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.

When Matlock's new neighbor, Les 'Ace' Calhoun, is charged with murdering the used car salesman who sold him a lemon, Matlock takes the case to prove that more than one person had a motive, and that Les is not the guilty party.

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

When legendary blues singer Eddie Haynes is charged with murder, Matlock agrees to defend a man he once idolized. Haynes swears that the young rock star he's accused of killing was going to write him a hit song, and Matlock soon realises that there is no shortage of people who wanted the charismatic young musician dead.

Seven years earlier Ken Wilson was sent to prison, convicted of murdering his wife, Ann. After he's released, he runs into his wife in Los Angeles, only now she's 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 Templin's.

Matlock agrees to defend psychiatrist Lucas Forbes when he's arrested for killing Adam Whitley, the husband of one of his patients whom Lucas was reportedly having an affair with, according to the woman's diary. Matlock soon realises that Erin Whitley has a host of deep-rooted psychiatric problems. After a few chance meetings with a woman named Shannon, Matlock is shocked to realise the extent of the connection between Erin and Shannon.

After Anthony Stewart is nearly killed in a hit and run, Matlock realises that the only way to clear him is to find Shelby Russell, the supposed witness whose claim put Stewart in the hot seat in the first place. He tracks her down via her mother, and tells her that if she doesn't take the stand, her lover will go down for Michael Russell's murder.

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.

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.

Matlock and Tyler realise that part of Linda's deception is routed in the recent kidnapping of her son. While Tyler helps her locate the child, Matlock finds the rare coin he needs to put the finish on the case.

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 can't do it on his own. It doesn't take long before Matlock realises that the Church is covering something up.

An old friend comes to Matlock to beg him to prove that her daughter Lauren didn't murder her rival Morgan Girard after a beauty contest.

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 Bradbury's 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 life's 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 can't real

Paul O'Neill heads to Texas to get his hands on Eddie Lomax, whom he believes to be the real killer. Matlock realises that a land scam is behind everything, and enlists an unlikely ally...the dead man's wife.

Matlock has finally had the breakthrough in the case he was struggling with, but after being hit by a car, he needs to put the case together from scratch. Unfortunately, his nurse isn't too pleased to see him trying to work, and does her best to make sure he gets the rest he needs.

Matlock agrees to defend Laura McCord after she's charged with murdering her husband David in a jealous rage. He and Julie soon realise that David's 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.

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

Matlock agrees to defend a psychic, Jennifer Holtz, who claims to have seen the murder before it ever took place.

When radio disk jockey Arthur Saxon is accused of murdering rival D.J. Robby Moore, Michelle asks Ben to defend him. Ben agrees because Michelle swears he's the kindest, most gentlest man she's ever known, but Ben soon realises that Michelle's new boyfriend is anything but.

Michelle is taken hostage by Ned Billings, who blames Matlock for his brother (James Billings, The Professor) committing suicide after being convicted of murder, thanks to Ben. Tyler and Julie also show up and end up as Ned's hostages, and they try to use the tactics they've seen Matlock use in courtrooms and interrogations to stay alive and convince Ned not to kill Ben.