CBS' 2-Part Crime Series Is Officially Heading Down a Disappointing Path

Published Sep 18, 2026, 8:39 PM EDT

Erin Konrad's love for everything entertainment dates back to elementary school when she became obsessed with classic Hollywood musicals. When she's not catching up on all her favorite television shows, she's advising her friends and family on what they should binge watch next.

She has her Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Creating content for Collider gives her the opportunity to combine her writing skills with her passion for television and movies. She spends her free time trying to beat her personal record of reading 137 books in a year and cuddling with her dog, Gracie.

Throughout the past few decades, there have been plenty of television shows that have been impacted by behind-the-scenes chaos. Whether rumors swirled because of misconduct allegations, like Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, or co-stars feuding, like in Glee, there's always the potential that a show's offscreen drama can lead to its downfall. Sometimes it works to simply fire the offending actor, like Chevy Chase in Community, but that doesn't always address the deeper issues lurking within a troubling environment on set. Unfortunately, one crime drama currently airing on CBS is following a path that could spell cancellation in the future.

'Matlock' Has Been Having Behind-the-Scenes Issues

Matlock, set to premiere its third season next year, is by far one of the best shows on network television. The legal drama showcases an extraordinary, Emmy-nominated performance from Kathy Bates, not to mention a fantastic supporting cast of Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, and Beau Bridges. With an impressive 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, Matlock has been a designated hit for the network. But the show's problems began when David Del Rio, who played young lawyer Billy Martinez, was fired in October 2025 after an alleged incident of sexual assault. CBS conducted an internal investigation, and Del Rio was terminated. The actor subsequently filed a lawsuit against CBS this March, claiming he was falsely accused and had suffered "substantial professional and reputational harm." The arbitration proceedings with the studio are still ongoing, but Del Rio was written out of Matlock in Season 2.

These events would have been controversial enough for the drama, but another lawsuit was filed in June, in which showrunner and creator, Jennie Snyder Urman, was accused by former Matlock story editor and writer, John Lowe, of creating a hostile work environment and making both racist and sexually inappropriate comments on set. CBS and executive producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber were also named in the lawsuit. Just last week, CBS filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, disputing Lowe's version of events. Their filing lists several reasons that Lowe's complaints are unfounded and is likely to set up a significant upcoming legal battle between CBS and Lowe.

Behind-the-Scenes Chaos Is Already Impacting 'Matlock's Storytelling

Matlock's legal issues are a lot for any show's cast and crew to handle while still producing high-quality episodes. Del Rio's firing has already led to an awkward exit for his character. In the Season 2 mid-season premiere, Billy was out sick, and then his job with Jacobson Moore was eliminated because of staff layoffs. This information was relayed in throwaway lines without any emotion or ceremony. This is likely the best the writers could come up with given the circumstances, and it was probably smart not to give too much airtime to Billy's exit in order not to highlight the actor's firing. However, it did feel like an unnatural narrative and was a departure from the show's usually well-thought-out storylines.

We've also recently learned that Season 3 of Matlock will only consist of 13 episodes, which is a far cry from Season 1's 19 and Season 2's 16. This reduction is disappointing for fans who have only fallen more in love with Bates' role as the titular character. The show has been a great vehicle for a truly remarkable actress, and has become adept at twisty storylines that dive into a ton of different fascinating issues. However, at this point, the series is risking becoming better known for its behind-the-scenes problems, and this could spell an early and disappointing cancellation for the series. Perhaps CBS will win the lawsuits, but there's still a stain on Matlock that will live with the show forever.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Matlock are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Season 3 is set to premiere in January 2027.

Matlock

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  Kathy Bates

  Madeline 'Matty' Matlock

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  Skye P. Marshall

  Olympia Lawrence