Published Sep 7, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT
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In an unexpected turn of events, CBS issues a death sentence to network TV’s best show that is still on the air. As the nature of the industry changes, so is the way people consume media. For decades, traditional broadcasting was king of the small screen, with everyone gathering at the same time to catch their favorite projects, the growing popularity of streaming has given it a run for its money. Nowadays, network TV is often an afterthought compared to its prestige counterparts.
That being said, it doesn’t mean that basic channels no longer offer any entertainment value. Some of the most-watched shows are from the 2025-2026 cycle, such as Tracker, NCIS, The Rookie, and High Potential. Even Taylor Sheridan has officially dipped his toes in the world, with the debut of Luke Grimes’ Marshals. Amid all of these hit shows, however, the best of network TV is CBS’s critically-acclaimed series led by Kathy Bates — Matlock.
Admittedly, there was skepticism about the project when it was first announced. At that point, the industry was already saturated with reboots and their success rate was swiftly falling. So, it was a pleasant surprise when Matlock’s well-executed twist was revealed, effectively shutting down naysayers with an actual creative way to honor established IPs and using their brand to come up with a modern take for a new generation. Ultimately, instead of a straightforward reboot or revival, Bates’ *Matlock *used the original series as the launching pad for its premise.
In the show, Madeline Kingston and her grandson, Alfie, mined inspiration from Andy Griffith’s underestimated character to execute a well-thought-out plan about seeking revenge against a law firm that intentionally hid documents that would have saved many lives. Bates’ character didn’t really have any ties to Ben, as she just changed her last name to Matlock as some fun reference. Beyond that, the CBS procedural perfectly blended the appeal of a weekly legal series with the tension that came from Matty’s undercover operation. It was a departure from the usual weekly crime-solving shows that populated the airwaves. Couple that with Bates’ stellar performance and a solid ensemble, and the result was a spectacular new weekly show to follow.
When Matlock premiered in 2024, its debut season averaged 6.161 million viewers per week (via TV Series Finale), that dropped to 4.507 million in its sophomore year. Admittedly, it’s a significant decrease in ratings, which could be due to several factors. For starters, there’s an argument that pitting Matty and Olympia against each other for most of season 2 weakened its appeal, which was the pair’s partnership. Secondly, Matlock season 2 was mired in behind-the-scenes controversy over the firing of David Del Rio as Billy Martinez.
Despite all of those, CBS’s decision to slash its episode count for season 3 is arguably unwarranted. On the heels of Matlock season 3’s end, it was announced that Bates’ show was only going to have 13 episodes compared to having 19 and 16, respectively. Additionally, it was also pushed off of CBS’s fall 2026 lineup and is now set for a 2027 release. Granted that the delay was supposedly requested so that the writer’s room could have more time to figure out the next era of the series, the decrease in output is definitely a questionable choice. Even with the drop in ratings, Matlock still racked up 11.5 million weekly viewers across platforms based on 35 days of viewing data. This made it the 13th most-watched show overall and 4th on traditional broadcasting (via THR).
Now that the Wellbrexa case is effectively done, the challenge for Matlock is to find another overall narrative to tackle. Admittedly, it won’t be easy to find another that could rival its original premise, but it could continue building the show’s lore by leaning on its procedural aspects. In practice, this means focusing on its weekly cases and making sure that they’re compelling. Unfortunately, CBS is capping Matlock season 3’s chances of succeeding this way with the show’s slashed number of episodes. Hopefully, the project can bounce back and prove that they deserve a full-season order beyond the upcoming cycle.
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Kat Coiro, Brad Silberling, Gina Lamar, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Jennifer Lynch, Jude Weng, Tessa Blake, Yangzom Brauen, Marie Jamora, Daniel Willis
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Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock