Matlock season 5

Matlock
Season 5
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 18, 1990 (1990-09-18) – May 30, 1991 (1991-05-30)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 4 Next → Season 6
List of episodes

The fifth season of Matlock originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 18, 1990 through April 30, 1991.

Cast

• Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock
• Nancy Stafford as Michelle Thomas
• Julie Sommars as ADA Julie March
• Clarence Gilyard Jr. as Conrad McMasters

Cast Notes

• Julie Sommars was absent for fourteen episodes
• Nancy Stafford was absent for eight episodes
• Clarence Gilyard Jr. was absent for four episodes

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Viewers (millions)
92	1	"The Mother"	Robert Scheerer	Michael Marks	September 18, 1990 (1990-09-18)	23.6 [1]
Legal secretary Phyllis Todd (Shirley Knight) is desperate to protect her daughter Andrea (Beth Toussaint) after Andrea murders her mother's boss, Frank Larson (James O'Sullivan), whom she was having an affair with. Phyllis confesses to the murder, but Ben soon exposes Andrea. Also, Conrad bets Michelle that she can't seduce Ben.
93	2	"Nowhere to Turn"	Harvey S. Laidman	Story by : Dean Hargrove & Joel Steiger Teleplay by : Anne Collins	September 25, 1990 (1990-09-25)	22.8 [2]
94	3
After the popular Los Angeles judge Raymond Price charges Matlock for his contempt in court (which resulted because of Ben being in a bad mood due to several mishaps during his trip), he is soon found dead and Matlock needs to defend himself for his murder, while in Los Angeles. While Michelle continues to defend Matlock for the murder of Judge Price, Conrad gets a job as a bartender but fails to cooperate with the FBI, which leads to his temporary arrest. Guest stars: Richard Newton as Judge Richard Cooksey (Uncredited), James Cromwell as Judge Raymond Price, Will Jeffries as D.A. Ferber, David Hayward as Lt. Judd Myerson, Joe Regalbuto as Arthur Prescott, Earl Boen as Judge George Clayton, J. Kenneth Campbell as Scott Walker, Rob Steinberg as A.D.A. O'Connor, Diane Shalet as Mrs. Hawkins, Don Calfa as Andrew Sloan, Charles Siebert as Dr. Gilbert Lehman, Roger Aaron Brown as Daryl Wilson, and Robert Clotworthy as Prosecutor in L.A. Note: Nowhere to Run originally aired as a "Matlock Movie Mystery" Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode. James Cromwell and Andy Griffith had previously worked together in two television movies for NBC, The Girl In The Empty Grave, and Deadly Game (both in 1977) starring Griffith as a small town police chief and Cromwell as one of his deputies.
95	4	"The Madam"	Leo Penn	Gerald Sanoff	October 2, 1990 (1990-10-02)	23.1 [3]
When a madam, Anne Rawls (Maureen Arthur), is accused of killing one of the call girls, Janie Ladd (Elizabeth Gracen), Matlock agrees to take on the case. Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode.
96	5	"The Personal Trainer"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Lincoln Kibbee	October 9, 1990 (1990-10-09)	24.0 [4]
Matlock's roofer, George (George DiCenzo) was taken into custody for the murder of the personal trainer, Harry Slade (Peter Marc Jacobson). Matlock is happy to take on the case, as George would promise to fix his lawyer's roof. However, Matlock finds out the case wasn’t really that simple like he initially thought, as it turns out Harry was sleeping with four other women in his life — especially George’s wife, Joanne (Leslie Easterbrook). Note: Julie Sommars and Clarence Gilyard Jr. do not appear in this episode.
97	6	"The Narc"	Harvey S. Laidman	Phil Mishkin	October 23, 1990 (1990-10-23)	24.1 [5]
After Det. Ed Tobias (Robert Ginty) implicates himself and his partners in a corrupt drug bust operation to Internal Affairs, he is murdered. Lt. Bob Brooks (David Froman) asks Matlock to defend the accused killer, Det. Johnny Bauer (Titus Welliver), the only one of Tobias' unit who wasn't on the take. Matlock is reluctant to do so, since he believes Bauer, while not dirty, was wrong to not reveal the corruption of his partners. As Matlock zeroes in on Tobias' three other partners in the unit — Charlie Orbach, Billy Pierce, and Harlan Fondy — he discovers that they have secrets they are hiding among themselves, including which of them killed Tobias. Note: Nancy Stafford and Julie Sommars do not appear in this episode.
98	7	"The Secret: Part 1"	Leo Penn	Gerald Sanoff	October 30, 1990 (1990-10-30)	22.6 [6]
When Matlock takes on the case of the singing gambler Tyler Mullins (Ron Taylor), who was accused of killing his bookie Eric Gaston (Brett Porter), he thinks that someone from Eric’s past is the guilty party. Note: Nancy Stafford and Julie Sommars do not appear in this episode.
99	8	"The Secret: Part 2"	Leo Penn	Gerald Sanoff	November 6, 1990 (1990-11-06)	21.9 [7]
Matlock sends Conrad to Chicago in order to collect the evidence that will prove Tyler is innocent. Note: Nancy Stafford and Julie Sommars do not appear in this episode.
100	9	"The Brothers"	Christopher Hibler	Anne Collins & Gerald Sanoff	November 13, 1990 (1990-11-13)	23.8 [8]
