Past vs Present: Matlock Comparisons

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Here!

[shapeshifter]

From Collider:

• "Unlike the classic show, which focused on murder cases, the new series will revolve around corporate crimes"
• "If Ben is a grumpy, old, folksy Southerner, and categorical about his six-figure fee, then Madeline is endearing, delightful, funny, and, despite her age, fits right into the current urban environment. While Ben has a habit of injecting himself into the lives of his clients and colleagues, much to their reluctance, Madeline plays her cards in a way where everyone eventually warms up to her."

[LakeGal]

I would rather watch murder cases than corporate crimes.  

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, LakeGal said:

I would rather watch murder cases than corporate crimes.  

Maybe. My *jury is still out* on that.😉
But, seriously, the most recent true-crime Serial podcast, "The Retrievals," is technically about an institutional crime.
So I guess it depends upon the writing.

Edited July 14, 2023 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

OG Matlock S5 E1, “The Mother,” that originally aired September 19, 1990 just re-ran on METV.

It was a very dated script.

The B plot was especially so weird to me:

• A $50 side-bet between Michelle (Ben's co-counsel) and Conrad (his investigator) as to whether or not Michelle could get Ben to make a sexual/romantic move by physically signaling to him that she is "approachable, agreeable, and available."

Michelle uses perfume, tight clothes, and a wiggly walk towards that end.

It almost seems that Ben is onto her game, but not…???

Michelle loses the bet to Conrad.
Even for 1990 it is weird to me.

Michelle continues to work with Ben throughout seasons 5 and 6.
The show continues for another 3 seasons after that.
FWIW, Julie March (Ben's gf) was the prosecutor in this episode but had no speaking lines outside of the courtroom and barely any in it.

Maybe not relevant, but adjusted for inflation today in 2024, the $50 bet would be $119.

It could be really interesting to see the new show do an episode related in some way to this one.

[Irlandesa]

After seeing the episode, it's clear that using Matlock as a title is just blatant name recognition since they have nothing to do with one another.  There likely won't be many comparisons.

[nicepebbles]

The more episodes I watch, I'm not liking that they used the name. I agree it was purely for name recognition. Though I will concede they are similar superficially so TPTB would probably argue it's not a name recognition thing.