Matlock

I was looking to try a Kathy Bates program with a largely overly sentimental but I discovered I was wrong. It took until the last ten minutes to know what this wonderful show was about under the surface. I hope it last well beyond Mattie getting the information she is looking for. Many new faces and some old favorites in different style roles. I'm sorry that this initial showing is a one off but I'm glad not all the good new stuff is on Sunday CBS during football season. I will be looking forward to more episodes on Thursday nights. I'm just glad that it's not on opposite my 911. Kathy Bates deserves to make the full ten episode run no matter what. I look forward to the final resolution of Mattys background espionage.

It's pure entertainment. Finally. Good stories Good dialogue. Great to see Kathy bates and Beau bridges in better than Ever form I hope the series continue for sometime. It might bring back network watching.

The cleverness of Matlock perceiving personalities and possibilities really drives the story forward and keeps the viewer engaged. I'm looking forward to next episodes.

Beau Bridges, as head of the law family firm is a good guy, but tough as nails when it comes to winning every case. The new "kids" in the firm add just the right touch of the present generation trying to show their stuff while getting into the big time.

This is a charming and interesting take on a legal series. Casting of Kathy Bates and Beau Bridges is classic CBS, and while this doesn't ask much of you, it's a fun and easy watch. Yes, there's a twist at the end, which will give the series some sorely needed depth.

Kathy Bates plays the titular character, Matlock, a post-midlife lawyer who hasn't practiced since 1991. She boldly maneuvers her way into a trial period with a law firm, and set out to make herself useful in order to gain employment. Obviously, everyone doubts her abilities and thinks she's too old, and she seeks to prove them wrong.

In my opinion, Kathy Bates's fantastic performance and scenic presence are not enough to catapult this show to the podium among the 'best of the year', as some reviews seem to consider.

The supporting cast simply does not work at all. They are completely lacking in nuances and they turn their roles into cartoonish, thick-stroke annoying characters. (The Asian young lawyer, probably the worst of all).

The plotline gets tangled in a confusing medley between realistic legal cases, poor comedic gags, some red herrings which seem unconvincing and a general light comedy tone sustained by the music, the trivial shallow resolution of tension and some Disney-like performances. This, plus the inclusion of sensitive «serious themes» and dramatic moments (as drug addictions, corporate involvement, loss and bereavement) which deserve and demand a deeper context. So either you feel that it is a comedy turning preachy and loaded, or you feel that issues deserving a serious treatment become trivialized and deprived of substance.

This unstable mix of comedy, suspense, legal and drama, which seems to be in fashion lately in entertainment industry (see Elsbeth, which has also derailed), is simply not my thing. Or, at least, it needs to be done in a better way. Very sorry for Kathy Bates, which is immense and a delight to watch, but she cannot rescue the show on her own and by herself.

As soon as I saw Kathy Bates was going to star in a reboot of Matlock, I texted my mother asking her if this was something we would be watching together. We live in different states, but occasionally watch shows together. And I thought this would be an excellent choice. I love the idea of an older woman returning to the world of work. Especially a woman in her 70s!

Let me be clear. I am not a fan of legal shows, and while I'm sure at 54 years old before DVRS when we were at times captive audiences of shows we'd rather not watch, I've unintentionally, accidentally watched an episode or two of the original Matlock. But I definitely was not a fan of the show. That being said, I jumped right in--because everything I've watched with Kathy Bates, *Misery*, *Primary Colors*, *Dolores Claiborne*, etc., etc., etc., has been excellent. So I trusted that *Matlock* would be stellar as well-or Kathy Bates would not be involved.

I watched the pilot and loved the whole thing. Since I did not watch the original *Matlock*, I had nothing to compare it to. I have watched law shows and police procedurals that went so fast and were so complicated I got lost. But *Matlock* is easy breezy, and I was right with all of the twists and turns. Thankfully, none of the characters are annoying or extremely unlikable. As other reviewers said, there is a surprise at the end that we can't talk about, but clues were dropped all along.

If I had to compare the show to another show, I'd say it's like *Columbo*. There are times when "Mattie" struggles with the changing times, she has not practiced law in many years, and then there are times when she seems to be bumbling-so the person can walk right into a trap. It's like Mattie said, "Nobody sees us coming..." YASS the super power of the older woman!