MATLOCK Renewed for Season 2

Published: October 24, 2024

MATLOCK Renewed for Season 2

By Movieguide® Contributor

Kathy Bates’ Matlock has gotten an early thumbs up from CBS after releasing the first two episodes in its premiere season.

“This reconceived Matlock was devised by Jennie Snyder Urman with a brilliant surprise plot twist, and we knew we had something very special the moment we saw the first episode brought to life by the incredibly talented Kathy Bates,” Matlock-kathy-bates-renewed-season-2-cbs-1236186629/">said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “The audience reception and critical acclaim for it has been overwhelming. We can’t wait to get started on a second season.”

Matlock has been a breakout hit for the network this season, with its pilot episode being the most popular premiere on CBS in five and a half years, drawing Matlock-kathy-bates-renewed-season-2-cbs-1236186629/">7.73 million viewers. Episode two received just as much attention, and the series currently sits a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Matlock-just-broke-a-5-year-record-for-cbs.html">READ MORE: THIS NEW SHOW JUST BROKE A FIVE-YEAR RECORD FOR CBS

Though Matlock was advertised as a reboot of the ’80s classic starring Andy Griffith, the end of the pilot episode introduced a twist that revealed the show was more than just an episodic. A portion of Movieguide®’s review Matlock-episode-1-1.html">reads:

The pilot episode of the new MATLOCK is fun and compelling, with a clever performance by Kathy Bates as the title character. The episode places strong emphasis on justice and family. For example, Matlock wants to hold those responsible for her daughter’s death. Also, the specific case reunites a father and a daughter. However, MATLOCK’s first episode has some foul language. Also, two eyewitnesses are former prostitutes. One doesn’t regret her lifestyle but the other one has reformed her life with help from God.

The show’s success is largely attributed to Kathy Bates’ excellent performance as she pretends to be a doting septuagenarian though she is actually a brilliant mastermind. Bates was drawn to the show for this very reason, celebrating the depth found in the writing.

“The main thing was the script, as always, and the twist of the end,” Bates Matlock-success-1236034447/">told The Hollywood Reporter when asked why she pursued the role. “When I read it, I realized that it wasn’t just an episodic — it had a serious story to tell, but also a mission that would run throughout the whole arc of the season. And so that very much attracted me. When I’m acting, I like to have something that has substance, that has meaning, something that I can really dig into. And then I met Jennie Urman, and I liked her tremendously, and I felt that we would have a good collaboration.”

Matlock-over-retirement.html">READ MORE: WHY Kathy Bates CHOSE Matlock OVER RETIREMENT

Matlock Matlock-reboot-streaming-details-kathy-bates-show">airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. You can stream it live or on-demand on Paramount+.