that killed the couple's 9-month-old son. The company wins, causing Julian and Olympia's already shaky marriage to crumble. In the present, Julian and Olympia's relationship is improving and they decide to take another look at the case. Meanwhile, Matty discovers the person who recognized her on the dating site was the father of Ellie's childhood friend Tommy, another addict who has now relapsed and gone missing. Olympia manages to find evidence suggesting the formula was contaminated and, with sentimental testimony from one of the deceased baby's mothers, she wins the case. Afterwards, Julian tells Matty he's bringing her onto the WellBrexa team, which could allow Matty to get the information she needs to expose Senior's crimes.
7	7	"Belly of the Beast"	Tessa Blake	Hennah Sekander	December 5, 2024 (2024-12-05)	6.32 [14]
At Christmas, Matty is put on a case for drug company WellBrexa, where a music student sues after claiming a clinical trial caused her to suffer horrible side effects. Despite her efforts, an incriminating text chain allows the case to proceed to trial and, as a result, Senior pulls both Matty and Julian off the team. However, Matty bounces back and finds a technicality that gets the text chain ruled inadmissible, so WellBrexa wins the case. Meanwhile, Julian and Olympia get back together as Billy plans to propose to his long-term girlfriend. Unfortunately, Billy is dumped after he proposes while Sarah has a successful evening with her crush. Trying to start fresh, Julian confesses to Olympia that he had an affair shortly before their separation, while Matty manages to obtain Senior's e-mail password.
8	8	"No, No Monsters"	Yangzom Brauen	Sheridan Watson	December 12, 2024 (2024-12-12)	6.20 [15]
Olympia is asked to defend Nadira, a nanny at her children's school who was fired after pictures of her seemingly abusing the child in her care were posted on an online forum. Though still troubled by Julian's confession, Olympia agrees, causing her to face backlash from the other mothers. Billy becomes apathetic after his breakup, so Matty and Sarah try to help him cope. Matty manages to gain access to Senior's computer and retrieve what appears to be an incriminating email to Julian. Olympia eventually discovers that the pictures were posted by one of her friends, who was cheating on her husband, thought Nadira saw her, and therefore wanted to discredit her. Elsewhere, Matty is crestfallen when the email actually shows that Senior was in Australia when the opioid documents arrived at the office, meaning either Julian or Olympia perpetrated the cover-up. However, she manages to plant a recording device in Olympia's office.
9	9	"Friends"	Daniel Willis	John Lowe	January 30, 2025 (2025-01-30)	5.78 [16]
Olympia represents Elijah's cousin Sam in a wrongful termination case. Edwin is concerned Matty is becoming too close with Olympia. Matty learns from her recording device that Julian cheated with Shae. Opposing counsel calls a surprise witness with testimony implicating Sam and her friend Khadija in the theft of a company truck. Olympia believes Khadija is framing Sam, but Sam insists that Khadija is innocent. Olympia reveals to Matty that she and Shae worked on WellBrexa's opioid case. They track Sam's stolen bluetooth earbuds to the apartment of a company manager and discover he is a union buster. The manager confesses to framing Sam for the theft after she attempted to unionize. Olympia and Julian decide to compete for a promotion, with the loser leaving the firm. Matty decides to trust Olympia and removes her as a suspect.
10	10	"Crash Helmets On"	Jennifer Lynch	Lizzie Perrin & Nicki Renna	February 6, 2025 (2025-02-06)	6.25 [17]
Matty is convinced Julian is the culprit and plans to escalate tensions between him and Olympia so that his financial history is revealed in the divorce proceedings. Olympia defends a nursing home accused in the wrongful death of a resident, Walter Higgins. Matty and Sarah infiltrate the nursing home by posing as grandmother and granddaughter to investigate, but find nothing. Autry asks Matty to defend him in an eviction case and notices that Walter disabled the door sensor to his balcony, so Matty returns to the nursing home. She observes Sarah acting uncharacteristically kind to a resident with dementia; this convinces Matty to have Sarah represent Autry. Olympia finds Matty's recording device in her office, but Matty convinces her it was planted by Julian. Billy notices Matty looking for the recording device and she deflects by telling him to replace Sarah on the case. Walter's girlfriend confesses to assisting Walter in his own death, absolving the nursing home of responsibility. Billy successfully defends Autry, but Sarah swears revenge on Matty.
11	11	"A Traitor in Thine Own House"	Hannah Michielsen	Sara Rose Feinberg	February 13, 2025 (2025-02-13)	5.75 [18]
