While I’m rather over all the television reboots, Matlock is an exception. There can be a sense of heresy when they try to touch something that was brilliant the first time, but that’s not a problem with Matlock! The original show served as an excellent vehicle for up-and-coming actors (and some noteworthy veterans, too!) to strut their stuff in their finest camp glory. But yeah, it wasn’t exactly “good.” The other intriguing difference with a rebooted Matlock, is the decision they made to gender-swap the protagonist. So instead of Andy Griffith’s Benjamin Matlock, we’re about to meet Madeline Matlock, as embodied by Kathy Bates. And Kathy Bates always delivers. Even though we’ve been hearing about this reboot for awhile, Kathy dropped a bombshell in her recent promotion for the series by revealing that she plans to retire after Matlock. You’ve earned it, Kathy, but we will miss you on our screens!

In a new interview with The New York Times, published on Sunday, Sept. 8, the actress, 76 — who plays the role of Madeline Matlock in the reboot Matlock — revealed that the show will likely be her last.

“This is my last dance,” she said, revealing that she was previously ready to quit after an unnamed movie shoot led to her crying on her sofa.

“It becomes my life,” she told the outlet. “Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”

Those retirement plans were put on hold after Bates — whose acting credits include Misery, Titanic and 2024’s A Family Affair — was sent the script for Matlock.

While the 1987 series follows defense lawyer Benjamin Matlock (Andy Griffith) as he charges hefty prices to fight for people’s cases, the reboot show will tell the story of Bates’ character who rejoins the law workforce as a senior, using her unassuming persona to win cases.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” the Oscar winner told The New York Times, adding “It’s exhausting.”

This is a far cry from Bates’ experiences as a young actress. In July she openly admitted that she would “get my feelings really hurt,” per Entertainment Weekly. “Sometimes I’d get on a plane and fly home,” she added.

This became particularly acute when she became the focus of the U.K. tabloid press while working as a stage actress in the British capital.

“I had a wonderful producer, God rest him, Saul Zaentz. And I remember we were in London, and it was just a nightmare. British press… But I remember I got very upset,” she said. “And I said, ‘I’m going home, that’s it. I’m not going to put myself through this anymore.’ And I remember Saul coming up to me and saying, ‘You gotta get tougher.’”

Matlock premieres on CBS on Sept. 22 and will later be available to stream on Paramount+.

[From People]

My father was a law professor, cinephile, and obsessive collector, so one of his hobbies was acquiring copies of any and all legal-themed movies and TV series. There were some greats in there, like My Cousin Vinny and Witness for the Prosecution. And then there was Matlock. He knew it was formulaic and that many all of the legal storylines were stretches, at best. Yet for some reason, particularly at the end of his life, my father could not stop watching it. He was also a bit of a stereotypical curmudgeon when it came to anything made after 1995, and that counted double towards a remake of something he liked. So my mother and I are both thankful that he is spared from seeing this rebooted Matlock, and that we are spared from seeing his reaction to it — because we’re actually excited to see what Kathy does with the part! Even before this announcement that Matlock would be her final acting outing, I figured someone of Kathy Bates’ caliber would only be doing this if she thought the material was good enough. Now I think there’s an even greater expectation that Matlock 2.0 will be written well, considering it has the honor of being Kathy’s swan song. Though selfishly, I will forever hope that this is just a much-needed rest, as opposed to a permanent goodbye. But the jury is still out on that.

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Embed from Getty Images

Photos are from Tyler Golden/Netflix (from Disjointed/2017), Getty, Wenn / Avalon (2020) and Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon (May 2024)