The first season of Matlock began airing on September 20, 1986 and ended on May 12, 1987 with a total of 23 episodes and one pilot TV movie, which aired on March 3, 1986. The two-part episode "The Don" served as a backdoor pilot for spin-off series Jake and the Fatman.
Cast
Main
- Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock
- Linda Purl as Charlene Matlock
- Kene Holliday as Tyler Hudson
Recurring
- Kari Lizer as Cassie Phillips
- Julie Sommars as Julie March
Special guest stars
- Dick Van Dyke as Judge Carter Addison
- Kerrie Keane as Carla Evans
- John Beck as Brad Bingham
- William Conrad as D.A. James L. McShane
- Joe Penny as Paul Baron
- Hector Elizondo as Det. Joe Peters
- Scott Valentine as Danny Blaster
- Pat Hingle as Tom McCabe
- Desi Arnaz Jr. as Michael Porter
- Greg Evigan as Josh Sinclair
- Tim Reid as Danny Miller
- Glynn Turman as Maj. Dennis Orlando
- Benjamin Slack as Sgt. Parker
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Pilot | "Diary of a Perfect Murder" | March 3, 1986 |
| Ben Matlock and his daughter Charlene defend a TV journalist accused of killing his ex-wife. | |||
| 1 | 1 | "The Judge" | September 23, 1986 |
| During a murder trial, Matlock thinks that the killer is in the courtroom, but isn't the man sitting at the defense table. | |||
| 2 | 2 | "The Stripper" | September 30, 1986 |
| A stripper fighting for custody of her son is charged with murder after her ex is killed. | |||
| 3 | 3 | "The Affair" | October 7, 1986 |
| After her husband is murdered, a high-society widow hires Matlock to defend the maid, who admits her guilt and was found with the murder weapon. | |||
| 4 | 4 | "The Seduction" | October 14, 1986 |
| Matlock defends a quarterback accused of murdering his lover—the franchise owner who was about to cut him from the team. | |||
| 5 | 5 | "The Don: Part 1" | October 28, 1986 |
| Despite his initial reluctance, and subsequent anonymous threats, Matlock agrees to defend a dying mobster accused of killing his rival. | |||
| 6 | 6 | "The Don: Part 2" | November 4, 1986 |
| Matlock proceeds with the trial despite the loss of a witness, Nicholas Baron's heart attack and son Daniel's warnings that the strain could prove fatal. | |||
| 7 | 7 | "The Sisters" | November 11, 1986 |
| Two scheming sisters establish an alibi while framing their uncle for the murder of his wealthy wife. | |||
| 8 | 8 | "The Cop" | November 18, 1986 |
| Matlock defends a cop being framed for the murder of a mobster who had eluded arrest for years. | |||
| 9 | 9 | "The Angel" | November 25, 1986 |
| Matlock is frustrated by the lack of concern his rock-star client shows after she's accused of murdering her manager. | |||
| 10 | 10 | "The Professor" | December 2, 1986 |
| Matlock defends a former law professor charged with vehicular homicide. | |||
| 11 | 11 | "Santa Claus" | December 9, 1986 |
| A man who plays Santa Claus is accused of murdering the developer who was evicting him and his fellow tenants from their building. | |||
| 12 | 12 | "The Chef" | January 6, 1987 |
| A cooking-show hostess is charged with the on-camera murder of her ex-husband, a chef whose success came from stealing her recipes. | |||
| 13 | 13 | "The Author" | January 13, 1987 |
| When a novelist's characters closely resemble the residents in her town, she becomes a target for murder. | |||
| 14 | 14 | "The Rat Pack" | January 20, 1987 |
| A successful entrepreneur is framed for the murder of a young actress and Matlock travels to California in search of the truth. | |||
| 15 | 15 | "The Nurse" | February 3, 1987 |
| A millionaire's live-in nurse—and heir to his fortune—is charged with his murder. | |||
| 16 | 16 | "The Convict" | February 10, 1987 |
| Matlock defends a man whose murder case he lost seven years before and who is now accused of stabbing a fellow inmate. | |||
| 17 | 17 | "The Court-Martial: Part 1" | February 17, 1987 |
| An Army private, the son of a wealthy businessman, is charged with murdering an officer. | |||
| 18 | 18 | "The Court-Martial: Part 2" | February 24, 1987 |
| Matlock finds a key witness, but loses his client when Chris goes AWOL; Tyler observes a transaction that could explain the murder and coverup. | |||
| 19 | 19 | "The Therapist" | March 3, 1987 |
| Matlock tries to keep a tight rein on a would-be assistant while trying to prove a heartthrob actor didn't kill the head of a sex-therapy clinic. | |||
| 20 | 20 | "The People vs. Matlock" | March 24, 1987 |
| While representing a union boss accused of murdering a rival, Matlock finds himself charged with bribing a juror. | |||
| 21 | 21 | "The Photographer" | March 31, 1987 |
| With evidence in the murder of a photographer focusing on his assistant, Matlock develops a defense by exposing a blackmail scheme. | |||
| 22 | 22 | "The Reporter" | May 5, 1987 |
| Matlock joins forces with an investigative reporter to help a woman charged with the arson murder of her husband. | |||
| 23 | 23 | "The Doctors" | May 12, 1987 |
| Matlock tries to prove that any of four hospital residents—not just his client—had a motive for killing the supervising doctor. | |||
