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Matlock is missing in action. 

The popular CBS drama is missing from the network’s fall lineup, and series showrunner, creator, and executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman has explained why. 

‘Matlock’ Season 3 will be ‘airtight,’ showrunner said

In an April 2026 interview with TV Insider, Urman said that after wrapping up the ongoing Wellbrexa storyline in the two-hour season 2 finale, Matlock’s writers needed some time to figure out where to go next.  

“I asked for it with the network. We had a talk,” she said. “I just feel like we had so much stuff to think about because we really landed the plane on this and we really thought that was important because we didn’t want to keep dragging out the same story and the characters have to get to someplace real emotionally.” 

“So we really, when we took this two-hour finale and really paid a lot of things off, what came with that was I’m going to need time after that to really build the architecture so that we have it for the next seasons. I’m excited about it, but I am also grateful because we needed a little bit of time,” she added.

Urman acknowledged that fans might be “sad” because of the longer wait for season 3. But she said the result will be worth the wait. 

“I want us to plot this new mystery and make sure it’s airtight,” she shared. “We had a lot of pieces going in, so we really had to create this new piece of it. I feel lucky that the network’s giving us time to get it right because I don’t want the quality to drop.”

Kathy Bates teases ‘exciting’ season 3

So, when will Matlock Season 3 premiere? There’s not too much longer to wait. The Kathy Bates drama will return in early 2027, CBS has confirmed.

In an interview with PauseRewind in May 2026, Bates, who plays Matty Matlock, teased what was ahead in season 3. 

“We’re excited because we’re gonna start our own firm,” she said, referring to Matty and Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) decision to strike out on their own following the downfall of Jacobson Moore. “Jenny Urman’s got a lot cut out for her, so it’ll be very exciting to see what she comes up with. She’s just amazing. She puts all these stories together, just when you think she’s about to hit a brick wall, she makes a right. So it’s fun.”

Matlock is streaming on Paramount+. 

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