Matlock

Ooh, a cozy courtroom procedural, with loads of humor and charm, starring Kathy Bates? I’m all in, especially since my husband loves Matlock, too. Add intergenerational dynamics and an underpinning quest for goodness and justice, and you have a show well worth watching. Millions of viewers and critics agree, as Matlock is one of the most-watched and critically acclaimed shows on network TV.

When Madeline “Matty” Matlock walks into the august halls of the law firm Jacobson &Moore, viewers are already onto her. She can’t possibly be just the persona she’s claiming to be, a sweet little old lady/retired lawyer whose husband left her penniless. Right? She swears she needs the income to raise her grandson, and if they’d only just hire her, she can prove that she’s worth hiring at her advanced age.

As viewers discover at the end of the first episode, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Matty. She has a secret agenda for being close to the action at the law firm, which I won't give away here. But it provides a whopper of a twist that fuels the show for the entire season.

As Matty infiltrates the firm through folksy Southern charm and a brilliant legal mind, she gets to know her coworkers, including the hard-driving boss Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) and Olympia’s affable ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter). Those two waver between love for each other and their children, and their mega competition to score the firm’s next partnership. Even though Julian’s father, Senior (Beau Bridges), owns the firm, he seems to favor his daughter-in-law over his son in the partnership race.

At first, Matty and Olympia’s dynamic is lopsided, with Olympia barely tolerating the “junior” attorney she never wanted to hire, but soon she begins to respect Matty’s clever mind and imaginative ways of unlocking clues and getting suspects and witnesses to talk. The two begin to form a bond, which is inconvenient considering the viewers don’t know until late into the season if Olympia is to be trusted. Their friendship is the heartbeat of the show, and the two actresses are riveting to watch.

Half case-of-the-week procedural, and half overarching mystery, Matlock tackles complex legal issues, including the opioid crisis, environmental causes, and human trafficking. Because Olympia’s team takes on pro bono cases, mercy for the most marginalized in society is a theme throughout. Christian viewers will appreciate the way justice for the least of these is explored consistently.

Rounding out the cast are Matty’s truly junior sidekicks and office-mates, Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis). Billy is aw-shucks engaging, and Sarah, though she has a hard shell around her, is also likable once you get to know her (like a hedgehog is likable despite its spiky ways). Throughout the season, Billy and Sarah rely on Matty’s winsome wisdom, and the three become a solid team.

Though there is plenty of humor and hijinks in the show, making it a reliable comfort watch, it does invite some serious questions about the nature of justice, loyalty, and friendship. Is it okay to lie to people to possibly expose them for wrongdoing? In other words, do the ends justify the means? That’s the big question at the core of Matlock, and I for one can’t wait to find out how this endearing cast figures out all the layers of it next season. (CBS, Hulu)