CBS‘ popular legal drama Matlock made an unscheduled appearance during the network’s New Year’s Eve presentation.
About 42.5 minutes into CBS‘ holiday special New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, a performance by Lainey Wilson was cut off abruptly mid-song. The screen went black for a few seconds, followed by a string of promos for Survivor and other CBS programs before an episode of Matlock came on mid-scene. The drama starring Kathy Bates went on for awhile, frequently interrupted by ads and promos and accompanied by a crawl “We are experiencing technical difficulties” that was subsequently replaced by a longer one, “We are experiencing technical difficulties and programming will resume shortly.”
After an interruption that lasted more than 12 minutes, Nashville’s Big Bash resumed, with co-host Bert Kreischer addressing the outage.
“We lost power here in Nashville, and we got kicked off the air on CBS,” he said as he and fellow co-host Hardy joked that none of them pulled any plugs to cause the incident.
The special aired live on CBS and Paramount+ from 8-10 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30-1:30 a.m. ET/PT. Because it ended so late on the East Coast, it couldn’t be edited in real time for the West Coast where the concert also included the 12-minute interruption.
Let us now sing the praises of TV casting directors, who at their best know how to add just the right notes — sometimes harmonious, sometimes discordant — to an already tight ensemble. Justina Machado has worked with Matlock creator Jennie Snyder Urman before, on Urman’s Jane the Virgin. But it still takes a certain amount of vision to imagine how an actor with as strong a screen presence as Machado’s can fit into a show like this — and possibly keep the main cast on their toes.
In the case of Machado’s Eva Muñoz, a Jacobson-Moore partner and Senior’s vindictive ex-wife, her aggressiveness adds a jolt of energy to this show. Eva has the ability to throw Olympia and Matty off their games. She’s their ally, sure, in that she too wants to ruin Senior. But Olympia and Matty can’t trust that Eva has their best interests at heart… or even in mind, at all.
We met Eva briefly in this season’s third episode, after Senior became aware of The New York Times Wellbrexa story and called an emergency partners’ meeting. By the end of that episode, Eva had let a wary Olympia know she was game for a coup. In this week’s “Harm Reduction,” she says she’s ready to follow through. Eva knows that two Jacobson-Moore offices (Miami and D.C.) will back her, and two (Chicago and Dallas) are “Senior country.” They’ll need to sway the New York partners to, as Eva puts it, “deep-fry the devil.”
This isn’t a no-brainer play. Their window is narrow. The vote will be in six weeks, and will require 21 of the 40 partners to back Eva. And the potential repercussions are terrible. If the coup works, Olympia and Matty will have freer access to the Jacobson-Moore files. If it fails, they’re probably done with this mission, permanently.
Matty and Olympia are facing a formidable opponent in Senior, who in this episode starts working behind their back, recruiting Sarah to spy on Julian. But it’s also unclear if Eva’s on their wavelength. Even though she’s never met Matty, Eva is suspiciously well-informed about Olympia’s star associate. (“Loved your hardscrabble story,” she says. “Super-relatable. To juries, not to me. I come from money.”) Eva unnerves these women. She doesn’t share their rapport.
As cover for being in New York and consulting with Olympia, Eva has brought the team a case. A local convent in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood has come under fire from their newer, richer neighbors — and from their own diocese — because the nuns provide a safe space for junkies, with clean needles and Narcan. They testify that they’re following not just the biblical command for compassion, along with the most up-to-date medical advice about “harm reduction.”
This is a dramatically strong Matlock case, and not just because it feeds into the main storyline in a few ways. The history of American TV legal dramas — The Defenders, Owen Marshall, L.A. Law, Law & Order, The Practice, The Good Wife, etc. — is the history of U.S. social policy being debated on the small screen, with an implicit acknowledgment that no answers are ever easy. The nuns are clearly the heroes here, for taking care of the needy and saving lives. But there are children in this neighborhood too, and attracting addicts to the church makes the block more chaotic.
