Tonight 10 launches a new legal drama from the US in the form of Matlock.
If the name sounds familiar, you may have watched the show with your grandparents in the 80s and 90s. But this isn’t a reboot or continuation of that original series as Matlock exists in the world of Matlock.
Madeleine ‘Matty’ Matlock (Kathy Bates) is a widowed 70-plus-year-old retiree who returns to the legal workforce after 30 years away due to personal circumstances which led to her becoming to sole guardian of her grandson Alfie (Aaron D Harris).
Matty gets her way into the law firm Jacobson Moore where, after some genius works, finds herself on the team of Olympia Lawrence (Skye P. Marshall), and working alongside junior associates Sarah (Leah Lewis) and Billy (David Del Rio).
It’s here where Matlock settles into a case-of-the-week format, with the first case about wrongful incarceration which is quiet compelling. Although it’s clear that there’s also a larger story at play, woven throughout the series.
Also within the law firm bubble is the head of Jacobson Moore, Howard ‘Senior’ (Beau Bridges), his son Julian (Jason Ritter) who also happens to be Olympia’s ex-husband, and senior partner Elijah Walker (Eve Ikwuakor).
Jennie Snyder Urman created a pilot which starts as a standard procedural with compelling characters and clever meta references to the original series that has inspired the events of this series.
Bates is in her element here with a multi-layered performance not to be missed.
Matlock is worth a shot and one of the most surprising shows of 2024.
4 Stars
Matlock airs 8:40pm Mondays on 10 and is also streaming on Paramount+.
