While the Matlock cast has been cryptic about the season 1 finale, there have been big promises of cliffhangers, changes, twists and more.
Matlock, which premiered in September 2024, follows a wealthy retired lawyer named Madeline Kingston (Kathy Bates) who pretends to be a poor widower named Matty Matlock to get a job at Jacobson Moore law firm. As it turns out, Matty thinks someone at the company is complicit in the opioid epidemic that resulted in her daughter’s death.
The plan to take down Jacobson Moore doesn’t exactly go as planned since Matty finds herself growing closer to Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), Billy (David Del Rio), Sarah (Leah Lewis) and more of her coworkers that don’t seem to be aware of the corruption at the firm.
After Matlock was quickly renewed for a second season, viewers questioned how the show would keep things fresh. Director and executive producer Kat Coiro exclusively told Us Weekly that the original twist is only the beginning.
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“What’s so brilliant about the show and Jennie’s writing is that it’s very incremental and character-based. The twists have a lot to do with psychology rather than relying on big external factors or plot shifts,” Coiro explained in November 2024. “You get so invested in these characters that small revelations become really exciting.”
Coiro clarified that the CBS series isn’t relying on just one storytelling device.
“It’s easier to get away with that the more invested everybody becomes in the characters. Definitely the twist in the pilot was the biggest,” she noted. “Because you think you’re watching a pretty standard procedural about a fish out of water in a law firm. Then, suddenly you introduce this story line that now has to carry two plots and two different sets of characters through every episode.”
Coiro also praised the show’s writers’ room for finding ways to keep each episode feeling new, adding, “I think subtlety of the progression and the fact that it’s not moving forward at an incredibly rapid rate is part of what makes it sustainable.”
Ahead of the Matlock season 1 finale, keep scrolling for every tease of how the show concludes — for now:
Jason Ritter
Jason Ritter as “Julian Markston”. CBS
“There’s a lot of satisfying answers, but it ends on a huge cliffhanger — in which all of the main characters’ lives hang in the balance. They could go in so many different directions. It’s so exciting,” the actor, who plays Julian, exclusively shared with Us in April. “I am thinking of all these different versions of what could happen.”
Ritter said he was excited to see the public reaction.
“I’m worried for everybody involved because there’s some real world consequences that can come with this. Even interpersonal relationships will never be the same,” he continued. “There are things that you just cannot unlearn or unsee about another person. You can heal but it’s going to be really interesting to see how they all navigate this bombshell news.”
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Skye P. Marshall
Skye P. Marshall Sonja Flemming/CBS
After bringing Olympia to life, Marshall expressed her interest in what is yet to come.
“I am not even exaggerating. When I read the finale script, I was like, ‘Here is take off. Here we go.’ And I mean take off as our characters are fully developed [by the end]. Everyone has their own angle, their own goal and their own ambition — whether it aligns with their original alliance or not,’” she shared with Us in March. “Based on how season 1 ended, I’m pretty sure we’re going to get some amazing guest stars to just continue where this is all going to make it all make sense. With the success of Matlock, we got a lot of people’s attention. I’m really excited to see what other incredible talent wants to come and explore these other characters.”
Marshall praised Matlock for “shooting for the stars,” adding, “I’m really excited that the rocket is taking off. I love that. And whatever you think is going to be revealed, the twist is going to have you turned around the same way the pilot ending did.”
Creator Jennie Snyder Urman
“When we get to a new problem in storytelling, I really sit in the character’s emotion on how they would respond. I’m always surprised with what comes out as I think about it — like how they push through — or how each character tells me how they would react,” Urman told Us in April about dealing with onscreen challenges. “The more we dig into the human experience — and just the more interesting and surprising ways that people behave — it keeps coming to the forefront.”
Urman promised the best is yet to come. “I’m constantly surprised by the characters and what the writers’ room brings in. Also just how we can keep twisting the story and make it more. [It is all about] keeping it fresh and interesting,” she teased. “The season 1 finale sets up everything. In season 2, you’ll get the answers that we’ve been promising.”
She concluded: “It sets up something new. You’ll end up with great conflict between characters and a lot of different motivations come to a head. It leaves a lot of drama and fun to unpack in the second season.”