Lowell Carr (Kristoffer Tabori) is a popular, brilliant plastic surgeon. One night, he’s overheard getting into a loud argument with his partner, Dr. Scott Weston (David Haskell), about ending their own business. Hours later, Dr. Scott is murdered. Lowell is the immediate suspect — until Matlock meets his twin brother, Gary (also played by Tabori). Note: Nancy Stafford does not appear in this episode. Don Knotts appears as Les Calhoun. Patricia Heaton appears as one of the murder suspects. Barbara Whinnery, who previously appeared in Season 2's The Lovelorn as Anna Moore and in Season 3's The Black Widow as Arlene, appears as Doreen Ferguson.
101	10	"The Cover Girl"	Christopher Hibler	Max Eisenberg	November 20, 1990 (1990-11-20)	23.7 [9]
Conrad is happy to introduce Matlock to his new girlfriend, Carla Royce (Shari Headley). When her boss Jackie Whitman (Tricia O'Neil) is murdered, Conrad and Carla both ask Matlock to take on the case of Carla’s friend and photographer Harry Samuels (Michael Harris) at Carla’s bequest when Harry is accused of Jackie’s murder.
102	11	"The Biker"	Harvey S. Laidman	Bruce Shelly & Reed Shelly	November 27, 1990 (1990-11-27)	24.4 [10]
Nicky Tower (Stephen Meadows), a popular actor with a bad reputation, is murdered whilst heading into the premiere. So a judge friend of Matlock’s, Sherman Lockwood (Paul Lambert), asks Matlock to defend his son Cliff (Stephen Nichols), a biker who had been previously fired from his job as Nicky’s bodyguard. Cliff also gets into a fight with Conrad, and all the other bikers look on as Matlock comes over in his car; Matlock tells Nicky to either get in his car, or face life in prison. Guest Star: Ally Walker as Renee Williams Note: Nancy Stafford does not appear in this episode.
103	12	"The Broker"	Robert Scheerer	Diana Kopald Marcus	December 4, 1990 (1990-12-04)	22.2 [11]
When stockbroker Richard Wagner (Robert Sampson) was murdered, his ex-partner, Avery Campbell (Jerry Hardin), calls Julie for help. Julie's boss, Stanley Hayden (Andrew Robinson) forces her to indict him. Note: Nancy Stafford and Clarence Gilyard Jr. do not appear in this episode.
104	13	"The Fighter"	Christopher Hibler	Story by : Phil Combest, David Hoffman & Leslie Daryl Zerg Teleplay by : David Hoffman & Leslie Daryl Zerg	December 11, 1990 (1990-12-11)	22.2 [12]
While in Atlanta for a boxing match, fighter Billy Leon (Ken Foree) is accused of killing Nick Underwood (Christopher Allport), a tabloid reporter whom Billy thought was his friend, until he announced in the paper that Billy was using steroids. Matlock agrees to take on Billy's case and he, Michelle, and Conrad discover that Underwood also had secrets about three people in Billy's life: his promoter (Stanley Kamel), his trainer (Richard Bakalyan), and his wife Alana (Wanda de Jesus), which gave each of them a motive for killing him. Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode. Don Knotts appears as Les Calhoun. In the episode, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts recreate a famous comic bit from The Andy Griffith Show when Les tries to demonstrate his Judo skills to Ben, Michelle, and Conrad.
105	14	"The Critic"	Robert Scheerer	Phil Mishkin	January 8, 1991 (1991-01-08)	24.3 [13]
Matlock knew Sam Spelvin (Geoffrey Blake) since he was only 6, so he’s glad to attend Spelvin’s new play “Lovers and Lawyers”. He is less than impressed, however, at the actual play. His dislike of the play is tame compared to critic John Bosley Hackett (Tony Jay), who gives it a horrible review, ripping every part of the play. When Hackett is murdered, Sam is arrested after a maid comes in and catches him standing over Hackett’s body. Matlock agrees to defend his friend and reluctantly defers his payment (after Spelvin promises Ben a percentage on the play’s profits). Ben also manages to find a few more people who would be thrilled to see the critic dead (as well as see Sam’s play become a flop instead of a success).
106	15	"The Parents"	Harvey S. Laidman	Michael Marks	January 15, 1991 (1991-01-15)	25.3 [14]
Howard and Amy Boggs (Allan Royal and Ann Dusenberry) have their prayers answered when Jill Lambert (Christine Elise) plans to give them her child that she was carrying for adoption. After Jill changes her mind and is found dead, Howard and Amy are the number one suspects in her murder. Ben, however, believes the couple is innocent, and is determined to clear their names by finding Jill’s real killer. Note: Julie Sommars and Clarence Gilyard Jr. do not appear in this episode.
107	16	"The Man of the Year"	Burt Brinckerhoff	Story by : Gerald Sanoff Teleplay by : Anne Collins	January 29, 1991 (1991-01-29)	19.9 [15]
Michelle's ex-boyfriend Arthur Saxon (S.A. Griffin), a former disc jockey who was acquitted of killing Robby Moore, emcees the event in which Matlock is honored as "The Man of The Year." However, Matlock's car breaks down, and he asks his housekeeper, Mrs. McCardle (Marge Redmond), for a ride. A flat tire and a robbery further delay him. At a small town called Looperwillow, Matlock breaks into a house so he can call the desk clerk (Wayne Duvall) to tell Conrad, who is at the event. However, he and McCardle are caught and arrested for the break-in. Arthur decides to start the show without Matlock, and he, Michelle, and Julie give speeches about Arthur's trial, along with the ones with the mentally impaired farmhand and the one Julie's ex-husband prosecuted. Conrad spots the car thief, who beats him up and leaves him by the wrecked car. Conrad is mistaken for the thief that robbed Ben and is brought to the sheriff's office, where he has to give up all the cash he has to pay for the break-in damages and prevent Matlock from facing charges. Matlock, Conrad and Mrs. McCardle ride in a poultry truck to the event, which is already over. Note: This episode is presented in an anthology style, reviewing the season three episode "The Thoroughbred", followed by the season four episode "The Ex", then concluding with season three's "The D.J."
