As broadcast networks continue to look to the past for new offerings, CBS is rolling out an updated version of the 1986-1995 legal drama Matlock. Taking over for the late Andy Griffith in the title role is Academy Award winner Kathy Bates.
The new Matlock, originally set for a 2023 bow, will finally premiere this fall, but the hype is already building. Bates herself gave TV Insider an exclusive preview of the reboot as part of our 2024 Fall Preview, revealing that her Madeline “Matty” Matlock (no relation to Griffiths’ character) has some tricks up her sleeve.
“Matlock has an agenda that not everyone knows about,” Bates told TV Insider. The new Matlock trailer also implies she’s keeping a big secret. Here’s the need-to-know info about the new series.
What is CBS’ Matlock reboot about?
Bates stars as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock in the new drama series, inspired by the classic television series of the same name. Madeline achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the work force at a prestigious law firm, where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.
The original Matlock is a TV series in this show’s universe. Madeline cheekily refers to the show when introducing herself to others.
Is there a Matlock trailer?
The first Matlock trailer has been out for about one year, but CBS dropped a new one on Tuesday, September 3 that hints that Madeline could be keeping a big secret. In the video above, Bates’ character somehow sneaks her way into a meeting at a law firm at which she’s hoping to work. She gets the job thanks to her impressive bold move and continues to shock her new colleagues by defying stereotypes about her age. It’s the song in the trailer, paired with a few choice clips near the end, however, that imply there’s something else going on.
RelatedKathy Bates Is Relishing Her Third Act in ‘Matlock’
Britney Spears’ “Oops, I Did It Again” plays throughout the Matlock trailer, which ends with Madeline suspiciously asking about an old case file. This raises questions at the firm, and Madeline is then seen searching through an archive of information. The line “I’m not that innocent” plays as Madeline gives an ominous look while standing alone in an elevator. The tagline at the end reads, “She’s not the Matlock you’re expecting.”
Bates revealed in our exclusive preview that ageism creates a perfect cover for Matty’s hidden agenda, the details of which are being kept under wraps.
“I can’t give everything away, but she is on a mission,” Bates told TV Insider. “The law firm is not allowed to discriminate against her age. She uses this to get into the front door and ostensibly to create a whole new life for herself. She even keeps things from her husband, every now and then. At the very end, just when you think Matlock has only fooled the people in her life, you realize she’s also fooled the audience.”
When does Matlock premiere on CBS?
CBS announced on July 13 that Matlock will premiere on Sunday, September 22 at 8/7c. Find out what else is premiering on the network this fall right here. The series was supposed to debut in the 2023-2024 season but was delayed by the Hollywood strikes.
Who is in CBS’ Matlock cast?
Nicole de Boer, Kathy Bates, David Del Rio, and Leah Lewis in Matlock Season 1 (Brooke Palmer / CBS)
Bates leads the series alongside Beau Bridges, Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, Leah Lewis, and David Del Rio. The Oscar winner is thrilled to be leading a new network series at this stage in her decades-long career.
“To have this at the end of my career is an incredible gift,” she told us. “I never dreamed I would have a third act like this. I’ve never thought at my age I’d be playing such a wonderful role and for network, which so many people are going to see. She uses her lifetime of experience and wisdom to really connect with people, instead of Googling everything, and that helps her solve cases. She doesn’t live her life through a screen. She lives it looking into people’s eyes and having real relationships.”
RelatedKathy Bates Teases ‘Matlock’ Twists in the Reboot Series
Bridges plays Senior, Julian’s father, and the law firm’s managing partner who has an indomitable presence. Marshall plays Olympia, a senior attorney at the firm with a strong sense of justice to whom Matty is assigned. Olympia loves to take on pro bono cases. Ritter plays Julian, Olympia’s ex-husband and son of the head of the firm, who is intrigued by Matty’s cleverness.
Matty works alongside young associates, including the charismatic Billy, played by Del Rio, and the uber-ambitious Sarah, played by Lewis. Bates, Del Rio, and Lewis are pictured with guest star Nicole de Boer above.
Narcos alum Andrea Londo will have a key recurring role in Season 1 as Simone, Sarah’s law school classmate. Piper Curda plays Kira, who works in IT at the firm and is a love interest for Sarah, as reported in our preview.
Jane the Virgin alum Yael Grobglas will recur as the “devastatingly insightful jury consultant” Shae Banfield, a role that reunites the actor with executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman. Known as a human lie detector, Shae is “able to suss out character and sniff out the truth using her mastery of body language, facial expressions, and neurolinguistics,” per Deadline. Those skills “make her a worthy adversary to brilliant attorney Olympia Lawrence and an imminent threat to Madeline Matlock.” Grobglas can be seen going toe to toe with Matty in the trailer above.
Who’s behind Matlock?
Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, Kathy Bates as Madeline, and Jason Ritter as Julian in Matlock Season 1 Episode 1 (CBS)
Urman, who previously created Emily Owens, M.D. and developed Jane the Virgin, is the screenwriter behind the new Matlock’s pilot episode. And Kat Coiro, executive producer of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Spiderwick Chronicles and director of Marry Me, directed that first installment.
The CBS Studios project also boasts Bates, Urman, Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, and John Will as executive producers.
Matlock, Series Premiere, Thursday, September 22, 9/8c, CBS
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