Now on Netflix + Apple TV+: A revival of the iconic 39-year-old legal drama is drawing in The Lincoln Lawyer fans with its sharp courtroom tension and morally complex leads

Packed with callbacks, high-stakes cases, and a fresh yet familiar tone, this reboot proves some legacies only get better with time.

Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer has cultivated a respectable fanbase. The legal drama currently boasts three seasons, and it’s even surmounted that dreaded “three-season death knell.” As of January 1, 2025, fans can now expect a fourth season. But how can viewers fill the downtime while waiting for its release?

Admittedly, the legal drama genre is far from niche. Fans can enjoy many classic picks, such as Law & Order and Perry Mason, and sample plenty of newer shows. However, that still leaves a veritable army of options. Fans can easily feel overwhelmed simply by looking at the sizable list of similar works. Fortunately, one series stands above the rest. Matlock first debuted in 1986, but it recently received a 2024 reboot from CBS. Obviously, this newer version is more relatable than its predecessor. It also comes with all the production bells and whistles of a well-funded modern drama.

Matlock (2024) Is CBS’ Latest Breakout Legal Drama

A sneak peek of the series was aired on September 22, 2024, ahead of its formal October debut.
Kathy Bates was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the reboot series.
Many reviewers have extensively praised Kathy Bates’ portrayal of the titular Madeline Matlock.

Unlike the original show, CBS’s reimagined Matlock stars Kathy Bates as Madeline “Maddy” Matlock, though that’s not her real name. She is actually Madeline Kingston, a bereaved mother, and her guise is part of her plan to seek justice for her daughter’s death from an opioid overdose.

In this continuity, Madelina’s disguise is inspired by the classic 1980s show. Her assumed role casts her as a recently widowed lawyer suffering under her late husband’s gambling debts. She claims to have returned from retirement to recoup her financial losses and support her grandson, whose mother tragically died in a car accident. Notably, her husband is still alive, and Kingston has plenty of money.

Nonetheless, she uses this ruse to join the Jacobson Moore law firm. There, she works alongside Olympia Lawrence (Skye P. Marshall) and her ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter). Together, the trio aims to exonerate their clients and secure justice for the falsely accused.

Why Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer Will Love Matlock

CBS renewed the series for a second season in October 2024.
Like many shows, Matlock was impacted by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
The new reboot includes the original Matlock show within its canon.

As legal dramas, Matlock and The Lincoln Lawyer take an investigative stance against crime. They cast legal professionals as white-collar heroes and throw them into plenty of over-the-top scenarios. Their predicaments often border the edge of unbelievability. So, there are already plenty of overlaps; but these are surface-level comparisons.

Being modern legal procedurals, both shows also offer a story-heavy narrative. While each episode can be enjoyed individually, they’re best viewed as a sequential set. Bits and pieces from one show lead into the next. This semi-serialized approach is far from rare in modern legal dramas. It’s the same formula followed by iconic titles like Law & Order and Criminal Minds. So, what about these two shows makes them companion pieces?

Beneath the surface, both the newly revived Matlock and Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer share the same core ideals. They assemble an explicitly strange and often quibbling cast as the show’s focal point and build it outward. Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer enjoy the emotional tension between Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and his ex-wife, Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell). Matlock dishes out the same romantically fueled drama by forcing an actively divorcing couple — namely, Olympia and Julia — to work together.

There’s also that veil of personal disconnect between the leads and their coworkers. The Lincoln Lawyer hands its protagonist a recently kicked addiction, while Matlock gives its titular legal pro a complex revenge plot. While these two ideas aren’t exactly the same, they serve an identical purpose. Both provide a calculated sense of distance between the “core crew.” On the surface, that function seems obvious. These backstories give each show a distinctive “spin” and lay groundwork for future character growth. However, they also force everyone apart, even when the burgeoning teams try to come together. Both Haller’s past addiction and Matlock’s private revenge scheme create palpable distance between them and their peers, subverting the fairly routine trope of showing procedural crime-fighting groups as the colloquial “big, happy family.”

Critically, both shows have earned respectable praise. The first season of Matlock earned the show a shiny 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Lincoln Lawyer pulled off the same impressive feat in its third season. Audiences are similarly enthusiastic. Considering Matlock’s recent renewal, it also seems that the two shows are destined for similarly healthy broadcast lifespans.

Should Viewers Try the Old Matlock Series?

Jake and the Fatman was a spin-off of the original series. Its popularity led to a subsequent spin-off of a spin-off, Diagnosis: Murder.
The original Matlock series boasts an impressive 193 episodes across nine seasons.
The original Matlock was created by Dean Hargrove, who also conceived the esteemed Perry Mason series.

But all this discussion still leaves one issue on the table. Should fans of The Lincoln Lawyer try the original Matlock? Andy Griffith’s beloved portrayal of the no-nonsense lawyer had a considerable run, gracing airways from 1986 to 1992. He brought a sense of determined gravitas comparable to the esteemed Perry Mason.

This original iteration of the series obviously follows a different plot. Its male lead carries a forthright and righteous sense of confidence, and his casework treads a less relatable path. There are no cell phones or modern gadgets. Instead, it’s all old-fashioned detective work. So, if that grizzled film noir footwork is your forte, the original Matlock is a perfect fit. However, it lacks the same interpersonal dynamics as Kathy Bates’ version. The only quarreling divorcees to be found in Griffith’s Matlock will be incidental defendants.

Considering its age, it’s also worth remembering that the original Matlock won’t always adhere to modern standards. The show is a product of its time, and it may include some problematic views. These shouldn’t be wholly ignored, but each error should be considered within the series’ historical context.

By extension, NBC’s Matlock won’t make as many relevant or recognizable pop culture references. The show’s guest stars won’t always be recognizable, and it’s easy to miss some of the show’s contemporaneous humor. Of course, the same is true for any older television series. Even long-running modern shows suffer the same fate. Some of the guest stars on the earliest episodes of Grey’s Anatomy simply aren’t as important as they were in the 2000s. For most audiences, these technicalities aren’t definite deal-breakers. Nonetheless, they’re worth considering.

Summarily, the original Matlock may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Its older sensibilities and more restrained storylines may not resonate with modern viewers, and the show certainly lacks the same high-strung romantic drama of many modern serials. However, CBS’s Matlock reboot remains a solid choice for Lincoln Lawyer fans.