The Kathy Bates-led reboot of "Matlock" may not hit TV screens for a while longer, but in the meantime, fans of the much-loved legal drama can still catch old episodes of the original run, well, pretty much everywhere. For cable-watchers, the show airs reruns in syndication, while home media junkies can get a DVD box set and those who prefer to stream can catch all nine seasons on Prime Video or PlutoTV.
"Matlock" aired for nine years, moving from NBC to ABC partway through its run and switching up its cast list throughout. Though several actors played more than one character throughout the series' run, only a handful appeared in more than 30 episodes of the series, most of them as Ben Matlock's legal associates. Of the main cast, Andy Griffith, Clarence Gilyard Jr., David Froman, and Richard Newton have all since passed away. Several remaining cast members continue...
"Matlock" aired for nine years, moving from NBC to ABC partway through its run and switching up its cast list throughout. Though several actors played more than one character throughout the series' run, only a handful appeared in more than 30 episodes of the series, most of them as Ben Matlock's legal associates. Of the main cast, Andy Griffith, Clarence Gilyard Jr., David Froman, and Richard Newton have all since passed away. Several remaining cast members continue...
- 5/5/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
"If there's one thing America needs, it's more lawyers." Lionel Hutz, defense attorney
There may not be a setting more suited to English language television than the courtroom.
Applying the real world rule of law to hypothetical cases dreamed up by the writers, from the tragic to the preposterous, underlines the drama in ways unique to the courtroom genre and makes champions of those who defend the wrongly (or not so wrongly) accused.
Right or wrong, innocent or guilty, these are the law talkin' guys and gals we'd want to have on our side in a court of law.
Ben Matlock, Matlock
If you're counting down TV's best defense lawyers, this one's obligatory. Ben Matlock, portrayed by TV legend Andy Griffith, wrote the playbook on dramatic reveals and turnarounds in front of the jury.
Matlock blurred the line between detective show and courtroom procedural as he would clear his clients...
There may not be a setting more suited to English language television than the courtroom.
Applying the real world rule of law to hypothetical cases dreamed up by the writers, from the tragic to the preposterous, underlines the drama in ways unique to the courtroom genre and makes champions of those who defend the wrongly (or not so wrongly) accused.
Right or wrong, innocent or guilty, these are the law talkin' guys and gals we'd want to have on our side in a court of law.
Ben Matlock, Matlock
If you're counting down TV's best defense lawyers, this one's obligatory. Ben Matlock, portrayed by TV legend Andy Griffith, wrote the playbook on dramatic reveals and turnarounds in front of the jury.
Matlock blurred the line between detective show and courtroom procedural as he would clear his clients...
- 2/8/2024
- by Gilbert Smith
- TVfanatic
Elderly television viewers in the 1980s and '90s had an amazing Hollywood ally in Dean Hargrove.
The small-screen veteran got his start in the 1960s as a writer for "My Three Sons" and "The Bob Newhart Show" (the unsuccessful precursor to the wildly successful 1970s sitcom of the same name), and received credit for some of the best episodes of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He wrote on arguably the greatest mystery series to ever air on network TV (we're not arguing if you read that passage and immediately thought "Columbo"), and kept Dennis Weaver employed as a producer on "McCloud."
But his most lasting impact on the medium was his 1985 - 2002 run as the producer of such old-people-go-a-sleuthin' shows as the "Perry Mason" television movies, "Jake and the Fatman," "The Father Dowling Mysteries," "Diagnosis: Murder" and the grandpappy of them all, "Matlock."
Hargrove's genius was turning America's favorite TV...
The small-screen veteran got his start in the 1960s as a writer for "My Three Sons" and "The Bob Newhart Show" (the unsuccessful precursor to the wildly successful 1970s sitcom of the same name), and received credit for some of the best episodes of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He wrote on arguably the greatest mystery series to ever air on network TV (we're not arguing if you read that passage and immediately thought "Columbo"), and kept Dennis Weaver employed as a producer on "McCloud."
