CBS’s modern take on Matlock was the breakout hit of the season for the network, thanks in part to casting Kathy Bates in a role that’s much deeper than just a gender swap of Andy Griffith’s classic attorney. Matty Matlock, aka Madeline Kingston, spends Season 1 seeking truth and justice for her daughter, who died as a result of the opioid epidemic. Viewers follow her as she makes friends and seeks clues among those in the law firm Jacobson Moore in hopes of finding who hid the critical evidence against the pharmaceutical company Wellbrexa that could’ve saved her daughter’s life. Between this, however, is a case-of-the-week formula for Matty and the team that thunders back to the show’s predecessor. According to Skye P. Marshall, that element isn’t going anywhere either as the show changes focus in Season 2.
Speaking to TV Insider alongside her co-star Jason Ritter, Marshall opened up about where both Matlock as a whole and her character, Olympia, are heading next after the Wellbrexa case was solved. With Ritter’s Julian exposed as the culprit, Olympia seems determined to take down the higher-ups, like Senior (Beau Bridges), who forced his hand, and get justice for everyone whose lives were ruined by their actions. The direction is clear for Matty and Olympia, even though they each have more personal stories to pursue as well. Taking on cases of the week, she says, gives the cast a chance to explore some interesting legal concepts and welcome in some exciting guests to play the clients that otherwise wouldn’t fit into the main story. She gave one example of the type of cases Jacobson Moore’s finest will tackle, saying:
“I think we’ll continue to do more cases \[of the week] like the one we did about mold \[Episode 4, titled “The Rabbit and the Hawk”]. People were like mold? I didn’t think a legal case about mold would be interesting, but it was. Also, we get such great guest stars that come in every episode that, you know, we get to explore so many criminal law procedures. I’ve learned a lot about class action suits and corporate law from this show.”
The goal for the series is also to ensure that the legal battles the firm gets involved in have some personal relevance to the characters and the story being told. “They mirror each other,” Marshall added, regarding Season 2’s cases and the story. “I’m so excited to see, based on where the characters are, what kind of cases are going to reflect what we’re feeling.”
‘Matlock’s Season 1 Formula Won Big for CBS
Matlock’s first run under showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman has been a major driver of CBS’ success this season. Alongside shows like Tracker and FBI, the series has helped power the eye to its record-setting 17th straight season as the most-watched broadcast television network. After the finale, Matlock also set a new personal rating high by drawing an average of 17 million viewers in Nielsen’s live+35 ratings. The widespread love for Matty is reflected in the show’s perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and a strong 79% from audiences.
Work is already underway to get Matty, Olympia, and the rest back in the game quickly. Marshall previously told Collider’s Christina Radish that “Our writers are back in the office” back in April, but, despite her desire to bug their cars or sneak into a meeting, she isn’t likely to hear any finer details “until a week before our first table read.” When it finally does return, she’s ready to “bring hell” to Jacobson Moore, rejoining a talented cast that also features Leah Lewis, David Del Rio, Sam Anderson, Aaron Harris, and Eme Ikwuakor, among others.
Matlock returns for Season 2 this fall on CBS. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on what’s to come for the network’s hottest new show.
