Did your 2024 TV bingo card say, “Kathy Bates plays a 70-something lawyer in CBS’s surprisingly good ‘Matlock’ reboot”? Mine definitely didn’t!
But with the disruption of streaming and the decline of traditional broadcasting, today’s TV era has seen endless Mad Libs-style shenanigans when it comes to what shows are broadcast, and it’s even more of a matter of luck to know which of this week’s remakes and reboots are actually good and popular — or, dare I say, both!
So here we have Matlock (previews Sunday 8 p.m. EDT/PDT, moves to Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT; ★★★½ out of 4), in which the esteemed actor and Oscar-winner Bates plays Madeline “Matty” Matlock, wearing no sensible suits and toting a legal notebook. What could have been a potential IP-grabbing disaster (we’re hoping for a Murphy Brown revival) is actually a sweet little legal drama. Bates, 76, is lovable, the cast is charming, and this week’s legal drama is compelling. For those of you who miss the Good Wife-esque courtroom dramas in your life, this might just scratch that itch. And it does offer up some hard candy.
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Because that’s the whole point of “Matlock.” On the original series, which ran from 1986 to 1995, Andy Griffith played a magnetic, powerful lawyer as Ben Matlock, but Bates isn’t what you’d immediately assume would be the most dominating lawyer in the room.
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Her character Matlock is a timid, kind old lady who no one would expect to be the one to aim for the weak spot. Her character Mattie is also a lawyer, but a corporate lawyer who returns to work after a long absence due to personal trauma. She successfully fits into a prestigious law firm and starts teaching the young people what’s what, while also working on her own plan (there’s a great plot twist at the end of the first episode, but I won’t give away any spoilers, so make sure you watch until the end).
Matty impresses not only audiences and legal foes, but also colleagues and superiors like her boss, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a black woman and top lawyer who had to work harder than her peers to get where she is in her career. Olympia is constantly at odds with her ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter, with his smirk), a junior lawyer at the firm. Matty is a thorn in Olympia’s side and a new career rival for junior associates Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis). Watching Madeline’s entertainment with amused indifference is the firm’s head, Senior (Beau Bridges), who appears to have hired Madeline as a tip-off but keeps a watchful eye on her.
The cast is big, but creator Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin, Charmed) balances them well with humorous, well-paced writing. In the first two episodes made available for review, there was time to get to know the entire cast and win two legal battles. The best procedural dramas can do both, and after one particularly big plot twist, “Matlock” arguably has ambitions as big as some of the best procedural dramas.
We may not hear the bold courtroom proclamations often delivered by Griffiths as Ben Matlock, but the quiet competence that emanates from Bates’ performance is just as, if not more, compelling. Her age is an advantage, not a handicap. Mattie is the culmination of her life experiences and takes advantage of others’ snap judgments. It’s always good to root for the underdog, especially such a lovable one.
When Max’s “Hux” won a ton of Emmys last weekend, there was a lot of discussion about making a TV show starring 73-year-old Jean Smart that’s aimed at an older audience. I’d argue that “Matlock” isn’t just for baby boomers. It’s further proof that stories about people (especially women) in all walks of life can be compelling. Matty Matlock can be just as much of a hero as the young people in the newest Marvel shows.
There is no retirement age for great storytelling.