CBS reboot starring Kathy Bates surprised viewers (spoiler)

Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: Kathy Bates, Matlock

CBS previewed the Matlock reboot starring Kathy Bates on Sunday night and surprised viewers with a twist at the end of the episode that changed everything.

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It looks like the new Matlock could be a hit judging by the excitement following the pilot episode's airing on Sunday night. Social media wasn't really expecting this, and it was one of the more interesting and entertaining surprises of the weekend. When CBS announced they were reviving a new version of the show, everyone was like “Why??” And then there was the matter of the lead Kathy Batesno less. EDITORIAL NOTE: From now on we rely on our “MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!” sign and throws down an image spoiler buffer because we're about to dive into the game-deciding final minutes of the series premiere.

A new Matlock for the 21st century

In the trailers, Bates was seen getting a job as a junior lawyer at a posh law firm and announcing that she was Madeleine Matlock, a real-life lawyer who happens to have the same name as the character from the 90s TV series played by Andy Griffith. The original Matlock might have been the ultimate feel-good series of all time, about a friendly, no-nonsense small-town lawyer helping his clients. The expectation was that this show would be timely enough, but we'd get another network crime series. Then the pilot premiered, and it showed more grit than initially expected – Maddie ends up working on a wrongful arrest lawsuit that threatens to expose institutional corruption in the police force. Maddie turns out to be smarter than expected, able to sneak past people's defenses with her friendly demeanor, and has the ability to spot details that escape everyone – just like any TV detective. Aside from the case being more political than the original 1990s series, which would have been an interesting approach to make a 21st century reimagining of the show more relevant, the pilot ended with a major twist that turned the whole series on its head.

Matlock has the best big twist in a pilot episode in years

For most new television series, it takes until the first episode or the end of the second to establish the core of the story. MatlockThe final minutes of 2012 turned viewers' ideas about the heroine upside down and made the series a show they didn't expect. Matty Matlock turned out to be not an elderly lady who is now raising a grandson alone who has to pay the bills. Her real name is Madeleine Kingston and she is RICH (because network television for some reason avoids showing people who aren't rich). Her husband hasn't left her. They still have a loving relationship and are raising their grandson in that expensive apartment. She joined the law firm disguised as a sweet little old lady because she was looking for Revenge – She wants to find out which senior partner in a litigation hid documents to protect a major pharmaceutical company that distributed the drugs that killed her daughter and many other people. Matlock was her late daughter's favorite television show.

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The twist that could make the series a hit

The reactions on social media were so positively surprised – that's what it looks like when you enjoy a story – that people were still talking about the pilot hours later. Matlock aired on October 10, and that was just a preview of the pilot episode. The official premiere date for the pilot is October 10, but the viewing figures are already making more people want to see it (you can watch the premiere episode for free above). It's helped that Kathy Bates has fans from her work on American Horror Story who faithfully follow the cast from that show to their other projects – fans who tend to be younger than the older viewers who make up CBS's core audience.

This turn became the premise for the new Matlock: A woman fakes her identity to work as a lawyer at the firm and uncover their role in her daughter's death. It's not your average cozy CBS show – it has a certain edge to it. If this were a K-drama, it would be screamingly melodramatic, with constant death threats and violence and slaps all week long. Instead, it's a CBS comfort food show. The twist gives the show its narrative appeal and a heroine with a tragic past and a secret seeking vengeance. She's not just a cheerful lady; she has pathos beneath the façade and a knack for mind games.

Above all, Matlock has a main theme that is the greatest fantasy of any CBS viewer: THE REVENGE OF THE OLD LADY WHO IS SMARTER THAN THE YOUNG PEOPLE. It's surprising they haven't come up with more shows called “Revenge of the Old People.” They would suck up all the network ratings.

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