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.“

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In between drags of cigarette smoke, Patty and Selma Bouvier are likely freaking out over the idea of a new Matlock series coming to CBS. The Matlock reboot gets a new star today with Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Max Payne, Hit and Run) joining the cast. Bridges replaces Jayme Sheridan, who starred in the pilot, to act opposite Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes, Dolores Claiborne) in the updated version. CBS’ Matlock debuts in 2024-25 after the strike delayed production.

CBS’ Matlock hails from Jennie Snyder Urman (Something Borrowed, Charmed, Men in Trees) and stars Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a sharp-minded septuagenarian with a stellar track record for solving cases. After being away from the game for years, Matlock rejoins the workforce at a distinguished law firm, where she uses her years of experience and unique tactics to achieve justice. At her new place of employment, Matty teams up with Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker who thirsts for fair play. Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), the son of the head of the firm (Bridges), is fascinated by Matty and her precocious skills.

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Bridges plays Senior, “a managing partner of the firm, who has an indomitable presence that immediately alters the temperature of any room. The man’s influence reaches far and wide, and although he loves his son, Julian (Ritter), he might respect his daughter-in-law, Olympia (Marshall), more.”

David Del Rio and Leah Lewis join Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, and Beau Bridges for CBS’ new Matlock series, with Urman, Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, John Will, and Bates executive producing.

Beau Bridges appears in the Apple TV+ series Lessons in Chemistry, starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) as Elizabeth Zott, whose dream of being a chemist is put on hold when she finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab. Lewis Pullman and Aja Naomi King star in Lessons in Chemistry, with Patrick Walker, Stephanie Koenig, Marc Evan Jackson, and more.

Talk about a blast from the past! What do you think about Beau Bridges joining the cast of CBS’ Matlock? Did you ever watch the original show in reruns or on DVD? Let us know in the comments below.

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Actor and Film and Theatre Professor, Clarence Gilyard Jr., known for his roles in television series such as Matlock and Walker Texas Ranger, as well as his film roles in hit movies like Top Gun and Die Hard, has passed away at the age of 66. The cause of death is not yet known. Deadline reports that his school, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ College of Fine Arts had shared the news of his passing.

Gilyard’s film career started with his role as Sundown in 1986’s Top Gun. He, then, would go on to portray the tech expert of the villainous group in the 1988 action movie, Die Hard. He was even recently seen reprising his role for the tongue-in-cheek continuation of the movie for the Die Hard brand car battery commercial in October of 2020. Gilyard shared his experience with Nevada Public Radio, saying the making of the commercial was “surreal.”

Nancy J. Uscher, the Dean of UNLV, had this to say in the wake of his passing, “His students were deeply inspired by him, as were all who knew him. He had many extraordinary talents and was extremely well-known in the university through his dedication to teaching and his professional accomplishments. His generosity of spirit was boundless – he was always ready to contribute to projects and performances however possible. We remember Clarence with joy and gratitude for all he contributed to the College of Fine Arts, the UNLV community, and, through his impressive personal achievements, to the world.”

Heather Addison, the UNLV film chair, adds, “Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him at UNLV. Whenever we asked him how he was, he would cheerfully declare that he was ‘Blessed!’ But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years. We love you and will miss you dearly, Professor G!”

Gilyard earned a BA in Theatre Arts from California State University and then completed an MFA in Theatre Performance at Southern Methodist University after the conclusion of Walker Texas Ranger. Gilyard, then, took a sabbatical from acting to become a Film and Theatre Professor.

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