Before the current television season has even ended, CBS got ahead of the pack and already announced its fall schedule for the 2026-2027 television season. While a lot of series and timeslots remain the same, there are a number of big changes, surprises, and shakeups in store for the network when the calendar hits fall, and one of the biggest changes befalls Matlock.
If you're hoping to continue to tune into the hit legal drama on Thursday nights this fall, there's some bad news to pass along. CBS decided to hold the Matlock season 3 premiere for midseason, which means the series won't be returning this fall. After the season 2 finale airs on April 23, there will be a much longer wait than normal for new episodes of the series.
Matlock season 3 held for midseason premiere on CBS
Since the Kathy Bates-legal drama premiered on CBS 2024, it's been a staple of the network's fall schedule, holding the key Thursday night at 9 p.m. timeslot. However, in fall 2026, Elsbeth will take over Matlock's timeslot, which leads into the new legal drama series Cupertino at 10 p.m. The Thursday night lineup kicks off with comedies Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage and Eternally Yours.
This means that Matlock season 3 likely won't make its premiere until January 2027 at the earliest, though midseason could also mean February. CBS' long-running comedy series Ghosts faces the same fate with its sixth season, which is also being held for a midseason premiere. But there's a potential silver lining for fans despite the longer wait for the new seasons.
With its second season, Matlock faced a number of extended breaks during its run. After premiering in October 2025, the second season took a short break in November for the Thanksgiving holiday, returned for two episodes in December, then took a longer break for the holidays and the Winter Olympics. The series came back in late February for three weeks before taking much of March off and returning in April for the rest of the season. The shorter episode count surely didn't help.
But by completely bypassing fall, which can get mixed up in various sporting and other special events, Matlock season 3 could very well air with fewer interruptions. If CBS ordered only 16 episodes again (which hasn't been revealed yet), the season won't have to be stretched out from fall to spring. Instead, the season could air from January/February to May and avoid taking multiple long, frustrating breaks between episodes.
Still, it's a major blow to Matlock fans who now have to wait longer than ever for a brand-new season. From the end of April on, the drought begins. Additional details about season 3 haven't been shared, including whether production will begin this summer as usual or what the target release month will be in early 2027. We'll share more news and updates as they're announced by CBS.
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