Release date, cast, plot, and more

Kathy Bates is enjoying a late-career resurgence due to the success of CBS’s Matlock, the first season of which nabbed the Oscar winner her 15th Emmy nomination.

But don’t let the name fool you — this Matlock isn’t a straight remake of the ’80s legal drama starring Andy Griffith. Kathy Bates’ brassy attorney might go by the moniker Madeline Matlock, but it’s just an alias born from the character’s love of the show. Matty’s character is a creation all her own.

The new Matlock was created by Jane the Virgin alum Jennie Snyder Urman, whose project captures the essence of Griffith’s Matlock while giving it a freshness in tone and subject matter. Bates’ Matty begins the series as a lawyer who comes out of retirement to take a job at a high-powered New York City firm, Jacobson Moore. Her reasons, we come to learn, have less to do with money than they do with a mission of justice.

Bates previously spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how the series differs from its predecessor.

“Andy Griffith’s iconic show from the ’80s — it is an episodic. Our show does have a case every week, but there’s also a serial aspect to it — a thread that goes through all of the episodes,” Bates explained. “When I saw that it was about something really current and important to talk about and to see, that appealed to me.”

Season 1 proved to be a huge hit for CBS, so you’re not the only one wondering if there will be a season 2 of Matlock. Read on for everything we know about Matlock season 2, including its release date, cast, plot, and more.

Will there be a second season of Matlock?

Yes, there will be a Matlock season 2. A good thing considering all of the cliffhangers in the season 1 finale.

This comes as little surprise, as Paramount reports that an average of 17 million viewers watched the series’ first season across broadcast and streaming. According to Nielsen and other sources, Matlock was the number one new broadcast series in multi-platform viewing (and the number two broadcast series overall).

What happened at the end of Matlock season 1?

Throughout Matlock‘s debut season, Bates’ Matty took it upon herself to (quietly) investigate her fellow attorneys at Jacobson Moore to uncover the snake who conspired with drug company WellBrexa to keep opioids on the market. This was a particularly meaningful case for Matty, given that her daughter died from an overdose.

The villain, we learned, was an unlikely one: Jason Ritter’s Julian Markston. (Who could ever suspect a Ritter?) This led to a tearful confrontation between Julian and Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), his soon-to-be-ex-wife. During that fight, the lawyer revealed he was only trying to please his father, managing partner Howard “Senior” (Beau Bridges).

Another curious twist involved Matty’s grandson, tech whiz Alfie (Aaron Harris), who she’s been caring for since the death of her daughter. In the finale, a knock at the door introduces us to a stranger played by Niko Nicotera, who claims to be Alfie’s father.

It also left audiences with a handful of cliffhangers that set the stage for Matlock‘s second season. We’ll unpack those below.

What is Matlock season 2 about?

The season 2 premiere, titled “The Before Times,” will pick up right where season 1 left off. Per a synopsis, it will find Matty questioning “the paternity of the man claiming to be Alfie’s father” and Olympia trying “to protect Julian’s involvement in the Wellbrexa case.”

Marshall addressed the latter storyline in a May 2025 chat on EW’s Awardist podcast. “[Olympia and Matty are] aligned on solving this mystery. Julian is just the string of the sweater, and I believe that together they may attempt to unravel it,” she said. “But the longer I sit with it, I’m just like, there’s no way that I’m going to let the father of my children take full responsibility for this. Who’s the dictator, and then who dictated him or her? That’s where my brain goes immediately. There’s no way I’m letting this all fall on him.”

As for the story regarding Alfie’s parentage, showrunner Urman discussed the importance of the plot with EW following the season 1 finale. Nicotera, who plays the man claiming to be Alfie’s father, will play a key role. “I’m really excited to get into their story and what he brings to the show and how he complicates Matty’s most sacred place, which is her home,” she said.

Another dangling thread from season 1 that’s likely to be explored in season 2 is the story of David Del Rio’s Billy. His ex, Claudia (Bella Ortiz), is pregnant, which will surely throw a wrench into his newfound relationship with junior partner Simone (Andrea Londo) — especially if it turns out to be his.

Urman told EW that the revelation was a fruitful means of “destabilizing” Billy, who, after breaking up with Claudia, was “finally looking to the future.”

She added that it raises a whole host of juicy questions for the writers to answer.

“Is she having a baby? Is she not having the baby? And he’s the ultimate people pleaser, so what is he going to do and what does he want? All of that,” she said. “But just in terms of putting your characters in a brand new headspace at the top of the next season, that’s as big as it gets, and it feels like an exciting, fun area that has a lot of both comedy and drama, which David plays both of so well, so I can’t wait.”

Urman also teases the “interesting places” she sees Billy and Julian veering into next season. If that sounds like an unlikely coupling, that’s the point. “I’m really excited for new pairings,” she said.

Is there a Matlock season 2 trailer?

Yes, and it highlights the tension brewing between Matty and Olympia.

Does Matty reveal the truth about Julian’s crimes, destroying Olympia’s marriage and home life? Or does she work with Olympia to chase a bigger fish in Bridges’ corrupt Senior?

As the trailer demonstrates, Olympia’s knowledge of Matty’s own deceptions gives her ample leverage. But we imagine Matty has a few tricks of her own up her sleeve.

Who’s in the Matlock season 2 cast?

Bates and Marshall will continue to anchor the Matlock season 2 cast.

“We get to continue to explore this epic love story between Olympia and Matty, and any epic love story is going to have twists and turns: will they or won’t they, and can they find their way back to each other?” Urman told EW. “But the friendship that they built in this first season, despite the lie at the center of it, was real and deep and rare and meaningful and life-affirming for both of them.”

She continued, “They’re separated again, and I think in all epic love stories, you’re going to want them to find their way back to each other, and I’m excited to keep writing toward that.”

Urman also mentions characters like Alfie, Billy, Claudia, and Simone, so we’re confident in saying Harris, Del Rio, Ortiz, and Londo are sticking around. We’re also guessing that Leah Lewis’ first-year associate Sarah isn’t going anywhere, crucial as she is to the team’s sleuthing.

Ritter’s Julian, too, will remain a key figure — and Ritter is hoping you can forgive his character. “As Julian’s actor, I’m like his little lawyer,” Ritter told EW. “So I get to figure out how to make this guy who did this horrible thing sympathetic, how we can still see his humanity through this completely awful act that he did.”

And then there’s Nicotera’s no-longer-absent father. Urman revealed to EW that it was Bates herself who recommended the actor.

“She had worked with Niko on Richard Jewell, and just believed in him as an actor and knew how great he was,” she said. “She told me about him early on — I think at the pilot stage — and I’m definitely going to take casting advice from Kathy Bates — pretty good taste!”

Is there a Matlock season 2 release date?

Yes, Matlock season 2 debuts on CBS on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET, with subsequent episodes airing on CBS on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream the episode live. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will be able to stream episodes the day after they air.

Where can I watch Matlock?

Matlock airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+, where you can also stream season 1 and all nine seasons of Andy Griffith’s OG Matlock.

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