Olympia is assigned to assist a former oil executive turned environmentalist who is accusing a rival company of stealing his technology. Shae is brought on as a consultant and Matty plans to use the opportunity to investigate Shae's potential involvement in hiding the WellBrexa documents. Shae is suspicious of Matty and teams up with Sarah to investigate her in turn. Matty files an HR complaint against Shae, but Shae is emboldened by Sarah discovering "a new lead" to Matty's past and flies to Georgia to meet with an unknown man. Sarah insults Billy for taking Autry's case, causing a rift between them. Using data from the company's tracking devices, Matty discovers the executive leaked his own technology. The "new lead" Shae pursued is revealed to be a ruse created by Alfie; Shae's contact is Edwin in disguise. Shae revealed to Edwin that she used to work in marketing, leading Matty to conclude the leaked documents were marketing-related. Edwin claims he lost his only clue to the identity of Alfie's father, but a final shot reveals he is lying.
12	12	"This is That Moment"	Kat Coiro	David Aguilar & Hennah Sekander	February 20, 2025 (2025-02-20)	5.88 [19]
Matty learns Jacobson Moore tracks employee movements through their keycards and devises a plan to steal Julian's keycard. Meanwhile, Olympia is tasked with resolving a custody dispute between Hispanic couple Bruno and Paloma. This reminds Matty of her own custody dispute with Ellie 10 years prior, where Matty fought to gain custody of Alfie after Ellie's neglect caused him to burn his hand. Ellie was distraught and overdosed the last day of the trial, causing Matty to blame herself for Ellie's death. Julian positions himself as opposing counsel, creating tension between him and Olympia. Paloma attempts to take her son Tenoch to Mexico to visit her dying father, but is accused of kidnapping and barricades herself in an office rather than allow social workers to take Tenoch. Matty convinces Paloma to relinquish Tenoch while Sarah discovers Bruno employed a neighbor to spy on Paloma. Julian and Olympia's bickering forces the judge to hold them in contempt of court; while in holding, they reconnect and agree to start fresh. Sarah apologizes to Billy and the two reconcile. Tenoch explains that he wants his parents to stop fighting, which convinces Bruno and Paloma to agree to a 50/50 custody split. Billy is revealed to be dating Simone, Sarah's rival from law school. Matty discovers Edwin lied about losing Joey's email and confronts him.
13	13	"Pregame"	Jude Weng	Michelle Leibel & Sheridan Watson	February 27, 2025 (2025-02-27)	5.77 [20]
Olympia defends Zoey, a sorority sister accused of spiking fellow sister Violet's drink with alcohol, which sent her into cardiac arrest. Olympia attempts to convince the ADA to drop the case on the grounds the evidence is circumstantial, but the situation escalates when the victim dies in the hospital. Olympia scouts Zoey's fellow sorority sisters for character witnesses, but all of them believe Zoey is guilty. The situation worsens when a receipt is uncovered linking Zoey's I.D. to an alcohol purchase the day of the party. Matty brings Alfie to Jacobson Moore for a "Family Day" event and has him provide a distraction, allowing her to obtain a record of Julian's movement history using the security station. Examination of videos taken during the party reveal that Kennedy, another student, stole Zoey's I.D. to frame her. Sarah discovers Billy is dating Simone and requests that she and Kira enter a monogamous relationship, but Kira refuses. Matty returns home to discover her younger sister Bitsy has come to visit.
14	14	"Game Day"	Kat Coiro	Jeffrey Lieber	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)	6.14 [21]
The security record places Julian in the archives the day the WellBrexa documents were stolen. Olympia proceeds with her class action lawsuit against Slamm'd, the alcoholic drink that killed Violet. One of the jurors runs a libertarian blog, making Olympia fear he will side with Slamm'd. Bitsy discovers Matty's scheme to infiltrate Jacobson Moore and is appalled. Olympia considers calling Kennedy to testify. In private, Kennedy reveals damning evidence against Slamm'd, but refuses to testify unless the D.A. drops murder charges. Unfortunately, Olympia discovers that Violet's wealthy mother is pressuring the D.A. Matty attempts to convince Violet's mother to drop the charges, but she refuses. Billy and Sarah uncover evidence that corroborates Kennedy's testimony, but the judge refuses to admit it. Bitsy inspires Matty to show the evidence to Violet's mother, which convinces her to allow Kennedy to testify. However, after the defense digs up embarrassing footage of the lead plaintiff, he drops the case. Careful analysis of the security records makes Matty realize that the person who hid the WellBrexa documents was actually Olympia, who mixed up her keycard with Julian's.
15	15	"Game Face"	Gina Lamar	Nicki Renna & Michelle Leibel	March 13, 2025 (2025-03-13)	5.81 [22]
The judge agrees to continue the lawsuit without a lead plaintiff. Matty attempts to contact the Redditor whistleblower; though the Redditor does not respond, they fall for a phishing trap that reveals they still work at Jacobson Moore. Bitsy sees Matty in court and realizes Matty based her Matlock persona on her, which offends her. Bitsy helps Alfie prepare for a date with his girlfriend. Slamm'd offers a settlement that Senior pressures Olympia to accept, but she refuses. Olympia's team discovers that Slamm'd concealed a focus group study proving that they targeted minors; this causes Matty to realize the concealed WellBrexa documents were from a study confirming that a change in the opioid coating increased the risk of addiction. Matty apologizes to Bitsy and asks her to become Alfie's godmother. Matty deduces the whistleblower is Mrs. Belvin and arranges to meet her outside of Jacobson Moore.
