CBS orders pilots for Matlock reimagining with Kathy Bates and Good Fight spin-off Elsbeth

Lauren Huff
·2 min read
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CBS is heading back to the courtroom in a big way.

The network has given pilot orders to two legal dramas featuring fan-favorite attorneys: a new take on the classic show Matlock and a spin-off of The Good Fight and The Good Wife titled Elsbeth.

In the case of the former project, Kathy Bates will be taking up the mantel of the titular criminal defense attorney played by Andy Griffith for a nine-season run. The original Matlock, which was created by Dean Hargrove, aired from 1986 to 1992 on NBC and moved to ABC for the remainder of its run.

Elsbeth, meanwhile, will see Robert and Michelle King, creators of The Good Wife and its successor The Good Fight, return with a potential series focusing on the quirky lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni. Carrie Preston has been tapped to reprise her role from the Good shows.

Carrie Preston on 'The Good Fight'; Kathy Bates
Carrie Preston on 'The Good Fight'; Kathy Bates

Elizabeth Fisher/CBS; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Carrie Preston on 'The Good Fight'; Kathy Bates

Per the logline, Elsbeth will follow the "astute but unconventional attorney" after her successful career in Chicago, as she "utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD." The Kings and Liz Glotzer serve as executive producers on the pilot, with the Kings penning the script and Robert King directing.

As for Matlock, which is being touted as a new series inspired by its predecessor, the official description reads: "After achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock (Bates) rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within."

Jane the Virgin's Jennie Snyder Urman is executive-producing alongside Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, and Bates. Urman is also writing the pilot.

Both pilots are currently slated for the 2023-24 season.

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