Matlock season 1 recap: All to know before season 2 arrives

Matlock season 1 is a contemporary reimagining of the long-standing legal drama franchise, with this iteration focused on Madeline Matlock. The lead character is brought to life by Kathy Bates. Created by Jennie Snyder Urman, the show debuted with a sneak preview on September 22, 2024.

Matty, a retired yet still sharp lawyer, returns to the practice of law under the pseudonym "Matty Matlock," as a junior associate at the high-end New York law firm Jacobson Moore.

Behind her seemingly simple resume is a personal grudge. Years ago, a critical set of documents related to the opioid manufacturer Wellbrexa was covered up, and Matty has a hunch that someone at Jacobson Moore was involved.

As she navigates the ranks of the firm, working with associates Billy and Sarah under senior partner Olympia, Matty juggles courtroom cases, personal betrayals, and changing allegiances.

Throughout Matlock season 1, secrets are revealed and alliances are broken. By the season's end, the stakes on Wellbrexa, family obligation, and moral compromise come crashing together in cliffhangers meant to launch the series into season 2.

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What happened in Matlock season 1?

Matlock season 1 interweaves episodic courtroom cases with the slow-burning Wellbrexa document cover-up and Matty's secret agenda. The series begins with Matty coming to Jacobson Moore, claiming she needs work because she is in economic straits.

However, secretly, she is investigating in-house malfeasance. She is assigned early on to work under senior attorney Olympia, alongside Billy and Sarah.

Three main suspects immediately emerge in her case, including Olympia, Julian, and Senior, a managing partner of the firm. Throughout Matlock season 1, Matty follows up on anomalies in records of couriers, lost pages in Wellbrexa study files, and a forged signature on dispatches. She discovers that Senior has an alibi of being overseas, which increases the suspicion among those in proximity to her.

Concurrently, professional and personal relationships shift. Olympia, currently undergoing a divorce from Julian, battles trust and ambition. Matty's husband, Edwin, and grandson Alfie are worried about the cost of her double life. Her relationships with Billy and Sarah swing between mentorship and manipulation, especially as Sarah struggles to establish herself and Billy wavers in his allegiances.

The firm navigates high-profile and pro bono cases, including wrongful firings, murder defenses, and corporate malpractice. During these times, Matty's legal acumen is tested, and she becomes more involved in the firm's dynamics. Later in the series, Olympia begins to wonder about Matty's integrity when she reveals that she has been investigating her.

At the season finale, Matty's investigation leads her to Julian's safety deposit box, where she discovers the missing Wellbrexa documents. She also learns that Julian didn't purchase the family brownstone using illegal funds, but rather through a trust.

At the same time, Sarah's carelessness with a cease-and-desist letter turns into a manslaughter trial when her client's partner dies from a ruptured appendix, for which the firm has to scramble to defend. Sarah wins the dismissal for her client by convincing the court that the partner's appendicitis was a preexisting condition and that the supplements he took made it worse, reaffirming her position at the firm.

Simultaneously, emotional chasms expand as Matty and Olympia stage an uneasy truce, in which Olympia will postpone the public release of the Wellbrexa results if Matty demonstrates that the brownstone financing is on the up and up.

Matlock season 1 concludes on three interlocking cliffhangers after Julian begs Olympia to forget what she's seen. Matty and Edwin fear that Olympia will ally herself with Julian and the firm. Meanwhile, Alfie's biological father shows up at the Kingston household, disrupting Matty's domestic life.

Read more: Matlock season 2 release date, cast details, and other latest updates so far

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Where did Matlock season 1 leave off?

A still from the show (Image via Instagram/@matlockcbs)

Matlock season 1 leaves its characters in mid-air and in flux. Olympia has been appointed a partner at Jacobson Moore. This cements her official affiliation with the firm, even as she struggles to learn that her former husband, Julian, is an accomplice in suppressing the Wellbrexa documents.

Olympia now faces a decision of whether to defend the firm and Julian or join forces with Matty and Edwin in uncovering the truth.

Matty, on the other hand, finds herself torn between uncovering her secret agenda and keeping her bonds at the firm intact. The temporary peace they have forged by postponing public revelation in favor of establishing the source of Julian's brownstone financing has ratcheted up the tension. However, it has not yet alleviated the ethical conflict.

Sarah survives her trial unscathed, reaffirming her position within the firm and emphasizing that Matty's friends are true and formidable. But with the arrival of Alfie's biological father comes a fresh, personal narrative. This includes inquiries about Alfie's parentage, his relationship to Matty's motivations, and whether such a concealed identity could be part of a larger conspiracy.

Matlock season 1 finale promises that Olympia's allegiances, Matty's clandestine operation, and family ties will intersect in Matlock season 2, with stakes that extend far beyond the Wellbrexa case.

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Matlock season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+.

Edited by Riya Peter