16	16	"The Johnson Case"	Kat Coiro	Teleplay by : Jeffrey Lieber & Tommy Cook Story by : Tommy Cook	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)	5.64 [23]
Matty speaks to Mrs. Belvin in disguise. Mrs. Belvin says Matty's timeline is wrong, but is offended that Matty won't reveal herself and refuses to give up more information. An old friend of Olympia's asks her to overturn the wrongful conviction of Eugene Molina, a man convicted of murder 21 years ago. Matty sends Mrs. Belvin a ransom note, demanding information in exchange for her pet dog, but Mrs. Belvin calls her bluff by retrieving her dog from her apartment. However, not knowing Matty is the perpetrator, Mrs. Belvin delivers her dog into Matty's custody for safekeeping. The police report for Molina's case reveals one witness was not called to testify; she tells the team she overheard an argument between the victim and her grandson. The team visits the grandson and retrieves a sample of his saliva for testing. Matty lies to Mrs. Belvin that someone claiming to be a friend of hers came by to take her dog, which convinces her to reveal the exact time the documents were stolen. Olympia convinces the ADA to retest a saliva sample from the original crime scene, revealing it belonged to an unrelated serial killer and absolving Molina. Edwin discovers Olympia has an alibi for the time the documents were taken. A series of flashbacks reveals Olympia has been investigating Matty and has uncovered holes in her story.
17	17	"I Was That, Too"	Hanelle Culpepper	Sarah Gertrude Shapiro	April 10, 2025 (2025-04-10)	5.91 [24]
Olympia locks Matty in a room at Jacobson Moore, confiscates her phone, and demands she write down every lie she's told her. A distraught pregnant woman named Amy begs Olympia to give her a divorce from her abusive husband before the following morning. Olympia is unable to issue a divorce on such short notice and files for a restraining order instead; however, the judge rules there is not enough evidence. Matty explains her motives to Olympia and insists their friendship was genuine, but Olympia remains distrustful. Amy's husband agrees to a divorce, which Olympia finds suspicious; she tasks Matty with examining the prenuptial agreement. She finds that a divorce would give Amy's husband custody of the child. Olympia realizes that an annulment would void the prenuptial agreement, but one can only be issued with proof the marriage was fraudulent. Billy and Sarah discover Matty's phone in Olympia's purse and follow her to find Matty, but Matty conceals Olympia's actions and agrees to help with the case. An interview with the priest who officiated the marriage reveals that Amy's husband lied about how religious he was, which is sufficient grounds for the annulment. Olympia sees Ellie's obituary on the internet and realizes Matty was telling the truth. Edwin welcomes Matty home to discover she is accompanied by Olympia.
18	18	"Tricks of the Trade - Part One"	Kat Coiro	Michelle Leibel & Nicki Renna	April 17, 2025 (2025-04-17)	6.15 [25]
Matty explains her theory that Julian obtained a quid pro quo payment in exchange for hiding the WellBrexa documents and suggests they investigate Julian's financials. Olympia demands Matty give her one month to exonerate Julian if they cannot find evidence he is the culprit. Senior throws Olympia a surprise party and reveals she won the partner race. Sarah chooses to defend Dino, a man accused of murdering his business partner Rob, without Olympia's knowledge or approval. Olympia is furious and attempts to pass the case to a public defender, but the judge demands Sarah provide counsel. Security footage implicates Dino in Rob's death, but he maintains his innocence. Olympia contacts Julian's mother to confirm she gave him access to the family trust as Julian claimed, but she cannot remember doing so. Olympia plans to visit the bank in person to look through Julian's accounts.
19	19	"Tricks of the Trade - Part Two"	Kat Coiro	Nicki Renna	April 17, 2025 (2025-04-17)	6.15 [25]
Matty dismantles her theory board while reminiscing on her relationships with the cast. Matty tells Edwin that she wants to come out of retirement and continue working as a lawyer, but Edwin does not want to raise Alfie alone. Matty plans to accompany Olympia to the bank after Sarah's court case. However, circumstances force Olympia to leave early. Matty is suspicious and demands to accompany her, but Olympia convinces Matty to trust her. Sarah reveals through documents obtained from Rob's office that Rob was poisoned by the dubious nutritional supplements he was taking, exonerating Dino. Claudia meets with Billy and reveals she is pregnant with his child. The bank records corroborate Julian's story and Olympia arranges to meet with Matty to discuss next steps. However, as Olympia is planning to leave, she discovers the WellBrexa documents hidden in Julian's safety deposit box. Julian sees Olympia and confesses to stealing the documents at Senior's behest, but insists he's a changed man and requests that Olympia help him destroy the evidence. Olympia misses her scheduled meeting with Matty. Instead, Matty finds herself visited by "Joey," a man claiming to be Alfie's father.