But his most lasting impact on the medium was his 1985 - 2002 run as the producer of such old-people-go-a-sleuthin' shows as the "Perry Mason" television movies, "Jake and the Fatman," "The Father Dowling Mysteries," "Diagnosis: Murder" and the grandpappy of them all, "Matlock."
Hargrove's genius was turning America's favorite TV...
- 2/6/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Actors beloved for a long-running television role carry a funny kind of baggage with them. It didn't matter where Andy Griffth showed up in TV or film, the shadow of amiable Sheriff Andrew Jackson "Andy" Taylor and, during the actor's twilight years, the irascible defense attorney Ben Matlock always hung heavily over his head. Likewise, for all of Angela Lansbury's many, many accomplishments performing on the stage and screen, certain people could only ever look at her and see their favorite cardigan-loving author-sleuth, Jessica Fletcher.
Lucille Désirée Ball was firmly cognizant of just how strongly the masses identified her with her incorrigible onscreen counterpart, Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" McGillicuddy Ricardo, from "I Love Lucy," having played the iconic trouble-maker across the series' 180 episodes in the 1950s. This was also the main factor that led to her passing on another classic sitcom, "Cheers," decades later.
Despite the show garnering near-catastrophic ratings...
Lucille Désirée Ball was firmly cognizant of just how strongly the masses identified her with her incorrigible onscreen counterpart, Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" McGillicuddy Ricardo, from "I Love Lucy," having played the iconic trouble-maker across the series' 180 episodes in the 1950s. This was also the main factor that led to her passing on another classic sitcom, "Cheers," decades later.
Despite the show garnering near-catastrophic ratings...
- 12/28/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Futurama" season 11 episode 8.
On top of its hilarious main ensemble, "Futurama" is home to a stable of eccentric recurring characters, ones who could only exist in a science-fiction comedy like this. One of my favorites is Matcluck, better known as the Hyper-Chicken. Matcluck (voiced by Maurice Lamarche) is a human-sized, blue-feathered bird and the Planet Express crew's go-to attorney.
The Hyper-Chicken's most recent appearance was the latest "Futurama" episode, "Zapp Gets Canceled." After the eponymous starship captain is court-martialed, Matcluck both defends and prosecutes him (on behalf of plaintiff Kif Kroker). The lawyer eventually declares his own client guilty, and he's thereby sentenced to both rounds of sensitivity training and to wear a Scarlet C (for "canceled"). This pseudo-win is more of a victory than many other cases the Hyper-Chicken has tried in the past.
How did the "Futurama" writers come up with such an absurd character?...
On top of its hilarious main ensemble, "Futurama" is home to a stable of eccentric recurring characters, ones who could only exist in a science-fiction comedy like this. One of my favorites is Matcluck, better known as the Hyper-Chicken. Matcluck (voiced by Maurice Lamarche) is a human-sized, blue-feathered bird and the Planet Express crew's go-to attorney.
The Hyper-Chicken's most recent appearance was the latest "Futurama" episode, "Zapp Gets Canceled." After the eponymous starship captain is court-martialed, Matcluck both defends and prosecutes him (on behalf of plaintiff Kif Kroker). The lawyer eventually declares his own client guilty, and he's thereby sentenced to both rounds of sensitivity training and to wear a Scarlet C (for "canceled"). This pseudo-win is more of a victory than many other cases the Hyper-Chicken has tried in the past.
How did the "Futurama" writers come up with such an absurd character?...
- 9/11/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Matlock is getting the reboot treatment. CBS has ordered a pilot for a new version of the mystery legal series, which stars Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock, a folksy and sometimes cantankerous attorney from Atlanta.
Kathy Bates will star in the reboot as Madeline Matlock and will be joined by Skye P. Marshall. The gender-swap reboot is from Snyder Urman and Eric Christian Olsen (NCIS: Los Angeles) with Kat Coiro directing the pilot for .
Read More…...
