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‘Matlock’ Season Finale: Two-Parter Promises Answers and a Huge Cliffhanger

Here we go, the answer fans have been waiting for all season will be revealed on CBS’s Matlock season one’s two-part finale. Episodes 18 and 19 air back-to-back on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT, and the teaser promises “the truth can’t wait.”

The one-hour drama stars Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock, Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, Jason Ritter as Julian, David Del Rio as Billy, and Leah Lewis as Sarah. Bates, Jennie Snyder Urman, Kat Coiro, Joanna Klein, and Eric Christian Olsen executive produce.

“Matty and Olympia go through this whole period of not trusting one another. It’s a complicated dance, which I find so rich and exciting,” teased Kathy Bates in an interview with TVInsider. “Matty has to lay all of her cards on the table. She has to bare herself. There’s a wonderful exchange between these two women who are powerful lawyers.”

“Tricks of the Trade – Part One” and “Tricks of the Trade – Part Two” Plot: When Sarah’s client is arrested after his business partner is found murdered, Billy attempts to help her handle the case while Matty and Olympia contend with a pressing confidential matter. Kat Coiro directs from a script by Nicki Renna.

Skye P. Marshall and Kathy Bates in the ‘Matlock’ season 1 finale (Photo: Robert Voets © 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)

Matlock Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:

Matlock stars Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases. Matty is assigned to Olympia (Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker with a thirst for justice, Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Ritter), the son of the head of the firm, is intrigued by Matty and her clever skills.

As Matty endeavors to establish herself in her new high-stakes world, she works alongside the firm’s younger associates—the charismatic Billy (Del Rio) and the uber-ambitious Sarah (Lewis).

Kathy Bates, David Del Rio, Leah Lewis, and Skye P. Marshall in the first season finale (Photo: Sonja Flemming © 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)
David Del Rio, Kathy Bates, and Skye P. Marshall in season 1’s finale (Photo: Sonja Flemming © 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)
Leah Lewis and Kathy Bates in season 1’s finale (Photo: Sonja Flemming © 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)
David Del Rio and Leah Lewis in the season one finale (Photo: Sonja Flemming © 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)



This post was last modified on September 15, 2025 6:38 pm

Rebecca Murray: Journalist covering the entertainment industry for 23+ years, including 13 years as the first writer for About.com's Hollywood Movies site. Member of the Critics Choice Association (Film & TV Branches), Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and Past President of the San Diego Film Critics Society.
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