(Photo
by
Alberto
E.
Rodriguez/Getty
Images)
Society
is
officially
out
of
ideas
and
that
means
we’re
inundated
with
reboots
and
reimaginings
of
classics.
The
Andy
Griffith
lawyer
classic,
Matlock,
which
ran
from
1986-1995,
is
the
most
recent
to
get
a
facelift
for
the
20s.
The
new
Matlock,
which
stars
Kathy
Bates
as
Maddy
Matlock,
is
doing
well
for
CBS.
The
show
exists
in
a
post-Matlock
world,
meaning
it
explicitly
references
the
80s
iteration
as
it
makes
societal
commentary
about
aging,
sexism,
and
the
opioid
crisis.
Another
big
change
is
the
major
plot
twist
that
comes
at
the
conclusion
of
the
pilot
episode.
For
the
majority
of
the
episode
Bates
plays
a
down-on-her-luck,
unassuming,
low
key
brilliant
lawyer
that
chit-chats
her
way
into
success
during
a
high
profile
lawsuit.
Cute,
but
entirely
what
you’d
expect
from
a
Matlock
reboot.
But
then
comes
the
twist.
SPOILERS
BELOW
At
the
end
of
the
premiere
episode
it’s
revealed
that
Maddy
Matlock
is
a
fake
name,
and
Kathy
Bates
is
a
wildly
successful
attorney
that
faked
her
identity
to
get
hired
at
a
big
firm.
She
expositions
that
one
of
the
three
partners
that
are
now
her
bosses
at
the
firm
hid
documents
on
behalf
of
a
pharmaceutical
company
client.
The
character
we
know
as
Matlock
believes
the
hidden
documents
could
have
removed
opioids
from
the
market,
potentially
saving
her
daughter
that
died
of
an
overdose.
She
lied
her
way
into
a
job
at
the
firm
at
the
top
of
the
episode
to
expose
whichever
lawyer
is
responsible.
It’s
an
okay
twist
for
a
CBS
show,
as
long
as
you
know
exactly
nothing
about
legal
ethics.
“Matlock”
used
a
fake
identity
to
get
the
job,
and
used
subterfuge
to
have
reference
requests
routed
to
family
members.
That’s
not
something
bar
licensing
authorities
tend
to
look
favorably
upon
—
something
about
honesty
and
integrity
being
foundations
of
the
profession.
Then
there’s
the
whole
revenge
plot,
which,
obviously
as
only
the
pilot
has
aired
we
don’t
know
much
about
yet,
but
seems
designed
to
expose
various
client
confidences.
Blowing
up
attorney/client
privilege
also
isn’t
encouraged.
If
“Matlock”
has
evidence
of
wrongdoing
by
members
of
the
firm,
there
are
authorities
that
it
should
be
reported
to
without
ignoring
professional
responsibility
rules.
Matlock
might
be
an
okay
show
to
watch
with
your
parents
when
visiting
them
over
the
holidays,
but
it’s
a
terrible
model
for
how
attorneys
should
act.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].