The court seems inclined to side with the neighborhood’s moneyed families and hip businesses, especially after the plaintiffs show a video of a woman ODing and screaming, right outside the church, in full public view. But then Matty has the bright idea to find this woman, Alyssa Lombardi (Whitney Bacon) so she can testify about how she grew up in this neighborhood, how the nuns saved her life, and how she’s been in rehab. “This is someone’s child too,” Matty explains to Olympia. “The judge needs to see that.”
This whole case is a tough assignment for Matty, because nearly everything about it reminds her of her daughter Ellie — like so much does lately. She even imagines Ellie on the stand, during Alyssa’s testimony, explaining how she hit rock bottom but got a second chance. When the hearing begins, Matty is at a medium-to-high boil, because she actually doesn’t think a harm-reduction policy helps junkies get clean. But she keeps working for the clients anyway. Gradually, she begins to develop a more nuanced take on the subject.
Olympia helps. Matty’s trying really hard in this episode to patch things up with her boss, to the point where she actually decides she needs to step away from the office for a little while, because her over-eagerness to please is a kind of unhealthy, addict-like behavior. For her part, Olympia realizes that her anger at Matty’s lies stems in part from how her rigidly moral father raised her, and that maybe she should also be more understanding.
Like I said: None of this is easy. In this episode’s other main storyline, as Matty tries to win votes for Eva’s coup from the New York partners, her folksy charm and subtle subterfuge gets under Olympia’s skin, reminding her yet again of the year her supposed friend spent lying to her. Sometimes the greater good is messy as hell.
In the end, the ladies have mixed success with the nuns’ case. The judge allows the convent to keep feeding the poor, but orders them to cut it out with the clean needles and Narcan. (In response, the nuns pledge to take their mission out into the streets.) But in looking for help wherever they can find it, Olympia calls on a Jacobson-Moore partner emeritus: Pat Cassidy (Phil Buckman), who left the law and became a priest. “After 30 years of working for the devil I thought I’d give God a try,” he says… with Senior in the room. Father Pat can’t persuade the diocese to back the nuns, but his return to the Jacobson-Moore offices gives Matty an idea. Pat is, technically, still a partner, which means he can vote on Eva’s coup, delivering “a good Old Testament smiting.”
Eva may end up being trouble for our heroes eventually — and I kind of hope she is, because Machado can play those impish notes with an entertaining vigor. But Father Pat? What could possibly go wrong for Matty and Olympia now, with God on their side?
• The structure of this episode is unusual for Matlock, in that at least two weeks pass during the running time. Usually this show’s cases are introduced and dispatched in a day or two, but here time jumps ahead twice, to account for the time it takes for Matty to whip votes and for Olympia to give Matty another chance. I like this, because it feels more realistic all around — and also because it moves the larger story much more quickly toward the big partner vote, now only a few weeks away.
• The Billy subplot this week is… whatever. But the Sarah subplot? It’s the best she’s had this season. While shadowing Julian on Senior’s orders, she finds that she has a lot in common with him, and also that he has no plans to poach any Jacobson-Moore clients. She assumes that Senior will be happy to hear that his son’s a good guy, but instead he insists that she do what he originally asked and surreptitiously take pictures of Julian’s datebook. She does — and she feels awful about it.
• We also get a very slight Alfie subplot, when Edward and Matty discover that he’s been faking some correspondence with his father, so that the grandparents won’t think that Joey is failing at rehab. This ends up plugging into the main storyline too, as Matty realizes from the nun trial that she shouldn’t put so much pressure on Joey and Alfie.
• Matty, trying to make some awkwardly friendly conversation with Olympia at the start of the episode, asks if she’s “an every Sunday Christian.” I liked Olympia’s response: “I’m a ‘talk about work at work’ Christian.”
Matlock star David Del Rio has been fired from the CBS series after the actor was accused of sexual assault.
