Warning: The Following Contains Mild Spoilers for Matlock
In Matlock, Kathy Bates portrays the titular lawyer in the CBS reboot, taking over the role made famous by the late Andy Griffith in the mid-80s. However, the septuagenarian is far from your ordinary senior citizen who likes to stay home and work on puzzles, as Bates’ character of Madeline Matlock is revealed to have a big secret at the end of the show’s first episode that drives her core needs. It’s a secret that not only flips the reboot on its head, but one that works to subvert expectations people may have about the series, and its elderly lead.
Speaking with Deadline, Matlock’s showrunner, Jennie Snyder Urman, discussed how the reboot uses Bates’ age to suck viewers in, and then zigs where it should zag in order to turn people’s assumptions about seniors on their heads.
“I’ve gone according to gut and trying to play into people’s expectations before subverting them. A lot of times, we say things so that other people can’t hurt us. There’s a little bit of that. Matty uses that. She uses the fact that people are going to underestimate her. People are going to think she’s a nice, sweet little lady who doesn’t have much of an agenda besides, like, paying her bills. And she’s going to run with that. It’s sort of like, underestimate her, if you dare.”
It seems a lot of people dared to underestimate her, as the closing moments of Matlock’s premiere episode revealed that Bates is more than she’s letting on. She’s not just a woman in need of something to occupy her time, but rather a mother looking for justice over the death of her daughter who wants to tear apart the system from the inside. Now that the audience is in on her secret, we can all go on the journey together, and – Urman says – have a few laughs along the way as the tension builds throughout the season.
“We’ve had fun with the jokes because the humor is also a big part of the show, and I hope that we hit the balance where we can say things and sort of have fun with it, but also what we are ultimately doing is paying homage to what an older woman can do and is capable of. And that, to me, is really thrilling.”
Kathy Bates Gives a ‘Masterful’ Performance in Matlock
As a celebrated veteran of both stage and screen, Bates’ latest (and potentially last) role comes as her career is in its twilight years. With five decades of experience under her belt, the Academy Award-winning actress has more than earned her rest, but not before she reminds us why she’s one of the best to ever do it. While some might be tempted to phone in their performance this late in the game, such is not the case with Bates, whom Urman calls “masterful” thanks to her ability to say so much without uttering a single word.
“It’s just a dream come true to be able to witness her process and the depth to which she goes into the scripts. It’s really an honor to work with her and to have her apply her rigor to the words that the writers and I have put together. It’s inspiring. With such a complicated character, you need someone masterful at the helm, because a lot of times she’s telling the audience one thing, but I need her eyes to tells other things to the audience.”
Matlock
had a sneak peek of its premiere episode last night on CBS, which is now available to stream on Paramount+. Look for it to officially debut on October 17.