Season 2 (2025)

No. overall	No. in season	Title  [7]	Directed by	Written by	Original release date  [7]	U.S. viewers (millions)
20	1	"The Before Times"	Gina Lamar	Nicki Renna & Jennie Snyder Urman	October 12, 2025 (2025-10-12)	6.58 [26]
Matty talks with Joey, who gives her Ellie's old iPod; Joey's story is suspect, and Matty chooses to wait on a paternity test before making a decision. Olympia arrives, but lies that Julian is innocent and insists they pursue Howard as Matty promised. Olympia believes one of Howard's mistresses may have relevant information and attempts to track her down. At Jacobson Moore, Olympia is given a case defending Georgia and Maya, two high school students accused of arson after nitric acid, an accelerant, was found at the scene of the crime. Georgia joins the prosecution and revises her testimony to place Maya at the scene of the crime. Olympia is revealed to have kept the Wellbrexa documents and relocated them to a safe in her house. Edwin is concerned Olympia is manipulating Matty. After examining the witness statements, Edwin realizes that ping pong balls brought to the girls' party could have caused the fire, as they contain nitric acid; with this new evidence, the fire is ruled an accident, dropping the arson charge. Billy informs the team he plans to get back together with Claudia. Olympia uncovers the name of Howard's mistress. The paternity test proves Joey is Alfie's father, but Matty also discovers he isn't sober. A series of flashbacks reveals that Matty deduced Olympia's deceit and retrieved the Wellbrexa documents while visiting her house, and now plans to send her evidence to The New York Times .
21	2	"Another Matlock"	Tessa Blake	Michelle Leibel & Jeffrey Lieber	October 16, 2025 (2025-10-16)	4.20 [27]
Alfie wants to send Joey to rehab, but Matty and Edwin refuse. Matty confronts Olympia, who reveals the documents in her safe were a decoy written by generative AI. Olympia is assigned to handle a lawsuit between two gang members, but forces Matty to take the case to prevent her from contacting The New York Times . Matty and Edwin agree to send Joey to rehab. Olympia threatens to expose all of the crimes Matty has committed in her infiltration of Jacobson Moore. Matty gloats that she can manipulate any jury into siding with her, but Olympia secretly records her rant and uses it to blackmail her into withholding her information from the Times.
22	3	"Tomorrow is Still Tomorrow"	Gina Lamar	Damani Johnson & Lizzie Perrin	October 23, 2025 (2025-10-23)	4.44 [28]
23	4	"Piece of My Heart"	Mike Listo	Michelle Leibel & Sarah Gertrude Shapiro	October 30, 2025 (2025-10-30)	TBD
24	5	"Mousetrap" [29]	Jennifer Lynch	Sara Rose Feinberg & Edith Rodriguez	November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06)	TBD
25	6	"Harm Reduction" [30]	Gina Lamar	Conway Preston & Nicki Renna	November 13, 2025 (2025-11-13)	TBD

