TV Show review
Review basis: 2 seasons, 35 episodes · through April 23, 2026
September 22, 2024 · TV-14 · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Matlock follows Madeline "Matty" Matlock, a sharp older lawyer who fakes her way into a big New York law firm to uncover a cover-up of opioid evidence that killed her daughter. She wins cases with clever tactics while hiding her true identity and wealth. The series includes a prominent Black female attorney as a key partner and features a lesbian relationship subplot for one young associate, along with cases touching on workplace issues and a firm interest in social justice work for profit.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Matlock.
Woke representation / casting
Visible diversity in prominent roles includes Black actress Skye P. Marshall as ambitious partner Olympia Lawrence and Chinese-American actress Leah Lewis as Sarah Franklin, who has a featured lesbian relationship arc with IT colleague Kira involving discussions of sexuality and relationship dynamics. Ensemble casting follows contemporary network patterns with multiple non-white actors in regular roles.
Woke political dialogue
Cases include workplace sexual harassment, prison mistreatment of women, and discrimination claims. The firm pursues "social justice" cases explicitly framed as a profit opportunity. Dialogue remains largely case-focused without sustained activist speeches.
Identity-driven story themes
Supporting character Sarah's lesbian identity and relationship form a recurring subplot with explicit focus on her preferences and breakup. Flashback episode centers a lesbian couple as clients. Ageism and older women's "invisibility" as superpower receive emphasis. Core narrative stays on personal revenge and corporate wrongdoing.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Big law firm and pharmaceutical companies depicted as prioritizing profits over public safety in opioid cover-up. Episodes critique prison systems and workplace harassment. Firm's turn toward social justice work is presented cynically as branding. Avoids broad anti-Western or identity-based systemic framing.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Reboot uses a new older female lead who adopts the "Matlock" name from the classic series for her undercover persona. Change centers on age and wit rather than race, gender ideology, or canon character reinterpretation for identity reasons. Not a direct swap of established source material figures.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Conservative reviewers and online commenters criticized the gender-swapped lead, inclusion of lesbian subplot as forced or random, social justice case angles, and perceived corporate blame in the opioid storyline. Complaints noted on review sites and scattered social media/Reddit, though limited in volume and not a dominant public controversy.
Creator track record context
Jennie Snyder Urman previously created Jane the Virgin with emphasis on female relationships and comments highlighting representation importance. Kathy Bates has past support for Democratic candidates. Original creator Dean Hargrove's classic work shows no activist pattern. Team reflects standard modern TV with moderate progressive leanings without dominant identity-politics focus.
