Matlock
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
But hed struggled to escape the shadow of that series beforeMatlockcame along.
With his light-gray suits, hot-dog-heavy diet, and folksy demeanor, Ben Matlock connected with audiences immediately.
He also joined a long line of lovable TV mystery-solvers who are far more cunning than they initially appear.
you might now add Madeline Kingston to that list.
Ah, but theres a twist.
Senior has hired a woman hethinksis named Madeline Matlock.
Maddy claims the last name is a coincidence.
None of these claims is true.
Remember how I calledMatlocks heroine Madeline Kingston earlier?
This newMatlockseries, like Ben and Maddy, is both easy to like and not quite what it seems.
Griffiths Matlock ran his own practice out of Atlanta, mostly defending people who were wrongly accused of murder.
Batess Matlock is part of a New York firm and in the pilot, anyway working on civil litigation.
Urman doesnt overload this hour.
The rest of the episode jumps right into the action with a splashy civil case.
The jury finds for the plaintiff and awards $20,000,000 about five times what Olympia was asking.
If theres one knock against this first episode ofMatlock, its that the central case is a little simple.
(The senior partnersreallydidnt want the Harris case to go to trial something to keep in mind.)
Right from the start of the episode, she tells everyone outright that her superpower is being underestimated.
Then everyone smiles and nods and underestimates her anyway.
Hot Doggin
Olympia is the non-Maddy character we spend the most time with in this first episode.
Were given a reason to question her shifting career focus.
Is she trying to make up for a past indiscretion?
Or perhaps to monetize misery?
Flooding the zone with nostalgia!
I dig the move.
The originalMatlockaired on NBC before moving to ABC toward the end of its run.
The newMatlockis on CBS.
When all is said and done, every internet will get aMatlock.
So whats your level ofMatlockknowledge?
Did you watch the show in its original run?
Have you watched the reruns on MeTV or Hallmark Mystery?
Or do you mostly know it from that running gag onThe Simpsonsabout how old people love the show?
But thats not true anymore.
If that expertise turns out to be relevant going forward, Ill bring it.