108	17	"The Arsonist"	Robert Scheerer	Jim McGrath	February 5, 1991 (1991-02-05)	22.7 [16]
Business partners Marvin Shea (Lawrence Dobkin) and Sid Franklin (Bill Macy) have been working associates for over 30 years. Their bank loan has been denied and they are unable to pay the bills; therefore, Marv talked Sid into hiring an arsonist to collect the money, so they can rebuild all over. Sid refuses, so Marv does it himself. Before Marv has an opportunity to talk with the arsonist again, he was found dead outside his daughter's wedding; as a result, Sid is accused of both the arson and the murder. Note: Nancy Stafford and Julie Sommars do not appear in this episode.
109	18	"The Formula"	Christopher Hibler	Story by : Gerald Sanoff Teleplay by : Anne Collins	February 12, 1991 (1991-02-12)	22.2 [17]
In the middle of the night, Matlock receives a phone call from a young man (Charlie Stratton) who once painted his house; he claims he's been arrested for stealing the formula to cure baldness from the company who fired his friend and stole his material. Twenty-four hours later, Matlock receives another phone call from the same young man, who has now been accused of murdering the man he claims he stole the formula for. The largest problem is that what Jeff is saying doesn't make any sense; it turns out Dr. Tim Crider (Christian Clemenson) — who gave him permission to steal the formula — was never fired in the first place. Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode.
110	19	"The Trial: Part 1"	Frank Thackery	Story by : Gerald Sanoff Teleplay by : Anne Collins	February 19, 1991 (1991-02-19)	23.2 [18]
A.D.A. Howard Wright (John Carter) is murdered in his workshop. So the attorney general approaches Matlock and asks him to take on the assignment of special prosecutor. With the help of Michelle and Conrad, Matlock investigates Wright's past, and notices the man was spending money that he could not have earned legitimately. While investigating the names that Wright had left behind, Matlock finds himself embroiled in a lawsuit involving Maxwell Toys. Guest star: Terry Bozeman as Attorney General Stuart Roberts Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode.
111	20	"The Trial: Part 2"	Frank Thackery	Story by : Gerald Sanoff Teleplay by : Anne Collins	February 26, 1991 (1991-02-26)	23.2 [19]
Michelle and Conrad encourages Matlock to find out what is happening with the Wright case when Matlock is being disqualified from the final round of the competition. There are a number of entertaining subplots — including a Deep Throat who tells Ben to "follow the money." Guest star: Terry Bozeman as Attorney General Stuart Roberts Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode.
112	21	"The Accident"	Christopher Hibler	Max Eisenberg & Lonon F. Smith	March 26, 1991 (1991-03-26)	22.1 [20]
Eugene Dobbs (Tom Henschel) and Nolan Wheeler (Ken Lerner) make quite the lawyer/private investigator team. Dobbs is active in all of his cases, while Wheeler does a lot of the legwork. After Dobbs is unwilling to keep every promise he made to an injured football coach, John Kramer (Richard Grove), Dobbs meets his maker one evening at the office, while Kramer is the prime suspect. Matlock decides to take on the case, partly to prove to Kramer that not all lawyers are schmucks like Dobbs, and partly because the list of people who wanted Dobbs dead is getting longer by the minute. Matlock and Conrad eventually find an interesting link between Dobbs, the manager of a local water park and Dobbs’ wife. Meanwhile, talking about the case with Ben inspires Les to see if he can get a nice settlement from a sideswiping accident he was recently in. Note: Julie Sommars does not appear in this episode. Don Knotts appears as Les Calhoun.
113	22	"The Celebrity"	Leo Penn	Gerald Sanoff	April 30, 1991 (1991-04-30)	18.6 [21]
Ben and Julie both travel to Los Angeles to represent a friend of Julie's, Catherine Welden (Karrie Keane), a one-time movie diva turned cosmetics mogul who is framed of murdering her ex-lover, Peter Bates (Barry Sattels), to prevent the publication of some revealing photos of her, which he was planning to blackmail her with in exchange for a partnership in her cosmetics company. As Ben and Julie work on the case with help from Catherine (who turns out to have good investigative skills herself), they discover that several people in Catherine's life had good reason to want her former flame dead, including Catherine's ex-husband Edgar (Peter Hansen) and younger sister Jackie Flemming (Arlene Golonka). Note: Nancy Stafford and Clarence Gilyard Jr. do not appear in this episode.

