Don’t let the name fool you — CBS’ Matlock isn’t a straight remake of the ’80s legal drama starring Andy Griffith. Kathy Bates’ brassy attorney might go by the moniker Madeline Matlock, but it’s just an alias born from the character’s love of the show. Matty’s character is a creation all her own.
The new Matlock was created by Jane the Virgin alum Jennie Snyder Urman, whose project captures the essence of Griffith’s Matlock while giving it a freshness in tone and subject matter. Bates’ Matty begins the series as a lawyer who comes out of retirement to take a job at a high-powered New York City firm, Jacobson Moore. Her reasons, we come to learn, have less to do with money than they do with a mission of justice.
Bates previously spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how the series differs from its predecessor.
“Andy Griffith’s iconic show from the ’80s — it is an episodic. Our show does have a case every week, but there’s also a serial aspect to it — a thread that goes through all of the episodes,” Bates explained. “When I saw that it was about something really current and important to talk about and to see, that appealed to me.”
Season 1 proved to be a huge hit for CBS, so you’re not the only one wondering if there will be a season 2 of Matlock. Read on for everything we know about Matlock season 2, including its potential release date, cast, plot, and more.
Will there be a second season of Matlock?
Yes, there will be a Matlock season 2. A good thing considering all of the cliffhangers in the season 1 finale.
This comes as little surprise, as Paramount reports that an average of 17 million viewers watched the series’ first season across broadcast and streaming. According to Nielsen and other sources, Matlock was the number one new broadcast series in multi-platform viewing (and the number two broadcast series overall).
What happened at the end of Matlock season 1?
Throughout Matlock’s debut season, Bates’ Matty took it upon herself to (quietly) investigate her fellow attorneys at Jacobson Moore to uncover the snake who conspired with drug company WellBrexa to keep opioids on the market. This was a particularly meaningful case for Matty, given that her daughter died from an overdose.
The villain, we learned, was an unlikely one: Jason Ritter’s Julian Markston. (Who could ever suspect a Ritter?) This led to a tearful confrontation between Julian and Olympia, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, in which the lawyer revealed he was only trying to please his father, managing partner Howard “Senior” (Beau Bridges).
It also left audiences with a handful of cliffhangers that set the stage for Matlock’s second season. We’ll unpack those below.
What is Matlock season 2 about?
Season 1 ended with the swag of a show that’s been renewed for a half-dozen more seasons, leaving viewers with several evolving storylines and tantalizing questions.
First, of course, is the question of how Matty and Olympia will reckon with Julian’s betrayal and the complicity of Howard who, in addition to being Olympia’s senior, is also her ex-father-in-law.
Another curious twist involves Matty’s grandson, tech whiz Alfie (Aaron Harris), who she’s been caring for since the death of her daughter. In the finale, a knock at the door introduces us to a stranger played by Niko Nicotera, who claims to be Alfie’s father.
This won’t be a walk-on role. Speaking about the season 1 finale with EW, Urman said she’s “really excited to get into their story and what he brings to the show and how he complicates Matty’s most sacred place, which is her home.”
And then there’s Billy, the young lawyer played by David Del Rio. His romantic entanglements were a focus of season 1, and that’s likely to continue next season. His ex, Claudia (Bella Ortiz), is pregnant, which will surely throw a wrench into his newfound relationship with junior partner Simone (Andrea Londo) — especially if it turns out to be his.
Urman told EW that the revelation was a fruitful means of “destabilizing” Billy, who, after breaking up with Claudia, was “finally looking to the future.”
She added that it raises a whole host of juicy questions for the writers to answer.
“Is she having a baby? Is she not having the baby? And he’s the ultimate people pleaser, so what is he going to do and what does he want? All of that,” she said. “But just in terms of putting your characters in a brand new headspace at the top of the next season, that’s as big as it gets, and it feels like an exciting, fun area that has a lot of both comedy and drama, which David plays both of so well, so I can’t wait.”
Urman also teases the “interesting places” she sees Billy and Julian veering into next season. If that sounds like an unlikely coupling, that’s the point. “I’m really excited for new pairings,” she said.
Who’s in the Matlock season 2 cast?The Matlock season 2 cast isn’t confirmed just yet, but it’s safe to say you can’t have this iteration of the series without Bates’ Matty. Bates, too, isn’t itching to go anywhere.
“I want it to run for years. It’s that great,” she told us last year.
Marshall’s Olympia, too, will continue to be a driving force in season 2.
“We get to continue to explore this epic love story between Olympia and Matty, and any epic love story is going to have twists and turns: will they or won’t they, and can they find their way back to each other?” Urman told EW. “But the friendship that they built in this first season, despite the lie at the center of it, was real and deep and rare and meaningful and life-affirming for both of them.”
She continued, “They’re separated again, and I think in all epic love stories, you’re going to want them to find their way back to each other, and I’m excited to keep writing toward that.”|
Urman also mentions characters like Alfie, Billy, Claudia, and Simone, so we’re confident in saying Harris, Del Rio, Ortiz, and Londo are sticking around. We’re also guessing that Leah Lewis’ first-year associate Sarah isn’t going anywhere, crucial as she is to the team’s sleuthing.
And don’t expect Ritter’s Julian to fall by the wayside. He told EW that he’s jazzed to have a “front row seat” for the series’ future. He’s also hoping you can forgive Julian.
“As Julian’s actor, I’m like his little lawyer,” said Ritter. “So I get to figure out how to make this guy who did this horrible thing sympathetic, how we can still see his humanity through this completely awful act that he did.”
And then there’s Nicotera’s no-longer-absent father. Urman revealed to EW that it was Bates herself who recommended the actor.
“She had worked with Niko on Richard Jewell, and just believed in him as an actor and knew how great he was,” she said. “She told me about him early on — I think at the pilot stage — and I’m definitely going to take casting advice from Kathy Bates — pretty good taste!”
Is there a Matlock season 2 release date?
Not yet, but don’t expect to wait three years for a new season. Deadline reports that the plan is for Matlock to return for the network’s 2025-26 broadcast season.
