Matlock debuted early in the fall 2024 TV schedule with a last-minute twist that transformed it from standard legal drama to must-see TV. The drama that brought Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates to CBS became an immediate hit, but fans are now in for a wait before new episodes. We do already know when Matlock will be back, and multi-episode director Kat Coiro raved to CinemaBlend about Bates' work ethic as Matty.
Instead of airing new episodes of Matlock and Elsbeth back-to-back on Thursday, November 21, CBS broadcast an original holiday movie called Nugget Is Dead? A Christmas Story. The network also won't air a new episode on Thanksgiving next week. Fans can look forward to the return of Matlock on Thursday, December 5 in the usual 9 p.m. ET time slot.
While it's a bit of a bummer to go a few weeks without new episodes before the winter hiatus ahead of the 2025 TV schedule, you can always revisit earlier installments of Season 1 streaming with a Paramount+ subscription for a reminder of what earned Matlock a very early renewal.
And it seems like a safe bet that Matlock never would have gotten that renewal after just two episodes aired without Kathy Bates working hard to make the show the best it can be. Kat Coiro, who directed those first two episodes as well as several others in Season 1, praised some of Bates' specific choices in the last episode before the break.
Bates is of course better known for her film work than TV at this point, so what is it like to work with her on an episodic show as she returns to the same role week after week? Coiro answered that very question with the highest of praise for the leading lady:
It's so funny because I actually met Kathy for a feature, and we had this four hour meeting and kept in touch after that, and the feature didn't end up moving forward. But about six months later, I got the call about Matlock starring Kathy Bates. It felt very predestined. Working with Kathy, it's hard to put into words, because she takes everything so seriously, and she puts such a deep amount of work into everything she does. You would think that someone who has been around as long as her and has as many accolades as she has, might rest on their laurels, but she really doesn't.
Kathy Bates certainly has plenty of laurels to rest on, winning an Academy Award back in 1990 for Misery and scoring three more nominations in the years since. She has won two Emmys, and another two Golden Globes. She has even been nominated for a Tony! According to Kat Coiro, who directed four of Matlock's six episodes so far, the stars aligned for them to work together and the star has clearly been impressing since the start. The director continued:
She approaches everything as if it's the first time, and she's nervous and she's humble and she's excited. She's just really incredible. On top of that, she is a model of how to act on a set. She greets everybody. She knows every single person's name. She will never leave when it's the other person's coverage. She is there from the beginning to the end. That kind of stamina, work ethic, and kindness really elevates the set, and it makes everybody around her want to be their best. That's part of why I think this experience was so positive for everybody involved, really. Because you want to be as conscientious and brilliant as Kathy.
It sounds like Kathy Bates is a dream to work with on set, because who would know better than somebody who directed not only the first two episodes, but another two of the first six? After hearing Kat Coiro's details about the perks of working with the star, I noted that Bates also seems to be in almost every scene of the series. She responded:
She really is! It's funny, because doing any network show for 18 episodes, an hour long, it's a lot of work. For her being 76 years old and being as vaunted as she is, I think it makes everybody go, 'Well, I might be tired, but I'm definitely not going to complain about that when Kathy's here for the same amount of hours.' [laughs]
Tune in to CBS on Thursday, December 5 at 9 p.m. ET for the next episode of Matlock, called "Belly of the Beast." Matlock is one of CBS' many shows with a holiday episode this year, including fellow Thursday night shows Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Ghosts, and Elsbeth, as well as both current NCIS shows and more.
You can also revisit every episode of Matlock so far – and take a closer look at the four directed by Kat Coiro – via Paramount+. As prolific director, Coiro also helmed episodes of The Mick and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and she shared her thoughts on Kaitlin Olson's High Potential crushing over on ABC.
