The ‘Matlock’ Reboot Twist, Explained
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 respect and a permanent position at Jacobson Moore.
Matty Matlock has a secret agenda
Throughout the episode, Matty plays up her persona as an approachable, non-threatening Southern grandma. That allows her to build rapport with people while also disarming those who underestimate her. But all along, there are clues that Matty might be more than she seems.
For one, Matty’s legal skills are pretty sharp for someone who’s been out of the game for three decades. Plus, she seems oddly interested in the firm’s business with pharmaceutical companies. And then there’s the moment when she opens up to a suburban mom who previously struggled with drugs, revealing that her late daughter also battled addiction.
After successfully wrapping up her first case with Jacobson Moore, Matty says goodbye to her new colleagues and hops on the bus. (She’s previously told a story about her gambling addict ex-husband who left her “broke” and in need of a high-paying job.) But she gets off after just one stop and heads into an alley. There’s a car and driver waiting.
“Good evening, Mrs. Kingston,” he says.
Matty’s driver drops her off at a mansion, where she’s greeted by her very-much-not-dead husband and grandson Alfie. Matty is not Matty Matlock at all but Matty Kingston. It’s only been a decade since she last practiced law, not 30 years, and she has a very specific reason for returning to work now under an assumed identity.
While Matty was spinning a tale through most of the episode, she was telling the truth when she spoke to the reluctant witness. She did have a daughter who died after becoming addicted to drugs. Now, Matty wants to make those responsible pay. Someone at Jacobson Moore had information that could have forced the drug company to take its opiates off the market years earlier, thus preventing countless deaths, including her daughter’s. Matty’s mission? Find out who is behind the coverup. Is it her new boss Olympia? Olympia’s soon-to-be ex-husband Julian (Jason Ritter), also an attorney at Jacobson Moore? Or Julian’s father and head of the firm Senior (Beau Bridges)?
As for why Matty chose the name of a famous TV lawyer for her false identity? It’s a tribute to her daughter, who loved the show and dreamed of becoming a lawyer like her mom.
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