'Matlock' Earns Quick Season 2 Renewal at CBS

CBS has delivered a swift, and positive, verdict on its first-year drama Matlock.

The network has ordered a second season of the series after just two episodes have aired. The legal drama, which stars Kathy Bates in a reimagining of the Andy Griffith-led 1980s-90s staple, has performed strongly in those two episodes. The Sept. 22 premiere, which followed an NFL doubleheader and 60 Minutes, drew 7.73 million same-day viewers, CBS’ best series debut in more than five years; that figure grew to 10.67 million with three days of cross-platform viewing.

After several weeks off, Matlock’s second episode on Oct. 17 (airing in its regular Thursday home) brought in 6.38 million viewers, 44 percent more than the same-day average for its time period last 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,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said in a statement. “The audience reception and critical acclaim for it has been overwhelming. We can’t wait to get started on a second season.”

Matlock was developed for the 2023-24 season and landed a series order in May 2023. After last year’s labor strikes pushed most scripted shows to winter or spring premieres, however, CBS opted to hold the series for 2024-25. The current season will have 18 episodes.

Bates told The Hollywood Reporter she was considering “semi-retirement” before she read the Matlock script but jumped at the chance to play the title character, an attorney who hasn’t practiced in several decades but lands a job at a big New York firm (while harboring a secret that’s at the core of the series premiere’s plot twist).

“It’s a miracle; we all keep pinching ourselves,” Bates said. “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.”

Along with Bates, the show’s cast includes Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis; Beau Bridges, Sam Anderson, Eme Ikwuakor and Aaron D. Harris have recurring roles.

CBS Studios produces Matlock. Urman (Jane the Virgin) developed the series and executive produces with Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, Kat Coiro and Bates.