With Season 2 of Matlock now behind us, we may finally be done hearing so much about the very important Wellbrexa files and talk of taking down Beau Bridges’ big bad “Senior.”
In Thursday’s two-hour season finale, Madeline “Matty” Matlock (Kathy Bates) finally was able to close the door on the mystery that’s been driving the series since the 2024 pilot. That’s when viewers found out that Matlock was actually a cover for her real identity, Madeline Kingston. Along with her husband, Edwin (Sam Anderson), she plotted to get revenge on the law firm responsible for burying evidence — the aforementioned Wellbrexa files — that could have prevented the death of their opioid-addicted daughter, Ellie (Marnee Carpenter).
Just when it seemed like the duplicitous Senior had outwitted them once again in the Season 2 finale, the Department of Justice was brought in to take down Jacobson Moore including Senior and his son and Olympia (Skye P. Marshall)’s ex, Julian (Jason Ritter), who had been working with Matty and Olympia. The final moments found Matty and Olympia kicking around the idea starting their own firm.
Gold Derby spoke with Matlock showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman — whose previous credits include Jane the Virgin — to discuss where the show goes from here when it returns in 2027.
Gold Derby: CBS has already announced that Season 3 won’t air until midseason next year. Does that change anything as far as writing and production?
Jennie Snyder Urman: It helps me because we have a season finale that ends a lot of things and and explodes a lot of things. We needed time to plot the mystery correctly for the next season and this allows me to have a longer pre-production.
Is it safe to say that Wellbrexa is in the past?
Well, the Wellbrexa mystery is in the past. There are still strands in terms of Senior and Julian, but that mystery is done and a new one begins.
Was the idea of Matty and Olympia starting their own firm a longtime plan or more of a new thought you came to for the finale?
Both — we’ve been toying with it, but we also knew that they were going to be dreaming about it a little bit this season.
Matty has been having quite the identity crisis about whether she should remain Matlock or finally be Madeline Kingston. Were there a lot of talking points about how to do that?
So many! I think Matty being in the world as Madeline Kingston is the series finale. We knew she had to remain Matlock, but the question was, “How do we earn that emotionally and not just because that’s what the show is called?” That’s where all of the energy in breaking the story went, and really understanding what Matty gave to her… and how she interacts with people differently. [We also thought about] all the things that she would lose if she was unmasked in terms of her anonymity and her grandchild’s life. All of that added up to, “What’s the big deal [to be Matlock] for a few more years? Why couldn’t I do that?”
Julian found out about her identity earlier in the season and he’s been helpful to them. In the finale, Matty, Edwin and Alfie (Aaron Harris) tell Alfie’s father, Joey (Niko Nicotero). Could that bite them in the future given he’s a little unstable with his addiction?
Anything could bite them. Joey is unstable; he’s an addict, but he’s not cruel. So if it came up, it would be coming up in a moment of desperation, but it’s not like a villainous thing. We want to make sure we’re keeping our emotional points of the story grounded and not exploitive.
You said a new mystery is coming, but does that mean Senior will still be a part of the show moving forward?
Senior’s the big bad, but he’s also the grandfather to Julian’s kids and Julian sent him to jail so there’s a whole branch of the family that’s gonna be pissed. [Senior is] a part of the storytelling whether it’s Wellbrexa or not, so whether this new strand has anything to do with him will have to be determined.
What’s Julian’s next step? Is he part of this new firm?
I can’t really say, but he is dealing with the ramifications of his choices, and they’re big emotionally and logistically, too. His act was really so brave and so meaningful for Matty and Olympia, so he’s closer to them, if anything.
How much time will have passed when Season 3 begins?
I’m thinking around six to nine months, but we’ll see. [The new mystery] has to do with insurance, so it’s still in the health care world. And I think you’re going to be surprised where we pick up Sarah at the beginning of the next season — it’s unexpected.
Hunter was quite a breath of fresh air this season, but I kept wondering what other layers he has. What will we find out about him moving forward?
There’s more to everyone, but he’s not going to pull off a mask and be the archvillain. You’ll understand him more in the same way as you understood more about Shae (Yael Grobglas). You didn’t really know that much about her until she had this legal story, and then you realized all the stuff that was underneath her veneer. With Hunter, we’ll also start to unmask as we go.
As for Matty and Edwin, since their whole plan has changed, how will we see them moving forward?
Matty has processed her pain [for Ellie] that she wasn’t able to prior to this mission, to the point where she was able to say, “I’ll lay down my sword.” She’s had this big emotional change, so that won’t be the emotional vein that we’re constantly pulling at in Season 3. That said, Ellie will appear unexpectedly, as she does to Matty. But the most important thing is where this new vein of emotion is coming from, which is rich and deep and thick.
It was fun seeing so many Jane the Virgin cast members like Gina Rodriguez, Bridget Regan, Justina Machado, and Yara Martinez appear. Was that something you were aiming for withthe finale?
No, it just kind of happened! It was so delightful; I just want more.
Well, the FBI character that Gina played is someone you could bring back again.
We definitely can — and will, hopefully.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