What do we know about the allegations against David Del Rio?
According to a report from Variety, Del Rio was “escorted off the set” of Matlock last week, following an internal investigation at CBS. This comes after an incident on the show reportedly occurred involving a female actor also on the show. It’s unclear exactly what the incident involved, but Variety notes that Del Rio is no longer on set for the show.
Currently, Matlock is filming its second season, with more than half of the project having been filmed as of now. Del Rio starred on the show as Billy Martinez, a first-year associate at Jacobson Moore. According to Variety’s report, his character will now be written out of the series for future episodes.
While he will be written out, there’s also no word on what CBS plans to do about Del Rio’s inclusion in the show up until the moment he was fired. However, with the show set to debut its second season in just under a week, CBS won’t have very long to decide.
As October rolls in and the end of the year approaches, the streaming landscape starts to feel like a cinematic buffet—overflowing with prestige dramas, cozy comedies, and dark thrillers fighting for attention before awards season hits its peak. Some projects are built to challenge you; others simply remind you why we fall in love with storytelling in the first place.
This week, we’re highlighting four completely different releases that reflect just how wide the streaming spectrum can be. From an inventive romantic comedy to a surprisingly emotional courtroom reboot, a heartfelt documentary about one of comedy’s most beloved figures, and a chilling true-crime drama that might just keep you up at night—there’s a little something here for everyone.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Simply put, Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story will make your skin crawl.
This new installment in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series turns its focus to Ed Gein, the 1950s grave robber and murderer whose crimes inspired some of cinema’s most notorious villains—from Norman Bates in Psycho to Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.
Charlie Hunnam delivers an unsettling and deeply human performance as Gein, playing him not as a horror caricature but as a man shaped by trauma, repression, and mental illness. Rather than leaning on shock value, the series takes a psychological approach, exploring how isolation, societal neglect and untreated illness can warp the human mind.
When I spoke with Hunnam, he explained that the creative intent behind the show was not to excuse Gein’s crimes, but to understand how someone could descend into such darkness. “I mean, I think that’s the essential obsession with the show—how a human being turns into a monster,” Hunnam said. “And we’re certainly not trying to absolve him, but we’re also not trying to vilify him. We’re just trying to understand the truth.”
He went on to describe how that truth ended up being more disturbing than anyone expected. “It was terrifying because he was a victim of things that I think we all in society are exposed to,” he said. “He was abused, which hopefully not everybody has to endure in life, but there was isolation, and that played a huge factor. These negative images he was exposed to coming out of the Second World War and then untreated mental health—all of which are very relevant things we should be concerned about in society today.”
The result is a haunting, introspective look at evil—not as a supernatural force, but as something born from pain, neglect, and human frailty. Monster: The Ed Gein Story refuses to sanitize or sensationalize Gein’s life; instead, it holds up a mirror to the darker corners of human experience.
Anchored by Hunnam’s chilling performance and Murphy’s signature flair the series is both disturbing and thought-provoking, a grim reflection on how horror sometimes grows from the most ordinary places. Monster: The Ed Gein Storyis now streaming on Netflix.
Maintenance Required
Romantic comedies have been quietly making a comeback in the streaming era, and Maintenance Required may be one of the most charming examples yet. The film stars Madelaine Petsch—best known for Riverdale and her recent horror work in The Strangers: Chapter 2—as Charlie, an ambitious, grease-stained mechanic who owns an all-female auto shop. Her friends are always pushing her to have a life beyond her work, but she insists she’s happy the way things are.
What she doesn’t realize is that her anonymous pen pal on a Reddit automotive thread—a fellow gearhead she’s bonded with over late-night engine debates—is actually her professional nemesis. Bo (played by Bad Boys for Life standout Jacob Scipio) is a smooth corporate executive whose company is opening a massive chain repair shop just blocks away from Charlie’s business.
