Matlock was a "Taylor"-made vehicle for TV icon Andy Griffith, even if it was something of a departure. While he's still got his southern drawl goin' on, Griffith leaves the rest of his Andy Taylor character back in Mayberry: folksiness only goes so far in the big city of Atlanta, and even if Opie or Aunt Bea were menaced, one can't imagine sheriff Andy threatening to feed the perpetrator to the D.A. "piece by piece." Matlock hews closely to the Perry Mason playbook, with most episodes featuring the tenacious, $100,000-fee Ben Matlock (“Next to injustice, I hate losing,” he states) exonerating an incriminated suspect, after delivering some flashy, last minute theatrics that threaten to turn the courtroom into a “sideshow.” One notable exception is the episode “The Judge,” featuring guest star Dick Van Dyke as a judge and old friend of Matlock who murders his mistress, and then presides over the trial of the man arrested for the crime. Other guest stars include Jose Ferrer as a terminally ill crime kingpin arrested for murder in the two-parter “The Don,” and Pat Hingle as a surly man accused of homicide in “Santa Claus.” The 24 episodes (including the two-hour pilot) from the 1986-87 first season offer an auspicious beginning for a series that would run for six years on NBC and then three more on ABC. Bland Lori Lethin, who appears in the pilot episode as Matlock's neophyte lawyer daughter, was quickly replaced by the more experienced Linda Purl, while the episode “The People vs. Matlock” introduces Julie Sommars as feisty assistant district attorney Julie March, a foil and friend to Matlock. Nancy Stafford, who appears in “The Seduction,” would join the cast next season as Matlock's assistant, Michelle Thomas. Matlock even inspired a spinoff. The episode “The Don” pits Matlock against his “bitter enemy,” William Conrad's James McShane, a cop-turned-district attorney who would later be transformed into Jason McCabe, aka “Fatman,” as in Jake and the Fatman (his future costar, Joe Penny, costars in the episode as one of the Don's highly suspect sons). Although a bit dated today, Matlock is still fondly remembered by the Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder crowd, and should therefore be considered a strong optional purchase. (D. Liebenson)
Matlock: The First Season
Paramount, 7 discs, 1,197 min., not rated, DVD: $49.99 August 18, 2008
Matlock: The First Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: