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The Best Episodes of Matlock

Every episode of Matlock ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Matlock!

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Thrifty, folksy and cantankerous, Matlock charges a premium for his services but is worth every penny: This renowned attorney, always clothed in his trademark light-gray suit and driving his signature Ford Crown Victoria, has an

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Matlock Season 8 Episode 13 - The Kidnapping (1)
    8.3/10(117 votes)

    S8:E13

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

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Matlock Season 9 Episode 3 - The Scandal
    8.3/10(185 votes)

    S9:E3

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

    Director:Frank Thackery
    Writer:Brian Alan Lane

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  3. Matlock Season 9 Episode 7 - The Dating Game
    8.3/10(112 votes)

    S9:E7

    When Cliff's 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.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Matlock Season 9 Episode 14 - The Assault
    8.2/10(134 votes)

    S9:E14

    While Cliff, Jerri and Billy plan to throw Ben a surprise party for his birthday, Ben goes to the city to pick up barbecue. While there, his car breaks down, he's mugged, the phone eats his last quarter ... and by the time he is rescued by activist Stan Johnson and returned to his car, it's half-stripped and they've stolen his barbecue. Matlock is very impressed by the young man, and when he's accused of trying to kill the landlord of the apartment complex he lives in, Matlock steps in to defend him and to stand up to the landlord, who is a very respected man in the legal community.

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Matlock Season 9 Episode 15 - The Heist (1)
    8.2/10(122 votes)

    S9:E15

    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 they're staying at. When one of the people Ed is investigating is found dead, Matlock agrees to defend his old friend.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Matlock Season 6 Episode 3 - The Strangler
    8.1/10(154 votes)

    S6:E3

    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.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Matlock

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  7. Matlock Season 6 Episode 6 - The Dame
    8.1/10(145 votes)

    S6:E6

    While dining with Julie, a chance meeting with a woman causes Ben to relate the story of his investigation, many years earlier, of a widow that Ben's father (played by Andy Griffith) believes may have been involved with the death of his friend - her husband.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Matlock Season 7 Episode 13 - The Revenge
    8.1/10(130 votes)

    S7:E13

    Matlock witnesses a robbery at a convenience store, but when things start happening that make him look like he's losing it, including messing with his papers, sending him to the wrong parties, and submitting phony pictures of his hind end to the papers, Matlock begins to realise that someone is trying to set him up. He, Cliff and Conrad begin to go through some of his old cases, trying to figure out which recently released killer is out to get him, but everyone they think of seems to have an alibi.

    Director:Burt Brinckerhoff
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Matlock Season 9 Episode 9 - Dead Air
    8.1/10(123 votes)

    S9:E9

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

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Matlock Season 1 Episode 2 - The Judge
    8.0/10(396 votes)

    S1:E2

    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.

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Robert Hamilton

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  11. Matlock Season 1 Episode 8 - The Sisters
    8.0/10(288 votes)

    S1:E8

    Harold Scully is a boring man. But at least he knows that. When he begs old acquaintance Ben Matlock to defend him on charges of murdering his wealthy wife Esther, Matlock reluctantly agrees. The more investigating he does, the more he realises that there is something seriously wrong with Harold's two nieces, sisters Julia and Emily.

    Director:Alan Cooke
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Matlock Season 4 Episode 12 - The Buddies
    8.0/10(161 votes)

    S4:E12

    After an old friend from college dies, Matlock has to investigate three college chums on the charge of murdering a hitchhiker thirty years earlier.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Matlock Season 6 Episode 11 - The Foursome
    8.0/10(140 votes)

    S6:E11

    Matlock reluctantly agrees to defend millionaire Ellis Blake when he's accused of murdering his daughter's fiancé, Jeffrey Holden, an enterprising golf caddy who supplemented his living by blackmailing the men he caddied for. At the same time, Matlock is dealing with a brand new deputy district attorney, Lauren Richmond, who just seems too sweet to be real.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Matlock Season 7 Episode 1 - The Vacation
    8.0/10(221 votes)

    S7:E1

    Matlock and Leanne head to the beach where Leanne reunites with three good friends from college, and Matlock reunites with someone from his past who just happens to be the brother of the woman whose heart Matlock 'broke' years earlier.

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Matlock Season 8 Episode 4 - The Diner
    8.0/10(142 votes)

    S8:E4

    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 Jordan's 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Matlock Season 8 Episode 17 - The Murder Game
    8.0/10(111 votes)

    S8:E17

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Robert Schlitt

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  17. Matlock Season 9 Episode 11 - The Verdict
    8.0/10(108 votes)

    S9:E11

    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 Clark's 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.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Matlock Season 9 Episode 13 - The Target
    8.0/10(131 votes)

    S9:E13

    Matlock is the unlikely witness when a boat blows up killing Judge Michael Sterns. Had it not been for Ben's 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 Ben's 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Joel Steiger

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  19. Matlock Season 1 Episode 23 - The Reporter
    7.9/10(180 votes)

    S1:E23

    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.

    Director:Charles S. Dubin
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Matlock Season 3 Episode 6 - The Captain
    7.9/10(165 votes)

    S3:E6

    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 he's guilty, especially Shanley's partner, Donna Dawson. In defending Reese, Matlock begins to realise that his old friend Hanna isn't the cop he used to be.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Matlock Season 4 Episode 1 - The Hunting Party (1)
    7.9/10(162 votes)

    S4:E1

    Spencer Hamilton came to Manteo, North Carolina, as soon as he could to locate the man who killed his brother, Frank, in a supposed duck-hunting accident. When Ryan Bartell (the shooter) is found dead, Matlock heads to North Carolina to defend Hamilton, and finds an unlikely ally in local deputy Conrad McMasters.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Matlock Season 4 Episode 2 - The Hunting Party (2)
    7.9/10(151 votes)

    S4:E2

    Spencer Hamilton came to Manteo, North Carolina, as soon as he could to locate the man who killed his brother, Frank, in a supposed duck-hunting accident. When Ryan Bartell (the shooter) is found dead, Matlock heads to North Carolina to defend Hamilton, and finds an unlikely ally in local deputy Conrad McMasters.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Matlock Season 6 Episode 2 - The Witness Killings (2)
    7.9/10(134 votes)

    S6:E2

    After a second young man dies under mysterious circumstances, Matlock continues to do his best to defend Russ Gifford, and tries to keep his animosity with the town at a minimum while Julie makes friends with the local women, and Conrad investigates the tattoo that ties the whole case together.

    Director:Christopher Hibler
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Matlock Season 6 Episode 8 - The Suspect (2)
    7.9/10(192 votes)

    S6:E8

    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.

    Director:Harvey S. Laidman
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Matlock Season 6 Episode 14 - The Outcast (1)
    7.9/10(172 votes)

    S6:E14

    Matlock retires from law after bungling up a case and forgetting his client's 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Robert Schlitt

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Kidnapping (1)" is the best rated episode of "Matlock". It scored 8.3/10 based on 117 votes. Directed by Christopher Hibler and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/13/1994. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Scandal".