As fate would have it, these two online confidants are also rivals in real life, each unaware that the other’s the person behind the keyboard. The setup plays like You’ve Got Mail for the modern age—complete with text notifications, digital misunderstandings, and clever winks at how we connect (and misconnect) in the internet era.
For Petsch, the project represented a welcome change of pace and a chance to play a character who didn’t have to look perfect doing it. “I felt like I needed a breath of fresh air for sure,” Petsch said. “And I loved the idea of getting my hands dirty and playing a character that doesn’t really care about how she looks. I fell in love with the story easily—the elements of female friendship, and the idea of playing someone who’s maybe a little closed off to love and needs some coaxing out of that.”
She continued, “That’s rare to see on screen, but I really resonate with it. And honestly, I just wanted to have some fun. I wanted to do something a little lighter.”
That looseness and sense of play carried through the entire production. The film leans heavily on improvisation, and much of its charm comes from the natural chemistry among the cast—especially in scenes with comedian Jim Gaffigan, who appears in a hilarious supporting role.
Scipio said working opposite Gaffigan often meant trying not to laugh through takes. “It was hard to keep it together, to be fair,” he admitted. “Jim’s just so funny—he’s a pro. He came in and totally owned the set. There was a lot of improvisation and trust throughout this movie, and when you’ve got a pro like that, you’ve got to let him rip. Man, he’s a peacock—you’ve got to let him fly.”
With its quick wit, warm chemistry, and heart firmly in the right place, Maintenance Required is a refreshing spin on a familiar formula. It’s a light, charming reminder that even when love is messy, it’s still worth getting your hands dirty.
Maintenance Required on Amazon Prime, October 8.
Matlock: Season 2
When Matlock first hit television in 1986, it was a folksy courtroom drama anchored by Andy Griffith’s charm and small-town wit. Nearly four decades later, the idea of rebooting that legacy seemed risky—until Kathy Bates was announced in the title role.
In this reimagined version, Bates plays Maddie Matlock, a brilliant attorney who uses the name of the famous TV lawyer as her cover while secretly working to expose corruption inside one of the country’s most powerful law firms. It’s a clever meta twist: rather than pretending the original show never existed, the new Matlock acknowledges it as pop culture and flips it on its head.
What emerges is a legal drama with a conspiratorial edge—smart, layered, and surprisingly emotional. Bates brings the same gravitas and sly humor that have defined her career, and she’s backed by a talented ensemble.
The result is a modern Matlock that honors its namesake while carving out something entirely new—a sharp, character-driven legal drama with warmth, humor, and a touch of intrigue. Season 2 premieres Sunday, October 12 on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.
Editor’s Note: On October 9, a day after this story was originally published, several news outlets reported that David Del Rio was fired from Matlock after an alleged sexual assault and has been walked off the set. As of press time, this is only an accusation but given the seriousness of the accusation and the immediate actions of Paramount executives, we’ve decided to remove the extended earlier interview we’d had with him for this story.
John Candy: I Like Me
Comedy legends come and go, but few radiated warmth like John Candy. From Planes, Trains & Automobiles to Uncle Buck and Cool Runnings, Candy had an ability to make you laugh one moment and tear up the next—a quality this new documentary captures beautifully.
Directed with affection and insight by Colin Hanks, John Candy: I Like Me uses never-before-seen footage, outtakes, home movies, and photographs to paint a portrait that goes beyond the punchlines. Through interviews with Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Murray, Macaulay Culkin, and others, the film examines both his comedic genius and his inner battles—his insecurities, his kindness, and the weight of fame.
The title comes from a line Candy delivers in Planes, Trains & Automobiles: “I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me.” It’s a line that sums up everything about him—earnest, human, and unguarded. The documentary doesn’t shy away from his health issues or the pressures of Hollywood, but it ultimately celebrates a man who brought joy to millions while never losing sight of his humanity.
