Matlock series premiere: Who is Madeline Kingston?

Before we had a chance to see the premiere of Matlock on CBS, it was easy to have a lot of preconceived notions about it. Take, for example, that this was some by-the-book procedural that followed the same blueprint almost anyone would expect.

However, it turned out to be so much more than that — a layered, fascinating look at a woman at a certain point of her life and career played by Kathy Bates. What also made “Matty” Matlock so interesting is that in the midst of being good at her job, she also had a difficult backstory that she was working through when it came to grief. She lost her daughter due to addiction — or, that’s what she said.

We had heard that there was a big twist at the end of the premiere and boy, did we get it? As it turns out, Madeline Matlock was a fake name. Rather, she was Madeline Kingston, her husband is still around, and she is actually working with a very specific directive. The one true thing she said in the premiere that was 100% true is that she lost her daughter. This is a story for her that is a lot about revenge, and working to take down the people who are responsible. It turns out that one of the attorneys at the firm could have done something that saved her daughter and so many others a decade ago and taken opioids off the street; her goal is to figure out who and, beyond that, put them in jail.

Beyond the big twist, we do think was pretty fun here is how the show managed to honor the original Matlock in so many ways; rather than just have this be a straight-up remake, the original show exists in its world. That is a fun twist, though it’s hard to even think of that thanks to the HUGE ending.

Kudos above all else to Bates, who is as good as you would expect and then some.

Related – Check out some more insight entering the next episode of Matlock

What did you think about the premiere of Matlock on CBS?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Also, remember to keep coming back for some more updates.