Matlock

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.

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. Bens suspicions soon turn to a woman named Helen Shelly, but unfortunately, its hard to find her. Doug Templitt seems to be the only one who knows where she is.

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 Bens choice, as she believes everything the tabloids have to say about Brad...not only that, but years earlier, hed 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 thats printed in the papers is true and that maybe Ellen wasnt quite honest with her, even though a call girl (Caryn Nelson) hired to make Brad look guilty almost convinces her that he is.

Even though theyve lost a key witness, Matlock keeps defending Nicholas Baron. Daniel tries to convince Matlock that his father just cant 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 cant separate the man from the legend.

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.

Professor Erskine Tate wakes from a drunken stupor behind the wheel of his car. He doesnt know how he got there or what happened. When hes accused of having hit a mailman during his drunken joyride, he goes to a former student, Ben Matlock, for help, and Ben investigates two students and a teaching assistant.

Michael and Victoria Edwards may be divorced, but unfortunately, she couldnt 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.

When Beverly Hills cookie entrepreneur Adam Gardners 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 clients 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, Adams supposed best friend.

Seven years ago Ben defended Les Matthews, who was accused of killing his friend and business partner and Ben lost. Today Matthews has been granted parole. While working in the library, Wayne Lashley enters with his two goons, Lipton and Foley. While Lipton and Foley keep watch, Lashley tries to kill Les, but in the struggle, its Lashley who ends up dead, and Les who ends up looking guilty. Matthews is charged with Lashleys murder and Ben wants to defend him. He sends Tyler undercover in the prison and places him with the cellmate of the man who was killed. He gives Ben evidence that not only proves Matthews is telling the truth but also who was responsible for the murder that Matthews was convicted of seven years ago.

As the case progresses, Ben discovers that the lieutenant and four other officers may have been involved in some kind of illegal activities. Charlene who has been working undercover and gets close to one of those officers, examines him on the stand and he reveals that they have been smuggling drugs. Ben then examines one of the officers and has him reveal to the court the scar that the lieutenant left on him after he killed him. He then reveals that he and the other two officers drew straws on who would kill him cause, an investigation might reveal their activities.

While defending union boss Gerald OHara, 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 hes innocent, and that his client was railroaded by the same man who tried to bring down Ben.

When Laurie Palmer is arrested for killing her husband, the reporter covering the case is convinced of her innocence, and goes to Ben Matlock looking for help.

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Michelle agrees to defend college chum Andrea Morrow after she is accused of murdering her abusive lover, Clay Graham. Matlock soon becomes convinced that the murderer was Clays blind friend, Arthur Hampton, but will have a devil of a time proving how a blind man managed to carry off a near-perfect murder.

When Matlock agrees to defend Cassies friend Judy, he is shocked to learn that Judys husband had another wife. As the case continues, Matlock learns that there was also a third Mrs. Benson, and that Kevin Benson managed to successfully maintain three separate wives in three separate households.

After Agent Davies offers Melinda an exclusive, she changes her plea to guilty. Matlock tries to talk to her, especially after its revealed that the person Melinda was talking to was an imposter.

Matlock agrees to defend Vanessa Douglas when shes accused of murdering Stephen Cassidy, and author who destroyed a political families ambitions with a tell-all book. When Matlock realises his client is indeed guilty of the murder she is charged of committing, he sets up a plan to implicate her best friend, Sarah, with the crime, knowing that Vanessa will not let her friend take the blame for something she did.

When Brian Emerson is arrested and charged with his wifes murder, Matlock takes the case, waiving his usual fee. His efforts to get the father out on bail fail when he lands a judge who has lost his Christmas spirit, and Matlock takes the young girl in with him.

Matlock agrees to defend Donna Stewart when shes accused of murdering Christie Huntley, an aerobics instructor at Pinewood Spa who slept with her husband. Matlock soon realises that Christies death had nothing to do with who she slept with and everything to do with why she slept with them.