Production

Development

On January 31, 2023, it was announced that a remake version of Matlock was in development, and Jennie Snyder Urman signed on to write a pilot episode to be aired by CBS. Urman is expected to executive produce alongside Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, and Kathy Bates. ^[31] On May 9, 2023, the Matlock remake was given a series order. The series is developed by Urman. ^[32] John Will and Kat Coiro were added as executive producers. Coiro also directed the pilot. ^[33] Production companies involved with the series are Sutton Street, Cloud Nine, and CBS Studios. ^[32] Matlock was moved to the 2024–25 season due to strike-related production delays. ^[34] It was later reported that it was a 19-episode order. ^[35] On October 22, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a second season. ^[36] Though set in New York City, the show is filmed at Paramount Studios in California after the pilot was shot in Toronto. ^[37]

Casting

Upon the pilot order announcement, Bates was cast to star. ^[31] Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio, and Leah Lewis joined the main cast upon the series order announcement. ^[32] On February 8, 2024, Beau Bridges was cast in a recurring capacity. ^[38] On April 1, 2024, Yael Grobglas joined the cast in a recurring role. ^[39] In August 2024, Andrea Londo and Piper Curda were cast in recurring capacities. ^{[40] [41]}

On September 8, 2024, Bates said that Matlock was to be her final role before retirement. ^[35] On October 9, 2024, she walked it back, saying that "I think that they got a bit confused." ^[42] On August 1, 2025, Justina Machado joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. ^[5] On October 9, 2025, it was reported that Del Rio had been fired due to a sexual assault allegation involving Lewis. ^[43]

Broadcast

Matlock premiered with a sneak peek on September 22, 2024, before its timeslot premiere on October 17 on CBS. ^[44] In Canada, the series airs on Global and is available to stream on StackTV. ^[45] The second season premiered on October 12, 2025. ^[46]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 24 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Case closed—this Matlock reboot is a winner thanks to the ever reliable Kathy Bates and the intriguing wrinkle it puts on the legendary series' original concept." ^[47] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. ^[48]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of Matlock

