Matlock: Kathy Bates-Starring Series Returns for Season 2 with “The Before Times”

Matlock Season 2 Key Art. Pictured: Kathy Bates as “Madeline Matlock”.

Matlock returns for season 2 with its second season premiere “The Before Times,” showing that the Kathy Bates-starring reboot has not missed a beat. The series return comes as actor David Del Rio was recently fired the other day. Because of how early series begin production for broadcast networks, it won’t be a while until we see him formally written off the series.

The following includes spoilers for tonight’s season premiere of Matlock.

The first two episodes of Matlock were made available for press ahead of the second season. Press screeners were not final in that they contained temporary color, sound, and VFX. As such, my comments are solely focused on the season premiere rather than discussing the second episode. If this review goes online before the end of the episode, it means that the NFL games went late on CBS, delaying the entire CBS primetime lineup as 60 Minutes is contractually obligated to air in its entirety.

To say that the series delivered one hell of a first season is not an understatement. Matlock delivered 17 million viewers across CBS and Paramount+, making it the #1 new broadcast series and the #2 broadcast series in multiplatform viewing. It helps having a familiar series name and Kathy Bates in the leading role. Suffice it to say, the first season ended with something of a cliffhanger after Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) discovered the missing Wellbrexa document in a safety deposit box shared with Julian (Jason Ritter). How do Madeline (Kathy Bates) and Edwin (Sam Anderson) respond to Joey (Niko Nicotera) showing up and claiming to be Alfie’s (Aaron Harris) father? Buckle up, you’re in for a ride.

Pictured (L-R): Skye P. Marshall as “Olympia Lawrence” in the second season premiere of MATLOCK, Sunday, Oct. 12 (8:30-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Tonight’s season premiere deals with Matty questioning Joey about his claims of being Alfie’s father. While she requests a DNA test to prove it, there’s a strong case to be made as he knows way too much as it is. Mind you, all this is happening as Olympia shows up and begins to protect Julian’s involvement with the Wellbrexa case and its missing document. Much like Matty has been protecting her family during the first season, Olympia wants to do the same. Whatever happens when the document finally goes public (and I expect it will at some point during Matlock’s second season), it’s going to leave a blast radius. Olympia doesn’t want this radius extending to her twin children.

As for Jacobson Moore, Julian begs his father, Howard “Senior” Markston (Beau Bridges), to give him a job at the law firm, even if it means taking a demotion than getting to keep his status as a senior partner. I expect this to have reverberations throughout the season.

While the Wellbrexa document will probably continue to be the driving force of Matlock’s plot in the second season, there are still the individual cases at hand. In this case, Senior assigns Julian’s arson case to Olympia and her team. Maya Richards (Bridge Barrera) has been accused of setting her school’s theater on fire. However, classmate Georgia Brant (Lydia Pearl Pentz) decides to come forward, placing Maya in the director’s office just before the fire. And while there doesn’t necessarily need to be a science lesson, viewers will learn something about ping pong box and space heaters.

I do not know if I will be reviewing every episode of Matlock this season. What I can tell you with 100% certainty is that I quickly binge-watched last season after the fact (I know, I know) and have been patiently waiting for the premiere of season 2. I’m excited to see how they continue to build on the Wellbrexa arc that began during the first season and how long it will take to resolve. I imagine that they can only push it for so long before turning their focus to something else. But since it is the driving force of the series, I don’t know whether Senior’s downfall is something made for a season or series finale.

The original Matlock ran for 9 seasons. Andy Griffith was closing in on turning 60 years old when it first premiered and nearly 69 years old when it finished. Bates is currently 77 years old and hopes to play the role for years. The nice thing about courtroom dramas is that there is no shortage of potential cases. It is just that the main plot needs to be resolved sooner than later.

As Matlock returns for its second season, Kathy Bates shows that her Emmy nomination was not a fluke. The writing and performances are equally strong, showing why it is one of the most-watched shows on television during its first season.

DEVELOPED BY/SHOWRUNNER: Jennie Snyder Urman
DIRECTOR: Jennie Snyder Urman and Nicki Renna
WRITERS: Gina Lamar
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jennie Snyder Urman, Eric Christian Olsen, Joanna Klein, Kathy Bates, Kat Coiro, Jeffrey Lieber, Nicki Renna, Amanda Tudesco
CAST: Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio, Leah Lewis, Aaron Harris, and Sam Anderson
GUEST STARRING: Niko Nicotera, Bridge Barrera, and Beau Bridges