This isn’t just a trip down memory lane—it’s a reminder of the kind of heart and humor that rarely comes along twice. John Candy: I Like Me premieres October 10 on Amazon Prime, and it’s one of the most emotionally rewarding watches of the month.
“The Studio” made Emmy history Sunday night with its 12th trophy as the AppleTV+ movie-business romp became the winningest comedy series ever in a season.“Studio” co-creator Seth Rogen won for acting, directing and writing. Along with nine wins claimed at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, it broke a record set last year by “The Bear” with 11.“I could not wrap my head around this happening,” said Rogen after winning best comedy actor at the beginning of the CBS telecast. “I’ve never won anything in my life.”Rogen shared the directing Emmy with longtime collaborator and “Studio” co-creator Evan Goldberg, shared the writing Emmy with Goldberg and others. He’ll get his fourth if “The Studio” wins best comedy. The show rode blockbuster buzz into the Emmys for its breakout first season.Netflix’s acclaimed “Adolescence,” the story of a 13-year-old in Britain accused of a killing, won four Emmys in the limited series categories. Owen Cooper, who played the teen, became the youngest Emmy winner in more than 40 years with a win for best supporting actor.Cooper said in his acceptance that he was “nothing three years ago.”“It’s just so surreal,” Cooper said. “Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here. So I think tonight proves that if you, if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”Best supporting actress went to Erin Doherty, who played a therapist opposite Cooper in a riveting episode that like all four “Adolescence” episodes was filmed in a single shot.Cristin Milioti won best actress in a limited series for “The Penguin.” It was the first win of the night for the HBO series from the Batman universe after it won eight at the Creative Arts ceremony.Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman each won their first Emmy for “Severance,” the Apple TV+ Orwellian workplace satire that is considered the favorite for best drama. Lower won best actress in a drama and Tillman won best supporting actor in a drama.“My first acting coach was tough, y’all,” Tillman, wearing an all-white tuxedo, said from the stage. “But all great mothers are.”He looked out to his mother in the audience and told her, “You were there for me where no one else was, and no one else would show up.”His win had been widely expected but Lower’s was a surprise in a category where Kathy Bates was considered a heavy favorite, for “Matlock.”Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks” for the fourth time, at 73 extending her own record for the oldest woman ever to win the category.Every acting winner other than Smart was a first timer.A night of surprise winnersSmart’s castmate and constant scene partner Hannah Einbinder, who had also been nominated for all four seasons but unlike Smart had never won, took best supporting actress in a comedy.She said she had become committed to a bit where “it was cooler to lose.”“But this is cool too!” she shouted, then ended her speech by cursing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and saying “Free Palestine!”Katherine LaNasa won best supporting actress in a drama for the “The Pitt,” a surprise in a category where most expected one of the three nominees from “The White Lotus” to win.“I am so proud and honored,” LaNasa, looking emotional and shocked, said.In perhaps the biggest upset in a night full of them, Jeff Hiller won best supporting actor in a comedy for “Somebody Somewhere,” over Ike Barinholtz of “The Studio” and others.How the 2025 Emmys openedStephen Colbert was the first person to take the stage to present the award during the CBS telecast at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles despite the recent controversial cancellation of his show by the network. He was greeted by a rousing and lengthy standing ovation.“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” Colbert said.In an unusual show order, host Nate Bargatze delivered his opening monologue only after the first award was handed out.The show opened with a sketch where “Saturday Night Live” stars Mikey Day, Bowen Yang and James Austin Johnson joined Bargatze, who played television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth opining on what the future of TV will be like.Bargatze-as-Farnsworth mentions that there will be a Black Entertainment Television. When asked if there will be a network for white people, he replied, “Why, CBS of course.”
“The Studio” made Emmy history Sunday night with its 12th trophy, becoming the winningest comedy series ever in a season.
With victories for comedy acting, directing and writing Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ movie-business romp eclipses the record of 11 set last year by “The Bear.”
