Susan Granger’s review of “Matlock” (CBS/Paramount+)
I usually wait until I’ve seen an entire series before reviewing but “Matlock” is an exception. This legal drama starring Kathy Bates – which shares a surname and basic premise with the 1986-96 series starring Andy Griffith – looks too good to wait.
According to Nielsen ratings data, 7.7 million people watched the first episode, garnering the largest audience for a non-Super Bowl CBS premiere since “The Code” debuted in April, 2019.
Similar to her predecessor, Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock (Bates) is a disarmingly genial attorney with a brilliant legal mind. Like many septuagenarians, she feels that her age has rendered her invisible. That’s what character-centric showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman (“Jane the Virgin”) capitalizes on: how older women are underestimated and overlooked.
After the tragic death of her daughter from a drug overdose, widowed Matty is raising her 12 year-old grandson, Alfie Kingston (Aaron D. Harris). Declaring she’s in debt yet still skilled, Matty cleverly manages to land a job at the prestigious Jacobson Moore law firm, headed by Senior (Beau Bridges), his son Julian (Jason Ritter) and primary partner Elijah Walker (Eve Ikwuakor).
Matty is assigned to outspoken Olympia Lawrence (Skye P. Marshall), who takes on challenging cases that no one else in the firm views as profitable. To complicate matters, she’s currently custody-battling her ex-husband Julian.
Reluctant to have someone on her team who hasn’t practiced law since 1991 but desperately needing the help, Olympia partners Matty with her two ambitious junior associates: Sarah (Leah Lewis) and Billy (David Del Rio).
As more about her intuitive character is revealed in a surprisingly topical twist at the conclusion of the pilot, it becomes obvious that “Matty” is a savvy pseudonym for a woman using her work as a conduit for personal grief, along with a desire to rectify wrongs of the past, as she pursues a path towards right.
Oscar winner for “Misery”/Emmy winner for “American Horror Story,” Kathy Bates is charismatic and compelling, working with a strong supporting cast.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Matlock” is an intriguing 8. Its premiere is on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
