Networks are making plenty of decisions that don’t necessarily make sense. At least, not right away. I thought holding Matlock Season 3 to the midseason was another one of those decisions, but it turns out that isn’t the case at all.
It didn’t make sense to not have Matlock Season 3 in the fall at first. The series is still one of the strongest on CBS, so you would think that the preference would be to air it in the fall. Well, it turns out that CBS didn’t make the decision. It came from a request by showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman.
Matlock Season 3 Will See a Complete Reset
For the first two seasons, there has been a lot of focus on the Wellbrexa documents. Matty has been focused on getting to the bottom of why the documents were hidden, and who hid them. It turns out that that will finally be wrapped up, and so, the third season will see a complete reset in the story.
Snyder Urman explained to Entertainment Weekly that it’s because of that she requested the show be held for the midseason. The writers need time to flesh out the storyline for the third season.
If you’ve seen the Matlock Season 2 finale, which aired on Thursday, April 23, you’ll get an idea of what Snyder Urman meant by really “landing the plane” on the storyline. You’ll also know what it means by having this complete reset.
If you haven’t watched the finale yet, I’m not spoiling it for you! Go watch!
The importance is getting the next plot airtight. Time is needed for that, and moving the show to the midseason takes some of the pressure off.
When Could Matlock Season 3 Premiere?
We’re probably looking at a January 2027 start for Matlock Season 3. That’s assuming it keeps the Thursday night timeslot. If it doesn’t, then it could be held for February.
There are a lot of factors that go into the start date and the schedule. While Matlock has performed well on Thursday nights, Elsbeth will move into its timeslot, and that could prove successful for the Carrie Preston series. There is also a new show airing in the later timeslot, so if that performs well, CBS could choose to keep it there.
What we don’t know is whether Matlock will have a full season order or not. It’s possible to fit in around 18 episodes with a January start, as Will Trent and The Rookie have proven over on ABC. I’m here for that!
Matlock is available to stream on Paramount+.
