It’s excellent news for Matlock fans. The CBS series has been renewed for a second season, becoming the first show of the current TV season to land a renewal.
Kathy Bates has said that this series is her swan song. Well, retirement will have to wait a little longer, but considering how awesome this series is, we’re not complaining here. Matlock is more than your average reboot.
In fact, it’s not a reboot at all. In the premiere episode, Matty acknowledged that her name was just like the old TV show, which some of the younger folk were confused about. This could have been a huge red flag considering who that character was and who Matty really is, but so far, nobody has brought it up.
Matlock deserves its second season renewal
Bates has brought an excellent character to life. For the longest time, older women have been typecast as the nannies or the grandmas. They don’t get the lead roles, and this series has broken that.
Matty is a woman coming out of retirement. She tells everyone that it’s because she is raising her grandson and is poor, but things couldn’t be further from the truth. She has a loving husband, a sweet grandson, and a lot of money. However, she’s after justice for the death of her daughter.
The show puts a focus on how older women become invisible. We see them as these sweet people who can be a little ditzy, and that’s Matty’s superpower. We need more of these shows. Older men get lead roles all the time, and it’s time for women to get that chance. Take the ageism and sexism out of TV.
Plus, the linear ratings make it clear that this series is needed. The premiere, which aired on Sunday, Sept. 22, pulled in 7.7 million viewers and a 0.4 demo rating, according to TVLine. I did worry about the wait and move to a different night for the second episode, but things weren’t as bad as I feared. The demo remained at 0.4, and the total audience only dropped to 6.4 million. People want this show, and it’s not surprising that CBS has renewed it.
Matlock airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Catch up the following day on Paramount+.