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To all the fans of Ben Matlock, you are in for a nostalgic treat this fall! Meet Madeline Matlock in a new and reinvented version of the popular 80s TV character. CBS’s Matlock (2023) is a fresh reboot of the eponymous legal mystery drama that was a huge success in the late 80s and early 90s, led by Andy Griffith as the titular protagonist. And now, Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates slips into those proverbial shoes, reviving the fan-favorite character for the new generation. Announced as a part of CBS’s 2023-24 broadcast season, Matlock will be another new female-led legal drama series following Elsbeth, also slated for late 2023. The plot follows the titular attorney, who comes out of retirement and returns to work, charming her through her new job in a prestigious millennial-driven law firm, with her unassuming appearance hiding her brilliant skills.
Unlike the classic show, which focused on murder cases, the new series will revolve around corporate crimes, with Matlock using her guile and sly techniques to get information and expose criminals. Though Bates’ characterization of the popular TV character is far from Griffith’s folksy, cantankerous attorney, it takes inspiration from the original nevertheless and pushes it to the next level. And it’s needless to say that Bates’s brilliant performance would do all the justice to the character creating a new benchmark with Matlock 2.0. If you love legal dramas with a generous dose of comic relief, then both Elsbeth and Matlock ought to be on your watch list. While you wait for the series to arrive at CBS later this year, you can read on to find out all the details, including the plot, trailer, cast, characters, and everything we know so far about Matlock.
When Is the Matlock Reboot Coming Out?
The release date for Matlock is not announced yet, but it’s confirmed that the drama series will arrive sometime this Fall and will air on CBS on Sundays at 8 PM ET. It will also be available for streaming on Paramount+, like most other CBS releases. The series joins the network’s other new shows, The Good Wife spin-off Elsbeth and Poppa's House from Damon Wayans Sr. and Damon Wayans Jr., all slated for a fall release. Watch this space for the latest news on the premiere date for Matlock.
How Many Episodes Does the Matlock Reboot Have?
There is no official announcement for the number of episodes for Matlock yet, but each episode is expected to run for an average of 60 minutes.
Is There a Matlock Trailer?
CBS released the first teaser trailer for the Matlock reboot during the show’s announcement in May 2023. It’s not a full-length trailer but is good enough to tell you what you can expect from this series. In no time as she enters the screen, Madeline Matlock charms her way into the swanky law firm on her first day on the job. She is nothing like the rest of the lawyers at the office, and that’s not just because she is a 70-something attorney returning from retirement. While it might feel like she doesn’t fit in, she uses that to her advantage. In her own words, “being old and invisible” becomes one of her greatest strengths, where she can wiggle her way into situations and places without drawing attention and get her job done. The clip also gives a sneak peek into her first case, where Madeline goes around collecting information with her wily antics and super stealth.
The teaser trailer also calls back to the original inspiration, where Madeline introduces herself as “the old TV show,” thus acknowledging a subtle connection between Madeline and Ben, and yet keeping their worlds apart. If Ben is a grumpy, old, folksy Southerner, and categorical about his six-figure fee, then Madeline is endearing, delightful, funny, and, despite her age, fits right into the current urban environment. While Ben has a habit of injecting himself into the lives of his clients and colleagues, much to their reluctance, Madeline plays her cards in a way where everyone eventually warms up to her.
Who's In the Cast of the Matlock Reboot?
Matlock is helmed by Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor and director Kathy Bates, as Madeline Matlock, a decorated attorney who comes out of retirement and returns to work. From 1990’s Misery to the American Horror Story franchise, Bates has appeared in more than 200 acting and directing roles, including notable performances in films like Titanic, Primary Colors, Annie, Richard Jewell, etc. Matlock follows the actor’s fourth release of 2023, after Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, A Family Affair, and The Miracle Club.
Besides Bates, the cast of Matlock also stars Black Lightning actor Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, Matlock’s supervisor/boss at the law firm; Raising Dion actor Jason Ritter as Julian, Matlock’s co-worker; Maggie actor David Del Rio as Billy, and Nancy Drew actor Leah Lewis as Sarah.
Who Are the Creators of the Matlock Reboot?
Inspired by the eponymous 80s hit TV show and its titular character, CBS’s Matlock is directed by Kat Coiro and written by Jennie Snyder Urman. Director, producer, and screenwriter, Coiro is best known for her recent directorial venture, Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez. She has also directed and executive produced She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, as well as the pilots of Girls5Eva and Florida Girls, and directed several episodes of popular TV series like Dead to Me, Modern Family, Shameless, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Writer-producer Jennie Snyder Urman is best known as a writer and showrunner for Jane the Virgin, creator-producer for Charmed, and writer for Something Borrowed and Gilmore Girls, among others. Both Coiro and Syner Urman also serve as the executive producers for Matlock, along with Kathy Bates and Joanna Klein. NCIS: Los Angeles alum Eric Christian Olsen and John Will of Woke fame will also executive produce under their Cloud Nine banner.
What's the Background of the Matlock Reboot?
CBS’s Matlock is a reboot of the hit classic mystery legal drama series of the same name, where Andy Griffith starred as the titular attorney, Ben Matlock. Debuted in 1988 on NBC, the series ran for nine seasons, with the last three seasons moving to ABC, and ended in 1995. The series was a huge success and a late-career hit for Griffith, where he stole all attention as an old, crabby, “old-fashioned” attorney from down south, but also one who is quite amicable, quickly identifying the perpetrators and confronting them in dramatic courtroom sequences. In 1987, the series got its first spin-off, Jake and the Fatman, starring William Conrad and Joe Penny, followed by another spinoff, Diagnosis Murder, starring Dick Van Dyke. 28 years later, in January 2023, CBS ordered the first reboot of the original hit series, with the title being the same but making it a female-led story, with Kathy Bates donning the hat of an old attorney who returns from retirement. While there is no direct connection to the 80s TV character, Madeline’s character draws inspiration from and makes subtle references to the original.
What Is the Plot of the Matlock Reboot About?
The reboot will continue the procedural format of the original and, as we mentioned already, it will focus on Matlock as a renowned lawyer who comes out of retirement. Here's the official synopsis of the Matlock reboot, as described by CBS:
“Matlock stars Kathy Bates as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline “Matty” Matlock, who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.”