A Superwoman in a Power Suit
In a TV landscape dominated by youthful leads and fast-paced action, Matlock on CBS dares to do something different — it casts a 75-year-old woman as its central force. But this isn’t a story about slowing down. It’s about starting over, rising again, and using decades of wisdom to cut through noise, lies, and corporate injustice.
Kathy Bates plays Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a retired lawyer who returns to the courtroom not for fame or pride — but for purpose. And within just a few episodes, she commands the screen not through brute force, but razor-sharp intellect and emotional depth. She’s the kind of hero we didn’t know we needed, until now.
Rewriting the Legal Drama Playbook
This Matlock is not a simple reboot of the beloved 1980s courtroom classic. It’s a complete reinvention. While the show retains the spirit of courtroom intrigue and sharp questioning, it trades nostalgia for relevance. Matty isn’t a smooth-talking southern gentleman in a beige suit; she’s a woman who has lived through loss, disappointment, and social change — and has come out more determined than ever.
The show’s central arc revolves around Matty’s suspicion that the powerful law firm Jacobson Moore, where she now works, may have helped cover up pharmaceutical documents that could have saved her daughter’s life. It’s personal, political, and painfully timely. Bates delivers each monologue like a closing argument you can’t look away from — devastating, clear, and full of fire.
A Female-Centered Narrative Without Apology
Matlock is unapologetically built around women — not as side characters or romantic foils, but as the emotional and intellectual heart of the story. The dynamic between Matty and Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a rising attorney at the firm, is nothing short of magnetic. Their relationship — part mentorship, part challenge, part deep emotional connection — feels rare on network TV.
Creator Jennie Snyder Urman (of Jane the Virgin fame) has said she envisioned the show as a kind of “love story” between Matty and Olympia — not romantic, but foundational. A relationship built on trust, disappointment, redemption, and shared strength. It’s friendship as lifeline, and it’s written with the kind of nuance usually reserved for romance.
A Bold Statement About Age, Power, and Purpose
What Matlock accomplishes, perhaps more than anything else, is a reframing of what it means to be powerful at any age. Matty isn’t “past her prime.” She is the prime. The show doesn’t treat her as comic relief or as someone trying to keep up — she’s the one setting the pace.
There’s something radical about that in today’s TV environment. To center a woman in her 70s and let her be the smartest, most morally grounded person in the room is a revolution, even if it shouldn’t be.
A Case Worth Watching Every Week
Matlock on CBS isn’t flashy, but it’s smart. It’s not full of car chases or explosive stunts, but it’s emotionally urgent. And best of all, it’s got a lead who proves that experience is not just valuable — it’s unstoppable.
In the hands of Kathy Bates, Matty Matlock becomes less a character and more a force of nature — sharp, compassionate, and relentless. If there’s justice to be found, she’ll find it. Not by shouting, but by showing up, listening hard, and cutting through excuses with a single glance.
