Warning: spoilers are ahead for the fourth episode of Matlock Season 2 on CBS, called "Piece of My Heart" and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
Matlock's latest episode was an emotional affair, with Matty flashing back to one of the last times she was with her daughter when she was happy and sober before Ellie relapsed and died. It came with the treat of Kathy Bates belting Janis Joplin's "Another Piece of My Heart" in two karaoke scenes and some phenomenal reaction shots when Matty got a makeover, but the biggest surprise from "Piece of My Heart" in the fall 2025 TV schedule has to be the appearance of Melanie Lynskey, which was all the better for nobody revealing it ahead of time. I'm just also bummed for a couple of reasons.
But let's start with the good!
Melanie Lynskey Joins Matlock
Melanie Lynskey has a long list of credits over the decades of her career, but is likely best known currently for her work on Yellowjackets. That said, she's also openly been a fan of Matlock, which features her husband, Jason Ritter, as Julian. Complaining about his knack of spoiling twists for her and sharing previously that she "would do anything" to be on the hit CBS drama, it finally happened in Episode 4 of Season 2.
Her first appearance happened when Matty arranged a meeting with Debra Palmer, the makeup artist who had been in Sydney with Senior and could have valuable information to use against him. I actually did a double take as soon as the scene started and an actress who looked and sounded just like Melanie Lynskey started talking to Kathy Bates, but surely Matlock couldn't cast her and then not spoil it ahead of time, right? Surely this had to just be a really, really, really spot-on lookalike?
Not the case! Not only did Lynskey's Debra provide some of the biggest laughs of the episode by giving Matty a makeover that had her being compared to Tammy Faye, but her status as a makeup artist who moonlights for undertakers to do funeral makeup for open caskets was a great twist to see Matty react to.
And Lynskey wasn't in just that one scene! After Matty worked her magic to convince a stranger that they're bosom buddies, they went out for karaoke. Debra proved move savvy than she initially seemed when she dodged Matty and Olympia's attempts to get info about her trip with Senior, leading the attorneys to conclude that he'd made her sign an NDA. Was this a road block? Yes. But is it a sign that the women are on the right track? Also yes.
Debra ended up ghosting Matty by the end of the episode, but her silence still gave Matty and Olympia something to work with, and Melanie Lynskey's character goes down as a highlight of the episode for me.
What I Wish Had Gone Differently With Melanie Lynskey On Matlock
My regrets about how Matlock incorporated Melanie Lynskey actually tie back to another one of CBS' hit Thursday night shows: Elsbeth. Before the Kathy Bates drama cast Jason Ritter's wife – who also happens to be an accomplished star in her own right – in Matlock Season 2, Elsbeth cast Carrie Preston's Emmy-winning husband Michael Emerson for a standout role, and The Good Wife spinoff really nailed it in two main ways.
For one, Emerson played a recurring character who became the "Moriarty to her Sherlock," according to Carrie Preston, because they shared a lot of their screentime. Plus, even though his character came to an abrupt end earlier than I expected, his did recur for several episodes in an arc across Season 2.
In comparison, there's no guarantee that Matlock will bring back Debra for more than this single episode as the plot against Senior continues, so Melanie Lynskey's role on the show may be one-and-done. Plus, as much as I loved seeing the banter between Matty and Debra, I wish that we could have seen Julian and Debra so that Lynskey could share the screen with Jason Ritter. The novelty of it was fun on Elsbeth with Carrie Preston and Michael Emerson, and I'm confident the same could have been true on Matlock with Lynskey and Ritter.
Having those two reasons why I wish Melanie Lynskey's role on Matlock was little different doesn't mean that her playing Debra wasn't a great surprise, and it's entirely possible that the character will make a comeback this season, NDA or no NDA. Whatever happens, I can say with 100% certainty that I love that her appearance on Matlock wasn't spoiled by anybody. Surprises like that aren't as common nowadays in the age of social media!
What's Next?
While to wait is on to see if Matty and Olympia need to try and press Debra for answers about Senior and bring back Melanie Lynskey, tensions are mounting between Matty and Julian. He connected some dots about Matty using Mrs. Belvin for information, but came to the wrong conclusion and now thinks he and Olympia can conspire against Matty. To her credit, Olympia didn't spill any secrets about what she and Matty have really been up to, and the result could be a juicy episode with interactions between Matty and Julian.
Per CBS' episode description, here's a taste of what to expect from the upcoming fifth episode, called "Moustrap" and airing on November 6:
Matty and Olympia race to protect each other from Julian’s suspicions as they also work on the resentencing case of a teenager sentenced as an adult to life.
I'm curious to see how much danger they're actually in with Julian getting closer to the truth. Senior has had his son under his control for so long that I can imagine him being tempted to go to his dad with any information he thinks he has, but otherwise, Julian isn't really in a position of any power at Jacobson Moore. The promo for the episode does tease a scene between father and son, while Matty and Olympia seem like they may be more at odds with each other than a completely united front. Take a look:
If you missed the episode or just want to rewatch it, you can find "Piece of My Heart" streaming on Paramount+ now. As for whether we'll see Melanie Lynskey on Matlock again... well, my hopes are high! And honestly, now I kind of want her to play a future celebrity killer on Elsbeth opposite Carrie Preston. As always, new episodes of Matlock continue airing on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, between Ghosts and Elsbeth.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