Kathy Bates will star in the reboot as Madeline Matlock and will be joined by Skye P. Marshall. The gender-swap reboot is from Snyder Urman and Eric Christian Olsen (NCIS: Los Angeles) with Kat Coiro directing the pilot for .
Read More…...
- 3/6/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Don't let the cancellation of Hulu's "Reboot" fool you — resurrecting old TV series from the dead is still all the rage. "That '70s Show," "The Wonder Years," "Perry Mason," and "DuckTales," among others, have all found their way back to our screens. So I guess it was only a matter of time before someone had the grand idea to call upon everyone's small-town, folksy lawyer. CBS has ordered a return to the courtroom in the form of a "Matlock" robot. Variety reports that a pilot from writer and executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman ("Jane The Virgin" creator) is in the works.
The original "Matlock," created by Dean Hargrove, aired from 1986 to 1992 with Andy Griffith playing the titular lawyer for the show's nine-season run. The series follows Ben Matlock, a very expensive criminal defense attorney with a penchant for solving murders. But unlike the gruff, crime-solving individual who usually leads these weekly murder stories,...
The original "Matlock," created by Dean Hargrove, aired from 1986 to 1992 with Andy Griffith playing the titular lawyer for the show's nine-season run. The series follows Ben Matlock, a very expensive criminal defense attorney with a penchant for solving murders. But unlike the gruff, crime-solving individual who usually leads these weekly murder stories,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Shania Russell
- Slash Film
The decline in broadcast pilots continues. CBS has ordered its fewest drama pilots ever in a pilot season: two. Also part of a trend, both are based on IP from established auspices and big-name talent already attached — Robert and Michelle King’s Elsbeth starring Carrie Preston, a police procedural spinoff of the Kings’ The Good Wife/Good Fight universe, and Matlock, a gender-swap reboot of the classic legal drama starring Kathy Bates, from Jennie Snyder Urman and Eric Christian Olsen.
Along with the two pilot orders for the 2023-24 season, CBS also ordered writers rooms for two medical drama projects — The Pact, from writer Marcus Dalzine and the NAACP/CBS Studios production venture; and Watson, from Craig Sweeny and Kapital — which are being put on track for potential straight-to-series orders targeting the following 2024-2025 season.
Put in development by the previous CBS regime of Kelly Kahl and Thom Sherman, the...
Along with the two pilot orders for the 2023-24 season, CBS also ordered writers rooms for two medical drama projects — The Pact, from writer Marcus Dalzine and the NAACP/CBS Studios production venture; and Watson, from Craig Sweeny and Kapital — which are being put on track for potential straight-to-series orders targeting the following 2024-2025 season.
Put in development by the previous CBS regime of Kelly Kahl and Thom Sherman, the...
- 2/1/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Clarence Gilyard Jr., a reliable character actor-turned-university professor with memorable roles in Die Hard, Matlock and Walker, Texas Ranger, has died. He was 66.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas — where Gilyard spent over 15 years working as a film and theater professor — announced Gilyard’s death in a statement shared Monday, Nov. 28. No cause of death was given, though Gilyard had reportedly been suffering from a long illness (per the Las Vegas Review Journal).
“He had many extraordinary talents and was extremely well-known in the university through his dedication to teaching and his professional accomplishments,...
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas — where Gilyard spent over 15 years working as a film and theater professor — announced Gilyard’s death in a statement shared Monday, Nov. 28. No cause of death was given, though Gilyard had reportedly been suffering from a long illness (per the Las Vegas Review Journal).
“He had many extraordinary talents and was extremely well-known in the university through his dedication to teaching and his professional accomplishments,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Clarence Gilyard, a veteran actor who had notable roles in Die Hard, Matlock and Walker, Texas Ranger who would later become a theater professor and author, has died. He was 66.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Fine Arts, where Gilyard taught, announced his death on Monday afternoon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He had been suffering from a long illness. No further details were released.
