Did you see that twist coming? CBS ’s Matlock reboot premiered on Sept. 22 with Oscar-winner Kathy Bates in the title role . But this new take on the beloved legal drama isn’t just a gender-flipped version of the old Andy Griffith series, as a big reveal in the final moments of the first episode made clear.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Matlock series premiere.] Kathy Bates plays Madeline Matlock The original Matlock starred Griffith as folksy defense lawyer Ben Matlock. In the 2024 show, Bates is also an attorney, though beyond that, there aren’t too many similarities with her namesake.
As she explains in the premiere, Madeline “Matty” Matlock – “ like the old TV show ,” she quips – is a woman who’s reached the age when she becomes “invisible” to other people. She cleverly turns people’s assumptions about her into an advantage as she sneaks into a partners’ meeting at law firm Jacobson Moore. Matty explains that she has surreptitiously discovered some information that will help settle a big case.
In return for her intel, she wants a job, even though she hasn’t practiced law for 30 years. Matty’s bold ploy works. She’s assigned to work on a case with senior attorney Olympia (Skye P.
Marshall) involving a wrongful conviction. With two other junior associates, she uncovers a witness whose testimony helps the falsely imprisoned man get a massive settlement from the city. In the process, she wins Olympia’s grudging resp.