Season	Timeslot (ET)	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Viewership rank	Avg. viewers (millions)	18–49 rank	Avg. 18–49 rating
			Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	Sunday 8:00 p.m. (1) Thursday 9:01 p.m. (2, 18) Thursday 9:00 p.m. (3–17) Thursday 10:02 p.m. (19)	19	September 22, 2024 (2024-09-22)	7.74 [8]	April 17, 2025 (2025-04-17)	6.15 [25]	2024–25	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
2	Sunday 8:30 p.m. (1) Thursday 9:01 p.m. (2, 3) Thursday 9:00 p.m. (4–TBA) [7]	TBA	October 12, 2025 (2025-10-12)	6.58 [26]	TBA	TBD	2025–26	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of Matlock

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Pilot"	September 22, 2024	0.4/4	7.74	—	—	—	—	[8]
2	"Rome, in a Day"	October 17, 2024	0.4/4	6.38	0.2	3.89	0.6	10.24	[9]
3	"A Guy Named Greg"	October 24, 2024	0.4/4	6.48	0.2	3.85	0.6	10.31	[10]
4	"The Rabbit and the Hawk"	October 31, 2024	0.4/5	6.54	0.2	3.70	0.7	10.24	[11]
5	"Claws"	November 7, 2024	0.3/4	5.98	0.3	4.05	0.6	10.03	[12]
6	"Sixteen Steps"	November 14, 2024	0.4/3	6.12	0.2	3.86	0.6	9.98	[13]
7	"Belly of the Beast"	December 5, 2024	0.4/4	6.32	0.2	3.74	0.6	10.07	[14]
8	"No, No Monsters"	December 12, 2024	0.3/4	6.20	0.2	3.51	0.6	9.71	[15]
9	"Friends"	January 30, 2025	0.3/5	5.78	0.2	3.86	0.5	9.64	[16]
10	"Crash Helmets On"	February 6, 2025	0.4/5	6.25	0.2	3.38	0.6	9.63	[17]
11	"A Traitor in Thine Own House"	February 13, 2025	0.3/4	5.75	0.2	3.47	0.5	9.22	[18]
12	"This is That Moment"	February 20, 2025	0.3/3	5.88	0.2	3.34	0.5	9.22	[19]
13	"Pregame"	February 27, 2025	0.4/5	5.77	0.2	3.32	0.5	9.09	[20]
14	"Game Day"	March 6, 2025	0.4/6	6.14	0.2	3.19	0.6	9.33	[21]
15	"Game Face"	March 13, 2025	0.3/4	5.81	0.2	3.27	0.5	9.09	[22]
16	"The Johnson Case"	April 3, 2025	0.4/5	5.64	—	—	—	—	[23]
17	"I Was That, Too"	April 10, 2025	0.3/5	5.91	—	—	—	—	[24]
18	"Tricks of the Trade - Part One"	April 17, 2025	0.5/8	6.15	—	—	—	—	[25]
19	"Tricks of the Trade - Part Two"	April 17, 2025	0.5/8	6.15	—	—	—	—	[25]

Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of Matlock

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"The Before Times"	October 12, 2025	0.5/5	6.58	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	[26]
2	"Another Matlock"	October 16, 2025	0.2/2	4.20	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	[27]
3	"Tomorrow is Still Tomorrow"	October 23, 2025	0.2/3	4.44	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	[28]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Golden Globe Awards	January 5, 2025	Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama	Kathy Bates	Nominated	[49]
Satellite Awards	January 26, 2025	Best Drama Series	Matlock	Nominated	[50]
		Best Actress in a Drama or Genre Series	Kathy Bates	Won
Critics' Choice Television Awards	February 7, 2025	Best Actress in a Drama Series		Won	[51]
		Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Skye P. Marshall	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards	February 23, 2025	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series	Kathy Bates	Nominated	[52]
Gotham TV Awards	June 2, 2025	Breakthrough Drama Series	Matlock	Nominated	[53]
		Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series	Kathy Bates	Won
		Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series	Skye P. Marshall	Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards	August 20, 2025	Outstanding Achievement in Drama	Matlock	Nominated	[54]
		Outstanding New Program		Nominated
		Individual Achievement in Drama	Kathy Bates	Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards	September 14, 2025	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series		Nominated	[55]