Matlock agrees to defend dance instructor Scott Lazar after he is charged with the murder of his married lover. It would be a lot easier to prove Scotts innocence if there wasnt another woman in the wings also claiming to be his lover.

Sam Gerard is a well-known mobster who is about to be exposed. His estranged son, Craig Gentry, is arrested for murder, but refuses to go to Sam for help, and instead, goes to Ben Matlock.

Matlock needs to prove that one of three people murdered a scheming huckster. This Episode also aired at later dates with a total of 3 alternate endings. Only the last 2:24 of the show is altered for each version.

When Matlocks nephew Irwin is charged with murder, Matlock investigates at a high-tech computer firm to clear his name.

Matlock defends a Vietnamese fisherman and his son when a racist fisherman is killed, and the Vietnamese fisherman is charged with his murder because the two had words. It isnt just the fisherman that Matlock ends up defending, as he also becomes a target of the racist townspeople.

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Anthony Stewart is charged with murdering Michael Russell, the husband of the woman he was sleeping with. Although Stewart, a visiting British ambassador, has diplomatic immunity, he refuses to use it, and wants to clean his name. Matlcok agrees to defend the young ambassador, but his case is almost over when Stewart is nearly killed in a hit and run.

Matlock agrees to defend Laura McCord after shes charged with murdering her husband David in a jealous rage. He and Julie soon realise that Davids lover is the key in all this, but she seems to have disappeared! Ben and Julie head to the mountains to find her, and realise that the young woman is connected to organized crime.

Captain Edward Hanna was once a fine, fine cop. Unfortunately, his actions over the years have netted him with the nickname The Mad Hatter. When police officer Jim Shanley is found dead after spouting off about Hanna, sergeant Jerry Reese is charged with the crime. Everyone thinks hes guilty, especially Shanleys partner, Donna Dawson. In defending Reese, Matlock begins to realise that his old friend Hanna isnt the cop he used to be.

When Chris Reardon, a man determined to bring the sixties back into the late eighties, is charged with murdering mayor Brian Barelli, reporter Paul ONeill brings Matlock to Chicago to defend him, convinced of his innocence. Matlock reluctantly agrees to follow through with the case after realising ONeill tricked him, because he knows that dropping the case will seriously hurt Reardons chances.

Seven years earlier Ken Wilson was sent to prison, convicted of murdering his wife, Ann. After hes released, he runs into his wife in Los Angeles, only now shes going by the name Kelly Manning. When she turns up dead, Ken Wilson is again arrested and charged with her murder. Ben is determined to prove that someone else killed the woman. Back in Atlanta, Les is thrilled about his new relationship with Bernice, a woman he met at Ray Templins.

An old friend comes to Matlock to beg him to prove that her daughter Lauren didnt murder her rival Morgan Girard after a beauty contest.

When a rare coin dealer is charged with murdering a thieving employee, he hires Matlock to defend him. Tyler is less than thrilled when Matlock temporarily hires a female investigator, and has his own suspicions of her motives.

When the manager of a thoroughbred farm is murdered, her father begs Matlock to represent the mentally handicapped man accused of the crime.

When William Austin comes to Atlanta from Chicago and heads to the cult that has ensnared his son Dennis, Dennis tells him to leave him alone, the cult is his home now, and that he is no longer his father. The leader of the cult, Joshua Bradbury, tells Austin that he needs to accept Dennis decision, and to leave him alone. Austin refuses to leave without his son, and Bradbury has the police escort Austin (who threatens to take off Bradburys head) out of mansion. Dennis observes someone shooting Joshua, then tells police he sees his father fleeing the scene of the crime. William Austin heads to Ben Matlock for help in defending himself. After learning that Dennis has signed his trust fund and his lifes savings over to the cult, Matlock confronts him, and is shocked to hear Dennis deny his father. Matlock goes to a reknowned expert in de-programming cult victims, who tells him that Dennis may believe he saw his father, but he is probably so brain-washed by the cult that he cant real

After a local mobster is accused of murdering a priest, Alex Winthrop goes to Matlock for help with the case because he knows that he cant do it on his own. It doesnt take long before Matlock realises that the Church is covering something up.

