Although Kathy Bates is the one with the Emmy nomination,Matlockhouses another breakout star who might benefit from their co-star’s acclaim.Kathy Bates’ Emmy nomination forMatlockalready makes history, making her the oldest star to receive the honor of being nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. But she isn’t the only one who stands to benefit.
Heading intoMatlockseason 2, it’s already exciting to see how certain characters will continue to develop. The first season finale puts multiple characters on track to play more dramatic storylines in the future, and one particular member ofMatlock’s cast of characterscould profoundly benefit from the additional attention Bates’ nomination will earn the series.
Kathy Bates’ Landmark Emmy Nomination Draws More Attention To Matlock
The Series’ Main Star Was Already A Big Reason To Watch
Even without Kathy Bates,Matlock’s Emmy potentialwas baked right into the first episode’s script. The series follows a relatively unique dramatic premise rather than drawing exclusively from the original, allowing it to stand out as one of the freshest reboots on TV because of its innate differences from the title series that allow it to stand on its own.
For this reason, some fans saw it as a bit of an upset thatMatlockwasn’t nominated on its own merit to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Granted, this would have pitted the network show against some strong contenders such asSeverance,Slow Horses, andThe White Lotus. That would put a network series in a pretty strong standing.
Instead,Kathy Bates’ nomination is the only Emmy nomination thatMatlockreceived across all categories. However, this isn’t necessarily a problem. Even if it didn’t giveMatlockthe instant awards cred that fans hoped for, it still stands to draw more eyes to the show when assessing awards potential in future seasons.
Fortunately, the Primetime Emmys drawing more attention to Bates can serve to highlight her undeservedly less acclaimed co-stars as well.
Kathy Bates was really the main draw when the showwas first announced, before anyone could have guessed just how much the show would utilize well-executed twists to derive more organic interest from the very first episode. Fortunately, the Primetime Emmys drawing more attention to Bates can serve to highlight her undeservedly less acclaimed co-stars as well.
Matlock’s Increased Hype Brings More Attention To Skye Marshall’s Underrated Performance
She Deserves More Eyes On Her After Season 1’s Ending
It’s not that surprising thatMatlock’s Skye P. Marshall has wound up on several lists of2025’s biggest Emmy snubs, consideringOlympia Lawrence is an arguably more dramatic character than Bates’ Madeline Matlock in several episodes. That stands to become even truer as the series heads into its sophomore season with a major status quo change.
After theMatlockseason 1 finale,Olympia has the power to decide whether Matty gets her revenge on Wellbrexa or if the evidence disappears to keep Julian safe. That essentially makes Olympia’s dilemma the most consequential storyline in the series, with the potential to determine how quickly the series wraps up its main story arc in favor of another.
Thanks to Bates’ nomination,potential fans who missed out onMatlockseason 1 are more likely to go back and give it a look, which will mark many of those viewers’ introduction to Marshall. Since she’s largely done lesser-known projects or one-off episodes of other shows, it would also be most viewers’ first time seeing her in a starring role.
Word of mouth can mean a lot to a series’ early success, and the same goes for actors.Marshall’s relatively unknown status could have kept eyes off of her during the 2025 Emmy nominations, but those same voters now have more reason to watch her closely in upcoming seasons. If they do, they should like what they find.
Why Skye P. Marshall’s Matlock Role Deserves Future Emmy Consideration
She Plays An Even More Dramatic Role Than Her Co-Star
There’s no doubt that Kathy Bates plays an extraordinarily dramatic character, and her nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series was very much earned. By another token, however,Olympia deals with extreme drama in episodes that hardly explore Matty’s backstory at all. This makes Olympia’s storylines worth a closer look the next time the Emmys roll around.
For instance, while Olympia learning Matty’s identity created conflict for them both,Matty’s betrayal of Olympia created trust issues for Lawrence that led to an emotional breakdown in front of her children. The scene in which Olympia tears the house apart thinking it’s full of Julian’s spy gadgets is easily one of themost heartbreaking moments ofMatlockseason 1.
On top of that, Olympia had to play on several subtle motivations throughout that entire storyline.Olympia now knows that she lost the only recording of her deceased father because Matty knowingly stole it, a detail her character has to now keep in mind throughout all future interactions with the title character.
Even Olympia’s career plotline is full of drama. Her mission to convince Senior that pro bono work can make money means thatshe has to constantly take on high-profile cases that most of Jacobson Moore expects her to lose. This givesMatlocka legal hook that it sometimes lacks when focusing on Matty’s character alone.
It’s not that Bates isn’t still the driving emotional force behind the series, but Olympia has turned out to be a much more motivating reason to watch than at least some might have initially expected.Matlockis almost certain to continue earning Emmy nominations in the future. At some point, Marshall’s name deserves to be among them.
Matlock
Cast
Matlock (2024) follows the return of Madeline Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian, to a prestigious law firm. Utilizing her unassuming demeanor and astute strategies, she navigates the legal world to win cases and uncover corruption. The series draws inspiration from the classic television series of the same name.