References

1. Stenzel, Wesley (September 22, 2024). "Kathy Bates breaks down that massive Matlock premiere twist". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
2. Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 22, 2024). "CBS' Matlock Just Revealed Its Wild, Not-a-Reboot Twist — Grade the Premiere, Get Scoop on What's Next". TVLine. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
3. Felt, Klein (September 23, 2024). "New Matlock 2024 Show Cast & Characters Guide (Photos)". The Direct. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
4. Cohn, Paulette (November 21, 2024). "Jason Ritter Explains How His 'Matlock' Role Parallels His Real-Life Marriage (Exclusive)". Parade . Retrieved August 1, 2025.
5. Andreeva, Nellie (August 1, 2025). "Justina Machado Joins 'Matlock' For Season 2, Sets 'Jane The Virgin' Reunion". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
6. https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/matlock-2024
7. "Shows A-Z – matlock on cbs". The Futon Critic . Retrieved October 20, 2025.
8. Pucci, Douglas (September 24, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Series Premieres of Matlock on CBS and Rescue: Hi-Surf on Fox Get Ample Sampling". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
9. Pucci, Douglas (October 18, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Solid Debut and Matlock Time Slot Premiere Gives CBS Victory Among Broadcast Networks". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
10. Pucci, Douglas (October 25, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Matlock on CBS Improves from Prior Week, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Builds in Demos from Debut". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
11. Pucci, Douglas (November 1, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Ghosts on CBS Leads Halloween Night Linear Telecasts Among Key Demos". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
12. Pucci, Douglas (November 8, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads Broadcast Networks in Each Prime Time Hour Among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and 25-54". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
13. Pucci, Douglas (November 15, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads Linear as Each of its Shows Sees an Uptick in Viewership from Prior Week". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
14. Pucci, Douglas (December 9, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Packers-Lions Sets New TNF on Prime Viewer Record". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
15. Pucci, Douglas (December 13, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Continues Prime Time Victory Among Linear Networks". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
16. Pucci, Douglas (January 31, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: Entire CBS Lineup of Winter Premieres Tops Prime Time Telecasts in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
17. Pucci, Douglas (February 7, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: NFL Honors Lift Fox to Prime Time Key Young Demos Lead Among Broadcast Networks". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
18. Pucci, Douglas (February 14, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: ESPN Tops Key Adult Demographics with USA-Finland in Hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
19. Pucci, Douglas (February 21, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: Canada-USA Four Nations Face-Off Championship on ESPN is Most-Watched Non-Olympic Hockey Game On Record". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
20. Pucci, Douglas (February 27, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Tops in Total Viewers, 18-49 and 25-54". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
21. Pucci, Douglas (March 7, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: ABC Dramas 9-1-1, Doctor Odyssey and Grey's Anatomy Return On-Par with Autumn Deliveries, Georgie & Mandy on CBS Rises to New Series-High in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
22. Pucci, Douglas (March 14, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: CBS and TNT Share the Lead in Most Key Primetime Figures". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
23. Pucci, Douglas (April 4, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Wins in Total Viewers and Key Older Demos with Return of Regular Lineup, TNT Tops Among Younger Adults Thanks to NBA Warriors-Lakers". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
24. Pucci, Douglas (April 13, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Tops in Total Viewers, 18-49 and 25-54; ABC Leads in 18-34". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
25. Pucci, Douglas (April 18, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: 'Matlock' on CBS Hits Series-High in Adults 18-49 with Inaugural Season Finale and Tops All Prime Time Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
