The critically acclaimed reboot of Matlock, starring Kathy Bates as Matty Matlock, wraps up its second season tonight with a two-hour finale that will bring the Wellbrexa storyline to an explosive conclusion.
“No matter what you predict will happen, it’s still heartbreaking,” Skye P. Marshall, who stars as Olympia Lawrence, Matty’s boss and friend, told Parade exclusively at CBS Fest. “No matter what you predict, it will still break your heart because in order to solve this crime, it’s going to cost every single character a lot, either personally or professionally.”
The finale will guest star Gina Rodriguez in a key role, but it’s Matty, Olympia and Julian Markston (Jason Ritter) who move the action along with stellar performances, fighting up until the end to try to bring justice to those who were damaged by the pharmaceutical company that covered up the devastating side effects of its opioid drug Wellbrexa and the legal team that aided them.
“I think the beautiful Quran throughout our show has been a belief system in trusting justice over your own fears and doubt,” Marshall continued. “Every single character has been scared to accomplish something, especially Matlock, whether it’s her marriage or whether it’s justice for her daughter or justice for her family.”
The ending is a twist that showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and her staff of writers came up with that will surprise viewers. And the finale may require a tissue or two, as it is very emotional.
“I hope that it encourages audience members because it is a real pandemic when it comes to opioids; it’s a real issue being able to fight for justice,” Marshall added. “To see a senior citizen infiltrate a huge law firm and pull this off, where is she going to go next? Is she going back in the garden, or is she going to keep continuing her career? And I love that for women over [a certain] age.”
It was revealed back in the very first episode that Matty Matlock is actually Madeline Kingston, a retired attorney, who is married and raising the son of her late daughter, who died from a Wellbrexa overdose. The truth is known only to a handful of people – Olympia and Julian among them – so the question, as raised by Marshall, is what happens next.
“It’s been really fun to watch these characters grow, especially seeing Matty’s journey with these people, who when she started this mission, the three of us were her public enemy No. 1,” Ritter told Parade, referring to Julian, Olympia and Senior (Beau Bridges), who is Julian’s father but also head of the law firm of Jacobson Moore. “She didn’t know which of us, but it’s been really lovely to watch Kathy do her beautiful performance and work through all of her stuff, to be reminded that everybody is a full person who has strengths, weaknesses and foibles. She can be driven pretty crazy by Julian, but still allows him a little bit of grace.”
Leah Lewis, who plays Sarah, tells Parade, “It’s interesting because by the end of Season 2, each character had a reason for why they are the way they are, for what they’re doing and what their goal is. By the time you get to the end of Season 2, everyone’s ‘why’ has now changed. Even think when you look at someone like Sarah, who once would have incredibly jumped at a chance to be at Olympia’s side right away, for her to even take a step back and wonder, ‘Is this right for me?’ It’s very different. I think that mirrors how every character involved is questioning things as a result of interacting with each other.”
The time required to create a new mystery is the reason given as to why Matlock will not be returning until midseason on CBS’s Fall 2026-2027 schedule. It will allow Urman and her team time to craft the next phase of Matty’s life.
“It’s great that they have all this this time,” Ritter says. “It’s great that they have time to reset. Everything is going to be different in Season 3. We’ve seen in between Season 1 and Season 2, you give these writers a little bit of time, they can do a whole lot with it.”
Matlock airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Streams next day on CBS.
Next, Is Your Favorite Show Coming Back or Canceled? See Our Fall TV 2026–2027 Guide
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