After her husbands death she never thought shed love again, but it Bonnie soon found her future with Cal Ritter. The only problem is that her son, Tony Morgen, hates Cal. When Tony kills Cal and frames his mother for her murder, Matlock takes the case to prove that Bonnie is innocent, but to prove her innocence, he will have to destroy her son.

Julie heads to Baltimore to defend a man accused of killing the newspaper editor who dragged his name through the mud. Matlock comes to town to help her because Conrad is busy on another case, and helps Julie out when the prosecutor, who just happens to be her ex-husband, does whatever he can to trip Julie up.

Catherine McKay is an aging prima donna who only had one hit movie in her career. When shes found dead, stabbed in the chest with the knife that made her famous, suspicion lands on Noel Bishop, the horror film director that wanted her off his picture.

When a prison guard is accused of murder, Matlock actually goes into the prison itself to defend the man.

Matlock takes the case of Drew Carey, a young man he has known since childhood, who is accused of murdering his uncle in a fit of drunken rage. Unfortunately, Drew has grown up into a spoiled, self-centered young man who refuses to listen to anything Matlock tells him and is determined to prove that the killer is his uncles wife Valerie who was much younger than her husband and was having an affair with a construction worker. Despite everyone trying to tell Matlock that Drew is no good, he is convinced that somewhere inside is the sweet boy he once knew, and he truly believes that Drew is innocent.

When a scrooge of a store owner is accused of murdering his partner for being good at Christmas, Matlock agrees to take the case, but Steven Abbott is furious when part of Matlocks fee involves Abbott having to be a good guy.

Matlock goes back to school for a little more education, and while there, one of his students is accused of murdering the professor she was having an affair with. Matlock soon learns that love wasnt the motive; cheating on tests was.

Matlock tries to prove that someone other than his client had a motive to murder his lover. His best bet? The victims paraplegic husband.

Matlock has to defend an arrogant young tennis professional (Dave Travis) against a charge of murdering his rival on and off the court (Victor Tomassio).

With Angelas help, Conrad tries to track down an informer they believe holds the key to Sam Chandlers murder.

Cartoonist Ron Winfield has kept Atlanta enthralled with his recent storyline in ""The Peach Pit"" involving an affair by Senator Peter Dolan. Just before the woman in the affair can be named in print, the strips disappear.

Phyllis Todd confesses to the murder of her boss to protect her daughter. Matlock soon sees through his clients ruse.

A call girl blackmails her employer to stay on the payroll, and when one of them winds up dead, its Matlock to the rescue.

When Ed Tobias is found murdered after exposing his dirty co-workers to the top brass (they sold the drugs they didnt turn in), Lt. Brooks asks Matlock to defend his accused killer, Johnny Bauer, the only one in the unit who wasnt on the take. In between playing catch with Conrad, Matlock agrees to defend Bauer, even though he feels Bauer is just as dirty as his friends were because he knew what they were up to and he kept quiet.

Matlock sends Conrad to Chicago to collect the evidence that will prove his client is innocent.

Conrad is thrilled to introduce Matlock to his new girlfriend Carla Royce. When Carlas boss is murdered, Matlock defends the accused at her bequest.

When stockbroker Richard Wagner is murdered, his former partner Avery Campbell needs Julies help to prove his innocence.

Matlock has known Sam Spelvin since he was six years old, so he agrees to consult on Sams play, Lovers and Lawyers. Unfortunately, the play is truly awful. When noted critic John Bosley Hackett, who felt the play was truly one of the worst in history, is found murdered, Sam is arrested. Matlock agrees to defend Sam, even deferring his payment while they wait to see if the play is a success, and manages to find a few more people who would be more than happy to see Hackett dead...and to see Sams play fail.

Matlock is all set to be honored as the man of the year, but when his car breaks down and hes forced to ask his housekeeper for a ride, a simple twenty minute trip turns into a flat tire, a hostage situation, and an afternoon in jail.

