Matlock had a fantastic season 2 finale so how will the show change in season 3?
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the Matlock season 2 finale
For its entire run, Matlock has centered on Matty (Kathy Bates) and her quest to prove the Jacobson Moore law firm covered up evidence of opioid addiction that could have saved thousands of lives, including that of Matty’s daughter. Having enlisted Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) and Julian (Jason Ritter) into her plan, the season 2 finale had Matty ready to bring down Senior (Beau Bridges).
There were some stumbling blocks: First, the trio realized Senior was onto them and faking his dementia to throw them off. Then, they figured out it wasn’t just Senior but the entire Jacobson Moore board who was in on the cover-up. For a bit, it looked like nothing could stop the merger with another firm that would allow Senior to get away with it all.
But, as always, Matty was able to pull one of her fun scams, tricking Senior into a recorded confession that led to the feds arresting the entire board. That included Julian, who gave up his immunity deal, openly telling his dad it was worth it to see justice done.
The season ended with Matty and Olympia leaving in triumph while Sarah (Leah Lewis) and Mrs. Belvin (Patrica Belcher) were met by Edwin, who revealed Matty’s secret to them.
Speaking to TVLine, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman discussed how the season 2 finale felt like the natural point to bring the entire Wellbrexa storyline to its grand conclusion rather than drag it out another year.
“I felt like they, as smart people, would have reached the end of the investigation. There were not that many clues we could dig up. We were going to, otherwise, be sending them forward and taking four steps back all the time. It felt like we had all the pieces in place, and we knew we didn't want it to be beyond two seasons for that particular storyline.”
Urman hinted that season 3 will focus on the “emotional fallout” of the events, especially Olympia handling Julian sacrificing his freedom. It leads to more questions about how season 3 will be so different!
Matlock is heading for a reboot in season 3
Obviously, season 3 will be a lot different without Jacobson Moore and with Sarah now knowing Matty’s secret. The finale hinted that Matty (who’s embraced her Madeline Matlock persona) and Olympia could form their own firm. However, there’s a lot up in the air.
Urman confirmed that season 3 will pick up about six to nine months after the events of the season 2 finale and feature another long-range arc, but in a different dynamic.
“I'd say it's like a creative reboot, but like a creative continuation. To me, it's the next iteration of storytelling. I don't like to be in patterns. I like to always push storytelling forward. I think what you'll know is that there's always going to be a case of the week. Everything else is going to have new elements, with strings from our old elements. But I'm going to be creating with the writers a new mystery that comes in in an interesting way but that makes sense organically, and you understand why they're involved in it, and has its own stakes and forward momentum. And then with relationships, everyone's going to be in different places. A handful of people know who Matty is, but she's accepted that she's going to be Matty Matlock in this world, too. So she is living in that in a different way. Her relationship with Edwin continues to change. There are just a lot of new dynamics that come in as a result of the events of the end of the season.”
Urman was coy on whether Sarah is still with Jacobson Moore (which is obviously barely clinging to life after this scandal) or joining Matty and Olympia at a new firm. There’s also the question of how she’ll react to Matty having lied to her all this time about who she really is and that can be a factor. It does sound like a strong new direction with Matty and Olympia taking on smaller cases while facing a new mystery.
It’s little wonder the show is taking a break with season 3 coming in 2027, so as to better set up this new take. But Matlock fans can be assured that season 3 may be a “soft reboot” of the series, which is far more exciting.
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