Matlock Season 2 Episode 1: Release Date, Exact Time, and Where to Watch the Premiere

Matlock is back with Kathy Bates doing what she does best: quietly walking into a room and owning it. Season 2 kicks off with a premiere that puts family secrets, corporate mess, and literal fire on the same docket. If you like your legal drama with a side of scheming, pencil this one in.

When and where to watch

The Season 2 opener airs Sunday, October 12, 2025, on CBS. Heads up: it does not start on the hour.

• Episode: 'The Before Times'
• Date: Sunday, October 12, 2025
• Time (U.S.): 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT
• Where: CBS

What the premiere is about

In 'The Before Times,' Matty zeroes in on a personal curveball: she starts questioning whether the guy claiming to be Alfie’s father actually is. While that thread unspools, Olympia moves to shield Julian’s ties to the Wellbrexa situation, and the whole team takes on an arson case. It’s a busy opener, mixing a paternity tangle with a pharmaceutical headache and a fire investigation, which is about as on-brand for this show as it gets.

Who is behind it

This Matlock is developed by Jennie Snyder Urman and is inspired by the 1980s original. Kathy Bates returns as Madeline 'Matty' Matlock, with Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio, Leah Lewis, and more rounding out the cast. If you’re already on CBS for series like Watson, NCIS: Origins, FBI: International, or The Bold and the Beautiful, you know where to find it.

The show in a nutshell

"After achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock rejoins the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within. Inspired by the classic television series of the same name."

Short version: Bates plus crafty lawyering, new cases, and a premiere with a half-hour start time. Set your DVR accordingly.