Matlock receives a call in the middle of the night from a young man who once painted his house who claims hes been arrested for stealing the formula to cure baldness from a company who fired his friend and stole his work. Twenty-four hours later Ben gets another call from the same young man, who has been accused of murdering the man he claims he stole the formula for. The biggest problem is that none of what Jeff Duvall claims seems to be true; not only did Tim Crider not ask him to steal the formula, but he was never fired in the first place!

Matlock manages to figure out whats going on, but his competition ices him out of the final round...or so it seems.

Ben defends a one time movie queen who is now a cosmetics mogul who is accused of murdering her ex-lover to prevent the publication of some revealing photos of her.

Serial killer Jeffrey Speidel strangles his victims. When Matlock gets inovlved in the case, Speidel makes a point of turning Matlock into his next target...his goal is to ruin Matlock publicly before killing him.

When a marriage counselor is murdered, the suspects include not only his fellow co-workers, but also the couples he was treating...apparently part of his treatment involved seducing the female half of the couples.

Matlock defends a wealthy widow charged with the murder of her husband, while Michelle helps to defend a father accused of murdering the drug dealer who got his child hooked...a dealer who just happened to be a cop.

When the producer of the popular Its About Time gameshow is murdered, Matlock defends the aging host at the request of a friend of Conrads, while Michelle goes undercover as a contestant.

After much persuasion, Matlock agrees to help his disagreeable cousin locate her erstwhile husband, using a doctored photograph to help find him.

Matlock retires from law after bungling up a case and forgetting his clients name. He heads out of town to do some fishing, but after a hitchhiker he gave a lift to dies mysteriously, he sticks around to investigate the case.

Matlock has every intention of preserving lawyer/client confidentiality, but when a group of mobsters kidnap Michelle to extort information from Matlock, he has to weigh his professional ethics against her life.

A TV anchorwoman plans to frame a TV reporter for murder. When the intended victim fakes their own death, the reporter is arrested for a crime that was never committed and Matlock has to work to get them off the hook.

When the local mayor is assassinated, Matlocks daughter Leanne comes to town to prove the case. The case takes a different turn when a judge is accused of murdering a local mans wife, and Ben and Leanne have to work out the problems in their relationship to clear Eller of murder.

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Although Josh Winfield confessed to the murder of Arthur Kendall, it doesnt take long for the police to blow holes in his story. Matlock then has Conrad take a closer look at Yolanda Bergstrom, the woman Kendall had been with not long before he died, and Conrad then finds there is another connection between Yolanda and Kendall -- her sister Sabrina. Leanne remains convinced that Charlie Matlock had nothing to do with Jake Kendalls murder, and she, Brian and Matlock all investigate the thirty year old case. Matlock continues to date Elaine, trying desperately to be the healthy, fit man he thinks she wants.

Matlock talks to a law class about his career, and the subject of the perfect murder comes up. When student Eddie Price disappears after getting into it with Mark Randall, the university believes that Matlocks speech may have incited one of the students to murder. To clear his name, Matlock and Leanne decide to engage the students into an investigation into Eddies disappearance, and soon learn that Eddie had more than they thought in common with not only Mark, but also Bobby Simpson as well -- they had all shared the same girlfriend.

When Billy Wheeler comes back to town $250,000 richer after having won the lottery, he soon falls for contractor Judy Wilson. Unfortunately, when she takes him and every other partner for a ride, Billy is accused of her murder, and Matlock has to clear his name.

The nephew of an eccentric millionaire is accused of murdering his uncle after they were seen arguing and Cliff is sent to work in the uncles zoo in order to gather information to exonerate him. Meanwhile, Billy persuades Ben to defend him in court after he becomes involved in an investment scheme gone awry.

When Leannes ex-husband Peter is charged with the murder of his friend and boss, once the truth comes out about Peters possible motive in the killing, Matlock despises his ex-son-in-law more than ever.

Even from his hospital bed Matlock cant get the case of a TV star accused of killing a therapist out of his mind.

