Matlock

10 Best Episodes of Matlock - Season 1

Ben Matlock is a very expensive criminal defense attorney who charges $100,000 to take a case. Fortunately, he's worth every penny as he and his associates defend his clients by finding the real killer.

Written by Sophie and last updated on nov 26, 2022.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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Matlock - S1E1

#15 - Diary of a Perfect Murder (Season 1 - Episode 1)

Atlanta lawyer Ben Matlock takes on the high profile case of a television reporter accused of murdering his former wife. The case is complicated when his daughter Charlene develops feelings for the accused killer.

The episode was rated 7.59 from 88 votes.

Matlock - S1E12

#14 - Santa Claus (Season 1 - Episode 12)

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When a down-on-his luck Santa Claus (Tom McCabe) is accused of killing the landlord who was about to evict not only him but everyone else in the apartment complex, the people in his building take up a collection and come to Matlock to ask him to defend him. They may not like Tom, but none of them believe him guilty of murder. Matlock ignores his own misgivings about a man he can't help but dislike and agrees to defend Tom.

The episode was rated 7.61 from 33 votes.

Matlock - S1E18

#13 - The Court-Martial (1) (Season 1 - Episode 18)

Ben is hired by a friend to defend his son, who is in the army, who's been charged with killing the sadistic lieutenant, whose mistreatment of his men led to the death of his friend.

The episode was rated 7.62 from 29 votes.

Matlock - S1E10

#12 - The Angel (Season 1 - Episode 10)

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Matlock reluctantly agrees to hire free-spirited rock star Angel after Charlene reveals she's already taken the job for them. Angel has been accused of killing her manager, and due to an alcohol induced black-out, can't even offer herself an alibi for the night. Matlock gets more and more angry when Angel continues to ignore his suggestions at toning down her life-style, but luckily he's able to get through to her before her attitude gets her convicted of murder.

The episode was rated 7.63 from 38 votes.

Matlock - S1E5

#11 - The Seduction (Season 1 - Episode 5)

Matlock is hired to defend Brad Bingham, an aging football star with a reputation as a womanizer who was about to be cut from the team. Charlene is resistant to Ben's choice, as she believes everything the tabloids have to say about Brad...not only that, but years earlier, he'd had a brief relationship with her friend Ellen Hawley, who had tried to kill herself after they broke up. As the case continues, Charlene realises that not everything that's printed in the papers is true and that maybe Ellen wasn't quite honest with her, even though a call girl (Caryn Nelson) hired to make Brad look guilty almost convinces her that he is.

The episode was rated 7.67 from 55 votes.

Matlock - S1E3

#10 - The Stripper (Season 1 - Episode 3)

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Years ago, Ben represented Jason Hardiman in his divorce proceedings, and upon his instructions, offered Carla a small fortune to relinquish custody of their son. She refused, and eventually won. Now Carla can only find work as a stripper. Jason goes to her work and again threatens to take their son Jimmy from her. When he is found at the edge of death, Carla is the immediate suspect. He is murdered while in the hospital, and Carla is the prime suspect. Ben's suspicions soon turn to a woman named Helen Shelly, but unfortunately, it's hard to find her. Doug Templitt seems to be the only one who knows where she is.

The episode was rated 7.71 from 70 votes.

Matlock - S1E16

#9 - The Nurse (Season 1 - Episode 16)

Kathy Warren was a private nurse working for the St. Johns. One night while she was out, Peter St. John died, and when it was determined to be murder, she was the prime suspect. She hired Matlock to defend her, offering her engagement ring as a fee. After Lacey St. John told A.D.A. Julie March that the ring had been stolen from their home, Matlock realised that something wasn't right in the St. John house, and that someone was lying to him.

The episode was rated 7.72 from 29 votes.

Matlock - S1E2

#8 - The Judge (Season 1 - Episode 2)

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Ben Matlock accepts the pro bono case of Kevin Meredith, a young man accused of murdering his lover, whom Ben soon realises had a much more powerful lover.

The episode was rated 7.75 from 20 votes.

Matlock - S1E15

#7 - The Rat Pack (Season 1 - Episode 15)

When Beverly Hills cookie entrepreneur Adam Gardner's girlfriend is found dead in his hot tub, the case against him looks bleak, especially when an eye witness points the finger at him. After his corporate lawyers advise him to plead guilty, Gardner hires Ben Matlock to defend him. While Matlock believes in his client's innocence, the more he learns about the victim, the greater the motive his client has, especially once love letters turn up that were exchanged between the victim and Josh Sinclair, Adam's supposed best friend.

The episode was rated 7.77 from 22 votes.

Matlock - S1E21

#6 - The People vs. Matlock (Season 1 - Episode 21)

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While defending union boss Gerald O'Hara, who has been accused of murdering his chief rival for his seat (Dan Keaton), Matlock is furious when juror number seven (Harry Craven) comes forward to announce that he was paid off by Matlock to vote a certain way. Luckily for Matlock, Julie knows him well enough to know he would never take a bribe, and she helps him prove that he's innocent, and that his client was railroaded by the same man who tried to bring down Ben.

The episode was rated 7.78 from 18 votes.

Matlock - S1E14

#5 - The Author (Season 1 - Episode 14)

Mary Ann Newton has written a book (Secret Confessions) that purports to be fiction, but upon a deeper look, it seems to be an expose on the citizens of a small town. When an attempt made on her life gets a local reverend instead, Matlock is called in to defend the suspected killer. As the case goes on, Matlock realises that Ms. Newton may not be the right target for the would-be killer.

The episode was rated 7.79 from 29 votes.

Matlock - S1E9

#4 - The Cop (Season 1 - Episode 9)

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Detective Joe Peters has been accused of taking bribes and murdering a fence, and also suspected in the death of a fellow cop. When it comes right down to it, one of the other cops on the force was more involved than they should have been.

The episode was rated 7.81 from 32 votes.

Matlock - S1E20

#3 - The Therapist (Season 1 - Episode 20)

Matlock is hired to defend a popular actor when he's accused of killing the man who ran the sex-therapy clinic where he was staying, ostensibly for releasing his name to the press. He's got a temporary thorn in his side, though, in the form of Cassie Phillips, a law student he once made an off-hand comment to about looking him up for a job...she took him a lot more seriously than he had intended.

The episode was rated 7.95 from 21 votes.

Matlock - S1E13

#2 - The Chef (Season 1 - Episode 13)

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Michael and Victoria Edwards may be divorced, but unfortunately, she couldn't keep him from being a guest on her show. When Michael dies after testing out the dish they were cooking, Victoria is immediately charged with his murder. Matlock agrees to defend her, and gets some good home cooking in the bargain.

The episode was rated 7.96 from 28 votes.

Matlock - S1E7

#1 - The Don (2) (Season 1 - Episode 7)

Even though they've lost a key witness, Matlock keeps defending Nicholas Baron. Daniel tries to convince Matlock that his father just can't handle any stress due to his heart condition, but Nicholas continues to beg Matlock to clear his name. While Matlock investigates a suspect closer to home than Baron would want, Charlene blows her chance at a relationship with Paul when she can't separate the man from the legend.

The episode was rated 8.07 from 41 votes.

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