After just two episodes, Matlock is already a big success for CBS, so it’s no surprise that the network has renewed the series for season 2. Looks like Kathy Bates will have to postpone her retirement a little longer.
Matlock premiered last month with a special sneak peek episode, which drew 7.73 million total viewers, giving CBS its most-watched non-post-Super Bowl series premiere in over five years. After a multi-week break, the second episode delivered 6.4 million viewers, making it the second most-watched series of the evening behind the premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
The series stars Kathy Bates as Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock, “a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases all while investigating a deeply personal secret of her own.” As the synopsis teases, ol’ Matty has a pretty big secret which surprised fans who were simply anticipating a gender-swapped version of the classic Matlock TV show.
“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,” 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.“
Before Matlock came along, Kathy Bates had been considering semi-retirement. “Quite frankly, I was thinking about going into semi-retirement, and just waiting to see what came along that I might like to do,” Bates told THR. “So I really wasn’t looking to do anything for a while. So this came as a total surprise to me, and continues to be because of the latest numbers that we’ve gotten… I just feel so lucky to have such a strong foundation behind us and the show. It’s a miracle; we all keep pinching ourselves. The crew loves it. The actors love it. I know everyone says that when they’re marketing a show, but this is really unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I really can’t believe all this, especially at my age.” Although she loves working on Matlock, she considers it her “last dance” and will likely retire after it wraps up. “Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” she said. “And it’s exhausting.“