The ‘Matlock’ Reboot Is A Fun Yet Predictable Watch

Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for the premiere episode of “Matlock.”

The legal procedural is a staple of network television, so it’s no surprise there are several new additions to the genre premiering this fall.

The most high-profile is the CBS series “Matlock,” starring the legendary Kathy Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a lawyer who has come out of retirement and conned her way into working at a high-powered New York firm.

If the original “Matlock” was before your time, fear not: CBS is billing the show as a “reimagining” of the original series. It mostly comes up as a running joke among the characters and has no real bearing on the plot.

While the show premiered Sunday night as “a sneak peek,” it will not return until mid-October, when it will then air in its actual time slot: Thursdays at 9 p.m. (It will also stream on Paramount+.)

HuffPost’s Erin E. Evans and Marina Fang have seen the first six episodes of the series. Below, we discuss what we make of “Matlock” so far, its strengths and weaknesses, the big reveal at the end of Sunday night’s episode, and the perplexing release schedule.

The Show’s Strengths So Far

Erin: Look, I’m always going to show up for Kathy Bates. She’s a legend, and it’s very cool to see a show built around her. (I’m still living for her line on the Emmys the other night: “Do you know how hard it was to get a date after ‘Misery’?”) To think that she was about to retire before this “Matlock” reboot came along!

Anyways, she’s great in the role, as you might expect. I like the bonds she’s building with her colleagues (but I’ll talk more about them later). I also love that she stars opposite Sam Anderson (whom I loved as Bernard on “Lost.”) It’s also been nice to see other