Matlock (2024)

We may not get the sweeping courtroom declarations that Griffith often deployed as Ben Matlock, but there's something equally (or even more) compelling about the quiet competence that Bates' performance radiates. Her age is an asset, not a handicap. .... Great storytelling has no retirement age.

Yes, you have to suspend a fair chunk of disbelief to buy the idea Matty’s double whammy, a combination of homespun charm and total lack of perceived threat, gets the key suspects to open up to her every single time. But a little suspension of disbelief is what we need every once in a while.

It morphs into a mystery that touches on corporate greed and human suffering. Not what you’d expect from the pilot, but it is worth a closer look.

When Bates reveals the emotional cogs that belie Matty's codger persona, she becomes the most interesting lawyer in ages. [28 Oct - 17 Nov 2024, p.4]

Like its main character, Matlock the show has more to it than you’d think it does on the surface—even though Bates playing an aged yet savvy lawyer who uses her appearance as a weapon already sounds like a fun time.

That it’s funny and heartfelt along the way just adds to the charm, particularly as the suspense mounts. Toying with our expectations of a recognizable persona like Matlock, CBS’s newest legal drama honors the original while creating something new entirely.

Matty may think that she's invisible, but you won't be able to take your eyes off of Kathy Bates in Matlock.

Unlike many CBS procedurals, this one’s lighter and while the lawyering isn’t always in the realm of reality, the show’s breezy tone should win over CBS viewers with ease.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s during the show’s more tender moments that Bates and her castmates unite into an appealing ensemble that could easily drive several seasons’ worth of comfort-food entertainment.

While Matty works on breaking into the firm’s inner circle, Urman surrounds her with capable colleagues and cases of the week. .... I found the family side of the show fuzzier than the fast-paced workplace high jinks. .... As the season continues, I hope the two halves of Matty’s double life grow less uneven. Both “Matlock” and its namesake are easy to root for.

The reboot holds a secret or two in reserve that, while making the series extremely tricky to review, also adds some welcome spin to an otherwise unpromising start. The show eventually relaxes enough — and trusts itself and Bates enough — to let the story unspool a little more organically.

Because of Bates, Matlock is certainly entertaining to watch. But would the show be equally entertaining if she wasn’t there? We’re not sure.

The series trends cozy and comical, but the cases they argue bring up serious issues and give Bates plenty of opportunity to go dramatically deep as she convinces reluctant witnesses to come forward or imparts the wisdom her years have earned her.

“Matlock” needs to become its own show instead of merely being not that other show. And to Urman’s credit, it certainly can be. The main cast is already alight with chemistry.

The fun of legal dramas is that they are full of cagey players who work the angles. “Matlock” needs more of that. Matty can’t be the only wily one.

The viewing experience is redeemed by the brilliance of Bates, who enjoys being an older woman who has the upper hand. Whether she is doing fake folksy charm or kick-ass, her charisma and comic timing make it impossible to keep your eyes off her. Even if it’s to wonder why she has done something as disappointingly average as this.