Matlock works because of a simple, delicious hook: a seemingly harmless older woman walks into a powerful law firm with a secret agenda, and everyone underestimates her until it's too late. Kathy Bates' Madeline "Matty" Matlock — a modern take on Andy Griffith's 1986–1995 legal drama — goes undercover to bring down the lawyers behind a cover-up tied to the opioid crisis. If that mix of courtroom cleverness, hidden identities and an underdog playing a long game is what keeps you pressing play, these ten shows deliver it. They're ranked by how closely they capture what makes Matlock click.
Like the police-procedural side of network TV? Our guides to shows like The Rookie and Castle cover the cop-drama cousins of these picks, and who Martin Fleming is in Dept. Q is worth a look if you like your mysteries British.
1. Harry's Law (NBC, 2011–2012)
The closest thing to Matlock in spirit — and it stars Kathy Bates. Created by David E. Kelley, Harry's Law follows Harriet Korn, a former patent lawyer who opens a scrappy, street-level practice out of a Cincinnati shoe store and proves to be the smartest person in every courtroom. It ran for two seasons, and it's the show to start with if what you love is watching Bates outmaneuver people who wrote her off.
2. Suits (USA Network, 2011–2019)
Matlock's hidden-identity engine, played for style. Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) has a photographic memory, no law degree, and a job at Harvey Specter's (Gabriel Macht) elite firm — and the show's tension comes from whether anyone will find out. Nine seasons of sharp suits, sharper dialogue, and one very big secret.
3. Elsbeth (CBS, 2024–)
Carrie Preston plays Elsbeth Tascioni, the cheerfully scatterbrained lawyer first introduced in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, who is repeatedly underestimated by killers and cops alike. Each episode shows you the crime first, then lets you watch her unravel it — a Columbo-style structure that scratches the same "she knows more than she's letting on" itch as Matlock, on the same network.
4. The Good Wife (CBS, 2009–2016)
Julianna Margulies stars as Alicia Florrick, who returns to practicing law after her husband's very public scandal. Across seven seasons it's a smart, grown-up mix of case-of-the-week courtroom drama and slow-burn office politics, and it's the show that gave the modern network legal drama its template.
5. Damages (FX / Audience Network, 2007–2012)
Glenn Close is magnetic as ruthless litigator Patty Hewes, and Rose Byrne plays the young lawyer pulled into her orbit. Damages is a darker cousin of Matlock: big corporate wrongdoing, high-stakes lawsuits, and a puzzle-box structure that keeps flashing forward to show you where everything is heading. It ran five seasons between 2007 and 2012.
6. Boston Legal (ABC, 2004–2008)
Another David E. Kelley creation, and the funniest entry here. James Spader's Alan Shore and William Shatner's Denny Crane are two of TV's great legal odd couples, and the show mixes real courtroom stakes with outrageous humor across five seasons. Watch it for the friendships as much as the cases.
7. Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015–2022)
The Breaking Bad spin-off is, at heart, a slow, tragic story about a lawyer who keeps bending his own rules. Bob Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill is the ultimate hustling underdog, and across six seasons the show pairs meticulous courtroom and con-artist set pieces with some of the best character writing on television.
8. The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix, 2022–)
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Mickey Haller, a defense attorney who runs his practice out of the back seat of a Lincoln. Based on Michael Connelly's novels, each season adapts one of the books into a single tightly plotted case, and Netflix has said the fifth season will be the last — which makes it an easy series to catch up on now.
9. Perry Mason (HBO, 2020–2023)
A grittier reimagining of the classic character, set in 1930s Los Angeles, with Matthew Rhys as a down-on-his-luck investigator who slowly becomes the lawyer we know. It's moodier and more cinematic than Matlock, but if you enjoy watching an underdog build a case from nothing, two seasons are well worth your time.
10. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, 2014–2020)
Viola Davis plays Annalise Keating, a formidable criminal-law professor whose students get tangled up in a murder. The show earned Davis an Emmy and runs on twists, and while it's far more soap-operatic than Matlock, it shares the same appetite for secrets that unravel across a whole season.
Where to Start
Want more Kathy Bates? Start with Harry's Law. Want a hidden identity at the center of the story? Suits. Want a cozy, character-driven procedural on CBS? Elsbeth. Whichever you pick, you're in good company — the legal drama is one of TV's most durable genres for a reason.
Keep Watching
- 7 K-Dramas About Genius Lawyers — if you want your legal dramas with subtitles.
- 10 Best Shows To Watch if You Like Castle — procedural fun with a partnership at the center.
- 10 Best Shows To Watch if You Like The Rookie — another network drama with a late-blooming hero.
- 25 Most Underrated Crime Dramas of the 2010s — more slow-burn crime TV.