References

1. Donlon, Brian (September 26, 1990). "CBS has its eye on first". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
2. Donlon, Brian (October 3, 1990). "NBC wins; CBS still surprises". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
3. Sloan, Eugene (October 10, 1990). "NBC tops in ratings, barely". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
4. Sloan, Eugene (October 17, 1990). "For CBS, baseball's a grounder". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
5. Donlon, Brian (October 31, 1990). "CBS, no longer the long shot". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
6. Donlon, Brian (November 7, 1990). "NBC wins with fewer viewers". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
7. Donlon, Brian (November 14, 1990). "'Cheers' sweeps up for NBC". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
8. Donlon, Brian (November 21, 1990). "ABC pulls past CBS in sweeps". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
9. Donlon, Brian (November 28, 1990). "ABC's 'It' confirms competitors' fears". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
10. Donlon, Brian (December 5, 1990). "Ratings chill is setting in". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
11. Donlon, Brian (December 12, 1990). "ABC wins a sub-par week". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
12. Donlon, Brian (December 19, 1990). "St. Nick can't lick TV lull". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
13. Donlon, Brian (January 16, 1991). "NBC wins with season best". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
14. Donlon, Brian (January 23, 1991). "Football hikes CBS to No. 1". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
15. Donlon, Brian (February 6, 1991). "Where are the dominant series?". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
16. Donlon, Brian (February 13, 1991). "A good Friday fuels ABC win". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
17. Donlon, Brian (February 20, 1991). "CBS mines past and hits gold". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
18. Donlon, Brian (February 27, 1991). "NBC has a week of ratings ups and downs". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
19. Donlon, Brian (March 6, 1991). "CBS gains ratings speed". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
20. Donlon, Brian (April 3, 1991). "Oscar wins big for ABC". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
21. Donlon, Brian (May 8, 1991). "Sweeps lure straying viewers". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.

External links

• Matlock at IMDb