TV Review: "Matlock"
The rebooted version of the beloved 1980s/1990s series starts out strong, thanks to some good writing and a remarkable performance from the one and only Kathy Bates.
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I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical when I heard the news that they were making a reboot of the classic 1980s/1990s show Matlock with the divine Kathy Bates. I have a general antipathy toward reboots of classic properties, and this one seemed even more cynical than most. How on earth, I thought, are they ever going to make this work? I’m not averse to a gender-flipped take on the classic legal drama starring the late, great Andy Griffith? It was so much a series of its time that it seemed impossible that any new version of the show would ever hit the same sweet spot.
As so often, though, I was proven quite wrong.
I should have had faith in the magic of Kathy Bates, because I have to say that the first episode of this version of the story is a whole lot of fun. I found myself smiling from ear to ear, not only because the original Matlock has so much nostalgia value for me–it’s one of those shows that, like many other millennials, I watched with my grandparents–but also because this new version is a very fun show in its own right, one that manages to be wryly humorous while also containing some very real dramatic stakes.
To begin with, there’s the tongue-in-cheek and self-reflexive attitude of the pilot. It’s one of those shows that clearly knows how to find just the right balance between its dramatic and comedic elements, allowing us to chuckle at the way that Matty (her full name is Madeline Matlock) uses her own invisibility as a woman of a certain age to gather the clues she needs to solve the case. The pilot episode also has some poignant dramatic and legal stakes, focusing as it does on the attempts of Matty’s new boss, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) to earn a man a nice settlement after he was falsely convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.
And, of course, there’s also Kathy Bates herself. Like many other queers of a certain age, I’ve long loved her, especially her performances in such queer classics as Fried Green Tomatoes and the various seasons of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Stories. She is one of those actresses who just has that certain it factor that draws you in, making you feel along with her as she does everything in her power to get justice. It’s not every actress of her stature who would turn her attention to a relatively low-stakes network series like Matlock, but Bates has never been someone to shy away from work, whether on the big or small screen (Harry’s Law, anyone?) Beneath her matronly appearance Mattie has a sharp and shrewd legal mind, and she also has reasons of her own for pursuing employment during the time when she should be retired and savoring her golden years.
The rest of the cast is also enjoyable. The aforementioned Marshall is quite good as a steely lawyer determined to continue proving her worth to the firm while also taking on cases with political and social importance. Jason Ritter, like his late father, is quite charming as Julian, Olympia’s soon-to-be-ex-husband, and Beau Bridges puts in a brief but affable (if also tough) appearance as the leader of the firm who quickly develops a healthy respect for Matty but also wants to make sure Olympia is fulfilling her potential. David Del Rio and Leah Lewis are also quite fun as Billy and Sarah, a pair of associates who are basically Matty’s sidekicks in her various adventures.
I give this series a lot of credit for being willing to take some risks when it comes to storytelling. The twist at the end might not make a whole lot of sense once you start to look closely at it, but I’m willing to go along for the ride. After all, if you’re watching a show called Matlock you’re not really looking for legal verisimilitude. Now, it has to be said that the pilot is a bit clunky at times, particularly when it comes to its dialogue and some of the elements of the plot. However, these are all things that one expects from the first episode of a new series. I’m sure that it’ll smooth some of the kinks as the season goes along. Patience is a virtue when it comes to the first season of a network TV show, a lesson that I’m hoping both audiences and the powers-that-be will take to heart.
Matlock joins series like Elspeth and Poker Face that use tried-and-true TV formulas from the 1980s and 1990s–namely quirky figures who solve crimes–and updates them for modern audiences (there’s also more than a little of The Good Wife in this series’ DNA, as Daniel Fienberg points out). In an age in which it seems as if every TV show is somehow trying to reinvent the wheel or do something that no other series has attempted before, there’s something quite charming and endearing about Matlock and its commitment to kicking it old-school. The fact that it’s actually a series that takes place in a world in which the original show exists adds a meta-ness to the thing that makes it that much more enjoyable.
Overall, I think that this series is off to a very good start. It manages to have just enough loyalty to the original show to perhaps appeal to those of us geriatric millennials who love both the original series and also Kathy Bates with enough meta commentary for some younger audiences. It also hits all of the sweet spots that you could hope for a legal/detective drama, with some neat detective work, some legal loopholes, and a few twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. I have no idea what the rest of this first season will entail, but I do know one thing’s for sure: I’m going to be watching every episode that CBS is willing to give us.