CBS’s Popular New Series Matlock Is (Mostly)Everything It Is Made Out To Be
Critiquing Some Aspects of One of The Best Legal Dramas Of Our Time
For decades, Kathy Bates has been a prolific actress in film and television, winning numerous awards including an Academy Award and multiple Emmys. Her newest hit series, Matlock, is among her greatest work yet. In addition to Bates’ portrayal of a wealthy 75-year-old retired lawyer posing undercover at a law firm full of secrets winning her numerous awards, the series has garnered a large following on television and streaming while also receiving mostly positive reviews. The series is so spectacular it is certainly set to become one of the best legal dramas in recent television history. Let’s examine the series a little more closely and critique a few aspects of one of television’s greatest.
Just A Little Background(In Case You Haven’t Seen It)
Many, including some Medium writers, have offered feedback about CBS’s hit show Matlock. Kathy Bates’ character is a wealthy retiree who goes undercover at one of New York’s most prestigious law firms, Jacobson Moore as “Matty” Matlock, a widow struggling to make ends meet as she raises her teenage grandson. In truth, she is Madeline Kingston with just a few corrections to her fictional version. Her husband Edwin is still very much alive and has not gambled away their family fortune. However, the two did lose their adult daughter to an opioid overdose many years earlier and are now raising their teenage grandson Alfie. While posing as a Madeline hopes to uncover which lawyer hid documents that could have taken opioids off the market many years earlier
The series shows Matty working closely with the prime suspects. Olympia (played by Skye Marshall) reluctantly accepts Matty onto her team as an associate and soon realizes the septuagenarian is her secret weapon. Jason Ritter’s character Julian is the other junior partner who is also the senior attorney’s son and Olympia’s estranged husband. Meanwhile, “Senior” Howard Markston(played by Beau Bridges) stands off in his upper-level office striving to keep the big clients happy. As she secretly seeks to discover the culprit behind the documents, Madeline pulls off numerous legal victories for the firm and becomes Olympia's close friend. The episodes are legal drama at its best, drawing viewers into each episode’s case while never losing sight of the overarching plot. While the plot twists and characters help make this show a weeknight sensation, even the best of television has areas for improvement.
What’s With That Name, Anyway?
What a great cast of characters. What an amazing plot and developing drama. However, do we really need the Matlock name? The original Matlock aired in the mid-80s through mid-90s and featured a high-level criminal defense attorney by the name. The spin-off shows Bates’ character essentially using the name as an alias, a pseudonym as genuine as her dormant Queens apartment. Did they really need to go all out with the name? Bates certainly would have done well under an unrecognizable alternate identity. However, the name does offer a nice additional element.
Some Plot Twists and Characters Are a Little Too Much
Just like any top series, Matlock has a lot going on. Viewers may wonder if it sometimes is too much. There’s the whole undercover thing Matty is doing, we get that. Plus, her actual life is far from a retiree’s daily pickleball or sauna visits. Matty’s return to the workforce and double life are putting a strain on her otherwise happy marriage while keeping her from being fully present in her grandson’s life. This is enough to keep viewers taking notes. But then add all the other office stuff and pens may start to dry. Julian and Olympia are in the middle of a bitter divorce but then briefly reconcile. Meanwhile, Julian had an affair with the jury investigator Shae while Olympia had a secret fling with senior partner Elijah. These plot twists may be a little too cumbersome, but they do not diminish the program’s overall quality.
Sometimes the Suspense Is Disappointing
Understandably, Matlock is not meant to roll like a John Grisham novel. The series so far has been big on not-quite news-breaking lawsuits and battles against housing violations or discrimination. For the most part, this is part of the series’ charm. Far removed from the constant scandals of shows like The Good Wife or lawyers fighting to cover up their own horrible crimes in How to Get Away With Murder, Matlock brings viewers a whole new kind of thrill. A wise and experienced butterscotch-bearing who could be any American’s next-door neighbor getting her lawyer game on brings an unmatched level of heartwarming satisfaction.
However, viewers may sometimes be disappointed by the slow retraction of the curtain regarding the main plot. For goodness' sake, which of the three suspects is responsible for the documents? Given that there are multiple other lawyers at the firm, how did the protagonist even deduce it could be one of the three? Honestly, there are only so many hours of sifting through legal records, mining emails, and placing spy microphone pens that viewers can take. At the same time, such multi-lateral twisting adds another layer to the series. Matty can demonstrate her unmatched intelligence in covering her tracks.
If you haven’t tuned into the new series Matlock yet, I urge you to stream soon or tune in for the next episode on CBS. You should not be disappointed, because critics agree this is one of the best legal series of our time.
