Matlock is officially headed back to the small screen alongside a host of other new CBS programs.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has picked up three of four new series pilots, with formal episode orders going out to Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.’s Poppa’s House; Elsbeth, a Carrie Preston-led spinoff of The Good Fight; and a Matlock reboot starring Kathy Bates that is expected to debut sometime later this year. The only series out of the four that the network passed on was the pilot for a Terry Crews-led sitcom entitled Jumpstart, which failed to garner the response needed to attain a full-fledged first season.
The upcoming Matlock is a reboot of the classic series of the same name starring Andy Griffith that premiered on NBC in 1986 before moving to ABC in 1992. The series followed the titular Ben Matlock, and elderly, generally cantankerous if largely amicable attorney who found himself consistently injected into the lives and cases of those around him on top of his usual work. The series led to a 1987 spinoff starring William Conrad and Joe Penny, titled Jake and the Fatman, which in turn led to the longer running fan-favorite spinoff Diagnosis Murder, starring Dick Van Dyke.
What’s Next for CBS?
These series orders stand as a major move for CBS’ new entertainment president, Amy Reisenbach, for whom these productions are the first with her name attached. Previously, Reisenbach worked at CBS as the manager in the current programming department, a career which stretches back to 2005. The three new series are also the first new shows the network has picked up after reducing the volume of pilot orders over past years, something which has become a trend in Hollywood among both major and minor studios as of late.
It is currently unknown how the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike will impact these series, if at all. The strike, which began on May 2, has halted filming and production on various projects including Marvel’s Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali, as well as the Charlie Cox-led Daredevil: Born Again. Other productions such as the upcoming The Walking Dead spinoffs from AMC have reportedly been unaffected by the writers strike. So far, all signs point toward shows with writing still to be done or potential picket lines to be crossed as those directly affected by the writers strike.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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