CBS shocked fans when it revealed its schedule for the Fall 2026 TV season, as there were more than a few shows missing from the line. Among those that failed to secure a place on CBS’s fall lineup was the network’s acclaimed legal drama Matlock, which was pushed to midseason along with returning hits Ghosts and NCIS: Sydney.
The move surprised fans as Matlock has been a staple on CBS’s fall lineup since its premiere, and the expectation was that it would be back in the fall. Instead, CBS opted to push the third season back to midseason, which means fans will have to wait until 2027 for new episodes of the series—marking the show’s longest hiatus yet.
We thought that the show's delayed return would be the worst of the news, but it seems that was just the beginning, as CBS has handed out yet another truly disappointing update about the show’s third season. Not only will the Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall-led series not be returning until 2027, but the show’s third season will now be its shortest season yet.
As first reported by Deadline, Matlock season 3 will consist of just 13 episodes, with CBS trimming the show’s episode order for the second consecutive season. This will make season 3 the show’s shortest season yet following the 19-episode first season and 16-episode second season.
Matlock season 3 is said to be viewed as a transitional season for the show, so perhaps the shortened run will help the writers with the overall narrative. They’ll have to keep the season 3 storyline tight with fewer episodes to work with, but that can certainly work in the show’s favor.
As for why CBS has chosen to reduce the episode order for season 3, it seems the move to midseason is largely to blame. It’s certainly a shame as there are many shows that arrive at midseason but receive larger episode orders. Two perfect examples of this are ABC’s The Rookie and Will Trent, which both maintain 18-episode season orders despite their seasons not arriving until midseason.
Not that it’s any consolation, but Matlock is not the only CBS show whose next season will be significantly shorter than its previous seasons. In fact, Matlock is actually one of the luckier shows in the bunch, believe it or not.
In addition to reducing Matlock’s episode order, CBS has also slashed the episode count for Fire Country, NCIS: Origins, and NCIS: Sydney. Like Matlock, Fire Country will only produce 13 episodes for its next season, while both NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney will only be producing 10 episodes each in their new seasons (slicing their episode orders nearly in half from their respective second and third seasons).
So while we will be getting a shortened season of Matlock, at least season 3 will be longer than 10 episodes.
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