Warning: spoilers are ahead for the winter premiere of Matlock Season 2 in the 2026 TV schedule, called “Collateral” and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
Matlock had a major cliffhanger to resolve when Season 2 returned in the new year, with Julian ending 2025 by finally figuring out what Olympia and Matty have had going on… sort of. He certainly had real leverage for the first time, and actor Jason Ritter found it “so satisfying” that his character was holding his own. That is, until the very end when he learned that there’s a whole lot more to Matty than how she presented herself at Jacobson Moore, and Ritter opened up about what learning the truth changes for Julian as the season continues.
Julian spent most of the episode focusing on Olympia, and not just because the betrayal of his ex-wife hit him hard. He didn’t know that the legally savvy septuagenarian had actually been running a long con from the very beginning, with the goal of making the people behind the Wellbrexa coverup pay for her daughter's death. While Julian’s hands certainly aren’t clean after what he did with the study, Senior has been the main target, and now Matty and Olympia either have a new asset or a new complication.
So, what has changed for him now that he’s been read into the battle against Wellbrexa, complete with meeting the real Madeline Kingston and getting a look at all the evidence she’s compiled? I asked Jason Ritter that very question, and he shared:
First of all, he knows that it's not just the study. When he sees that conspiracy board at the end, he sees exactly how much evidence they have on this entire thing, and I think that's a confronting moment for him.
Julian had no way of knowing just how reluctant Matty was to show him that conspiracy board, with Kathy Bates’ character only getting talked into it when Olympia made the point that she could finally see the look on Julian’s face when she held him accountable. He did have a pretty great flabbergasted face, not least because the conspiracy board had a bunch of bright red arrows pointing right at his face. Jason Ritter noted:
You don’t want all the red yarn to be on you.
The episode ended before Julian could actually react to the conspiracy board beyond the initial shock; unless the next installment picks up exactly where the winter premiere left off, he may have had some time to get used to all of this new information by the next time we see him.
With his father now conscious after his stroke, his reinstatement to his old job, and his possible recruitment of Sarah after the latest hints about Billy’s exit, Julian suddenly has a lot more resources than he did when he was using his AirPods to spy on Olympia. Ritter went on to share what has shifted for his character after being read in:
At least now he knows what he's up against with seeing all the boards. He knows exactly who Matty is. He knows what the nature of Matty and Olympia's relationship is, and now it's a game of trying to make sure that the two of them aren't teaming up again and lying behind his back.
Having all the information doesn’t mean that the Olympia/Matty duo is about to become a trio, especially in light of the Season 3 renewal that guarantees that story can continue beyond the end of Season 2. Jason Ritter elaborated on one of Julian’s prime motivations now, and there’s just enough selfishness to it that I can’t help but love how juicy it could make the coming episodes:
Even more, he's trying to make sure that they are all on the same page, trying to do the same thing. And selfishly, he wants to figure out some way to get out of it. And if they're on his team with that, then that's great. But I also think that Julian will do anything, initially, to stay out of prison, for example, as one outcome. [laughs]
It took Matty some time (and some plucking of heartstrings) to fully get Olympia on her side in going against Wellbrexa, and I’m not sure Julian has the same streak of altruism. His father was already pretty well recovered by the end of the winter premiere, and a lot may be riding on Julian not coming clean to Senior. Besides, it’s not an unreasonable goal to stay out of prison, even if it’s not quite as grand a goal as Matty wanting justice for the victims.
Unfortunately, the promo for the next episode doesn’t shed any light on the new normal with Julian in on the big secret, although it does showcase the lawyer who could be Billy’s replacement after David Del Rio was fired. Take a look:
Keep tuning in to CBS on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Matlock, ahead of the latest from Elsbeth Season 3. You can also stream new episodes the next day on Paramount+, as well as revisit any earlier episodes.
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