“The Studio” came into the night with nine Emmys from last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony, making it a virtual lock to break the record. And it could keep adding to its total before the evening’s done.
It was the third straight year the record was broken. Last year, “The Bear” – whose dramatic presence in the comedy category irked some competitors – broke its own record of 10 set the year before.
“I could not wrap my head around this happening,” said Rogen after his win for best comedy actor, the first award of the night. “I’ve never won anything in my life.”
Rogen shared the directing Emmy with his longtime collaborator and “Studio” co-creator Evan Goldberg, and he can still win two more before the night’s done.
Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman took trophies for “Severance.” Lower won best actress in a drama for “Severance” and Tillman won best supporting actor in a drama. It was the first career Emmy for each.
“My first acting coach was tough, y’all,” Tillman, wearing an all-white tuxedo, said from the stage. “But all great mothers are.”
He looked out to his mother in the audience and told her, “You were there for me where no one else was, and no one else would show up.”
His win had been widely expected but Lower’s was a surprise in a category where Kathy Bates was considered a heavy favorite, for “Matlock.”
A night of surprise winners
Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks” for the fourth time, at 73 extending her own record for the oldest woman ever to win the category.
Her castmate and constant scene partner Hannah Einbinder, who had also been nominated for all four seasons but unlike Smart had never won, took best supporting actress in a comedy.
She said she had become committed to a bit where “it was cooler to lose.”
“But this is cool too!” she shouted, then ended her speech by cursing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and saying “Free Palestine!”
Katherine LaNasa won best supporting actress in a drama for the “The Pitt,” a surprise in a category where most expected one of the three nominees from “The White Lotus” to win.
“I am so proud and honored,” LaNasa, looking emotional and shocked, said.
In perhaps the biggest upset in a night full of them, Jeff Hiller won best supporting actor in a comedy for “Somebody Somewhere,” over Ike Barinholtz of “The Studio” and others.
How the 2025 Emmys opened
Stephen Colbert was the first person to take the stage to present the award during the CBS telecast at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles despite the recent controversial cancellation of his show by the network. He was greeted by a rousing and lengthy standing ovation.
“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” Colbert said.
The show opened with a sketch where “Saturday Night Live” stars Mikey Day, Bowen Yang and James Austin Johnson joined Bargatze, who played television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth opining on what the future of TV will be like.
Bargatze-as-Farnsworth mentions that there will be a Black Entertainment Television. When asked if there will be a network for white people, he replied, “Why, CBS of course.”
Apple TV+ is poised to have a breakout Emmy year with the two most nominated shows, “Severance” and “The Studio,” which are the favorites to win the two biggest awards.
What to expect from the 2025 Emmy Awards
“The Studio,” with co-creator Rogen starring as the new head of a movie studio, came into the evening the top comedy nominee with 23 and blockbuster buzz for its breakout first season.
“Severance,” the Orwellian office drama about people who surgically split their psyches into workplace “innies” and home “outies,” was the top overall nominee with 27 nominations for its second season. It won six at the Creative Arts ceremony and now stands at eight.
Along with best drama — which would be a first for Apple — star Adam Scott could win his first Emmy, for best actor.
Its top competition for best drama could be “The Pitt,” HBO’s acclaimed drama about one shift in the life of an emergency room.
Its star Noah Wyle could be both the sentimental favorite and the actual favorite for best actor. He was nominated five times without a win for playing a young doctor on “ER” in the 1990s, and now could finally take his trophy for what is in many ways a reprise of the role.
Many perceived the end of the show as punishment of Colbert and placation of President Donald Trump after Colbert was harshly critical of a legal settlement between the president and Paramount, which needed administration approval for a sale to Skydance Media. Executives called the decision strictly financial.
How to watch and stream the Emmys and its red carpet
The Emmys are airing live on CBS at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific time.
Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers may stream the show live. Standard Paramount+ subscribers can stream it Monday through Sept. 21.
