The world of weekly crime-fighting is looking a bit more familiar when it comes to classic TV characters and premises in recent years. HBO successfully rebooted "Perry Mason," with Season 2 premiering soon in the 2023 TV premiere schedule. Peacock has a spiritual successor to Columbo with the critically-acclaimed "Poker Face," and now Kathy Bates is about to help CBS reboot a courtroom classic. Cue that beautiful theme music, folks, as "Matlock" is coming back to TV, and I’m already sold on its potential.
CBS will be gender-swapping Andy Griffith's Ben Matlock into Madeline Matlock for a new pilot, according to TVLine, with Kathy Bates herself starring. While the project currently only has a pilot order, the premise sounds already ready for a return to primetime. Now in her 70s, Madeline (played by Bates in her post-"American Horror Story" return to TV) is returning to the workforce to expose corruption at a prestigious law firm, with a combination of surprising skills.