Matlock, Leanne and Cliff go to North Carolina to attend Billys sisters funeral. While there, they end up getting involved in a pair of murders connected to two young women. As a way to catch them, Leanne sets up a trap using Cliff as bait.

Matlock takes Leanne to meet Martha Jordan, the wife of his very first client back in 1962. Stan Shaw was the cook at the local diner when he was accused of killing the local sheriff after a disagreement in the diner. Charlie Matlock pushed Ben, who had recently quit his job as a district attorney to take the case, but not everyone in town was happy with the Matlocks siding with the black cook accused of killing the white sheriff. Despite Cyrus Jordans attempts to get the Matlocks to drop his case for their own safety, father and son were determined to prove that Cyrus never killed anyone.

A comedian becomes accused of murdering another comic who had insulted him on stage.

While Cliff investigates a suit of medical malpractice and ends up getting more involved than he should with his client, Matlock investigates the case of the mysterious Rod Greenwood, who happens to bear an eerie resemblance to a dead businessman. Soon Cliff and Matlock realise that their cases are tied together.

Matlock dreams that he, Leanne, Billy and Cliff are in 1932 and are involved with the murder of a sax player.

Abductors tries to kidnap Leanne but takes Billy instead and hold him for ransom.

A thug tries to make Leanne fall in love with him by using her journal that he stole from her house.

Matlock reluctantly agrees to spend the weekend as part of a murder mystery with Cliff, Leanne, and three people who each paid $10,000 for the privilege of matching wits with Ben Matlock. When the pretend victim turns up really dead, they know that one of the three paying visitors killed him. Leanne has her father keep the three suspects occupied with stories of previous cases while she and Cliff investigate.

A P.I.s daughter shoots some photos that get the wrong man accused of murder.

A lawyer who is a fan of Matlocks is accused of murdering a blackmailing P.I.

Matlock defends a journalist who killed an underworld figure in self-defense after meeting with him for an interview.

When Matlock defends an attorney accused of murdering her boss, he also uncovers a history of sexual harrassment involving the law firm.

Michael defends U.S. senatorial candidate Carol Davis when shes accused of murdering tabloid editor Ross Buckley. Jerri goes undercover at the paper to prove that someone there may have had an even bigger motive than Carol.

When Cliffs friend Fred is accused of murdering Melissa, a woman he met through the dating service Perfect Harmony, he and Matlock take the case, and Jerri goes undercover to investigate. She sets herself up as one of the datees, much to the frustration of a loca police officer. Unfortunately, she has better luck than she hoped, as one of her dates is a killer in disguise.

A radio personality is accused of killing his partner, but Ben suspects the victims girlfriend. The only problem is that she seems to have an airtight alibi...Rays neighbor, Mr. Yates, watched her find the body.

Katie Clark is a hot new prosecutor in town, fresh from St. Louis, but originally from Atlanta. Her first case involves prosecuting a building contractor who has been accused of murdering one of his employees, who just happens to be Clarks former lover. Despite his reservations about Clark prosecuting a former lover, Matlock agrees to let her continue on the case, impressed by her desire to not allow her personal past with Gibson to affect her judgment.

Matlock is the unlikely witness when a boat blows up killing Judge Michael Sterns. Had it not been for Bens sea-sickness, he would have been on the boat. Convinced that someone was out to get him and not Judge Sterns, Matlock, Cliff and Jerri take a look through some of Bens old cases to find out who did it, and Matlock takes on the case of the man accused of the crime, a former lawyer who had been disbarred for jury tampering exactly five years earlier.

Matlock and Jerri head out to the beach with Billy and Cliff as Cliff prepares for an upcoming triathlon. Once there, Matlock is surprised to run into retired F.B.I. agent Ed Wingate, who is investigating a case of his own. While Matlock keeps himself busy occasionally running into Ed, Cliff throws himself into the competition, and Billy throws himself at Anita Montrose, the real estate agent who rented them the beach house theyre staying at. When one of the people Ed is investigating is found dead, Matlock agrees to defend his old friend.