26. Pucci, Douglas (October 15, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Matlock and Elsbeth Season Premieres on CBS Each Deliver Respective Series-Best Demo Performances". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
27. Pucci, Douglas (October 17, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads Broadcast Networks Among Total Viewers, Year-Over-Year Erosion in Key Demos for Linear Overall". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
28. Pucci, Douglas (October 27, 2025). "Thursday Ratings: Thursday Ratings: 'Ghosts' on CBS Earns Top 18-49 and 25-54 Demos Among Prime Time Broadcast Network Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
29. "(#MAT205) "Mousetrap"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved October 20, 2025.
30. "(#MAT206) "Harm Reduction"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
31. Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2023). "CBS Orders Pilots For 'The Good Wife' Spinoff 'Elsbeth' Starring Carrie Preston & 'Matlock' Reboot With Kathy". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
32. Bell, BreAnna (May 9, 2023). "'Matlock,' 'Good Wife' Spinoff 'Elsbeth,' and Damon Wayans & Damon Wayans Jr. Comedy Ordered to Series at CBS". Variety . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
33. White, Peter (May 9, 2023). "'Matlock', 'Elsbeth' & Wayans' Family Comedy 'Poppa's House' Ordered To Series At CBS". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
34. Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2023). "Most New Broadcast Scripted Series Moving To 2024–25 Season Due To Strike-Related Production Delays". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
35. Soloski, Alexis (September 8, 2024). "In 'Matlock,' Kathy Bates Takes One Last Case". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
36. Mitovich, Matt (October 22, 2024). "Matlock Renewed at CBS — The Fall's First New Show to Score a Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
37. "Matlock". www.local695.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
38. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 8, 2024). "Beau Bridges Joins CBS' 'Matlock' In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
39. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (April 1, 2024). "Yael Grobglas Joins CBS' 'Matlock', Setting Up 'Jane The Virgin' Reunion". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
40. Petski, Denise (August 20, 2024). "Andrea Londo Joins CBS' 'Matlock' In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
41. Petski, Denise (August 27, 2024). "'Matlock' Adds Piper Curda In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
42. Tracy, Brianne (October 9, 2024). "Kathy Bates Clarifies She's Not Retiring Amid Matlock's Success: 'I Would Love for This to Keep Going' (Exclusive)". People . Retrieved October 28, 2024.
43. Andreeva, Nellie (October 9, 2025). "'Matlock' Actor David Del Rio Fired Over Alleged Sexual Assault". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
44. Pedersen, Erik (July 13, 2024). "CBS Fall Premiere Dates: 'Blue Bloods' Final Episodes, 'FBI' Trio, 'Matlock' Reboot, 'Survivor' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
45. "GLOBAL ANNOUNCES 2024/25 BROADCAST SEASON LINEUP OVERFLOWING WITH THE MOSTBUZZ WORTHY ACQUISITIONS AND TV's #1 RETURNING HIT SHOWS - Corus Entertainment" (PDF).
46. Schwartz, Ryan (July 11, 2025). "CBS Sets Fall Premiere Dates for NCIS, Matlock and More — Tom Ellis'CIA Bumped to Midseason With New Showrunner". TVLine. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
47. "Matlock: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 25, 2024.
48. "Matlock: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved September 25, 2024.
49. Barnard, Matthew (December 9, 2024). "NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR 82nd ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBES®". Golden Globes. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
50. Anderson, Erik (December 16, 2024). "2024 International Press Academy Satellite Awards Nominations: 'The Brutalist', 'Shōgun' Lead". AwardsWatch. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
51. "TELEVISION NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS – Critics Choice Awards" . Retrieved December 9, 2024.
52. Respers France, Lisa (January 8, 2025). "SAG Award nominations 2025: See the full list of nominees". CNN . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
53. "Nominees Announced for the 2025 Gotham Television Awards" . Retrieved April 29, 2025.
54. porter, Rick (June 9, 2025). "'Severance' Leads TCA Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
55. Respers France, Lisa (July 15, 2025). "'Severance' leads 2025 Emmy nominations". CNN . Retrieved July 15, 2025.

External links

• Official website
• Matlock at IMDb