Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: Kathy Bates, matlock
Matlock: Kathy Bates Retiring From Acting; CBS Series Her "Last Dance"
In a recent interview, Kathy Bates (Misery, American Horror Story) announced that she was retiring from acting after her run on CBS's Matlock.
We were sold on CBS and Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman's upcoming Matlock reimagining the moment we heard that Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Kathy Bates (Misery, American Horror Story: "Coven" & "Apocalypse") would be fronting the new CBS series (set to preview on September 22nd). But it now takes on a whole lot more importance (and is also feeling a bit bittersweet) now that we know Bates will be retiring from acting after her run on the network series wraps. "This is my last dance," Bates shared with The New York Times in an interview that went live this weekend.
In fact, Bates was planning to step away from the spotlight prior to Matlock, but the script and character spoke to her on a personal level. "Everything I've prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it," Bates shared about the series. "And it's exhausting." Considering the season's 18-episode order – one that's much more in line with how the networks used to operate pre-streaming – it's easy to see why Bates would be feeling exhausted. "It becomes my life. Sometimes, I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can't hold it back, and I just want my life," Bates added.
CBS's Matlock stars Bates as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline "Matty" Matlock, who, after achieving success in her younger years, decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within. Matty is assigned to Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker with a thirst for justice, while Olympia's ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), the son of the head of the firm, is intrigued by Matty and her clever skills. Matty works alongside the firm's younger associates – the charismatic Billy (David Del Rio) and the uber-ambitious Sarah (Leah Lewis) – as she endeavors to establish herself in her new high-stakes world.
Produced by CBS Studios, the series stars Kathy Bates as Madeline "Matty" Matlock, Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, Jason Ritter as Julian, David Del Rio as Billy, and Leah Lewis as Sarah. Bates, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, John Will, and Kat Coiro are executive producers. Coiro directed the pilot from a script written by Urman.
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