In a rich and varied career that spanned five decades, Gilyard achieved success in film, television and on stage. For film fans, he is perhaps best known for playing Theo, Hans Gruber’s cocky computer hacker in 1988’s Die Hard. In the 1990s, Gilyard was a familiar face on primetime television, first for playing private investigator Conrad McMasters on the legal drama Matlock and then, in a career-defining role, as Ranger James Trivette in the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Fine Arts, where Gilyard taught, announced his death on Monday afternoon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He had been suffering from a long illness. No further details were released.
In a rich and varied career that spanned five decades, Gilyard achieved success in film, television and on stage. For film fans, he is perhaps best known for playing Theo, Hans Gruber’s cocky computer hacker in 1988’s Die Hard. In the 1990s, Gilyard was a familiar face on primetime television, first for playing private investigator Conrad McMasters on the legal drama Matlock and then, in a career-defining role, as Ranger James Trivette in the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger.
- 11/29/2022
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
They can be sleazy, unethical and more concerned about wealth than justice, but that’s certainly not the case with most of our favorite lawyers from the history of TV. But they are still in one of the most esteemed, and needed, professions around. And for many lawyers, they enter the profession to help people, whether it’s to clear an innocent person wrongly convicted, to help take crime off the streets or to provide legal representation in a civil suit.
SEE30 sharpest, most clever, entertaining TV detectives ever, ranked
Attorneys on television have represented all aspects of lawyering – the good and the bad. Legal eagles have been popular characters since the early days of the medium, from morally upstanding lawyers like Perry Mason who endeavor to prove the innocence of someone wrongly accused to more recent morally-ambiguous lawyers like Patty Hewes (“Damages”) who sometimes bend the rules to obtain justice.
SEE30 sharpest, most clever, entertaining TV detectives ever, ranked
Attorneys on television have represented all aspects of lawyering – the good and the bad. Legal eagles have been popular characters since the early days of the medium, from morally upstanding lawyers like Perry Mason who endeavor to prove the innocence of someone wrongly accused to more recent morally-ambiguous lawyers like Patty Hewes (“Damages”) who sometimes bend the rules to obtain justice.
- 4/27/2020
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
They can be sleazy, unethical and more concerned about wealth than justice, but that’s certainly not the case with most of our favorite lawyers from the history of TV. But they are still in one of the most esteemed, and needed, professions around. And for many lawyers, they enter the profession to help people, whether it’s to clear an innocent person wrongly convicted, to help take crime off the streets or to provide legal representation in a civil suit.
Attorneys on television have represented all aspects of lawyering – the good and the bad. Legal eagles have been popular characters since the early days of the medium, from morally upstanding lawyers like Perry Mason who endeavor to prove the innocence of someone wrongly accused to more recent morally-ambiguous lawyers like Patty Hewes (“Damages”) who sometimes bend the rules to obtain justice. Sometimes we delight in parodies and spoofs making...
Attorneys on television have represented all aspects of lawyering – the good and the bad. Legal eagles have been popular characters since the early days of the medium, from morally upstanding lawyers like Perry Mason who endeavor to prove the innocence of someone wrongly accused to more recent morally-ambiguous lawyers like Patty Hewes (“Damages”) who sometimes bend the rules to obtain justice. Sometimes we delight in parodies and spoofs making...
- 4/24/2020
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Acting on The Andy Griffith Show felt a lot like living in Mayberry, Nc, the idyllic burg where the classic 1960 to 1968 sitcom was set. "It was warm and funny, like the show," Ron Howard, who played Sheriff Andy Taylor’s adorable son, Opie, exclusively told Closer Weekly in the magazine's latest issue, on newsstands now. "I learned hard work and fun were not diametrically opposed. In fact, they could work hand in hand." But off camera, star Andy Griffith’s life wasn’t as bucolic. The actor endured failed marriages, allegations of alcoholism and infidelity, a debilitating disease, and the tragic death of one of his children. And he didn’t always deal with crises in the cool, calm manner of Sheriff Taylor or lawyer Ben Matlock. "He could have this explosive temper," Daniel de Visé, author of Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show,...
- 6/13/2018
- by Closer Staff
- Closer Weekly
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