‘Matlock’ star reveals exciting new role ahead of Season 3 return

Keeping up with Matty’s secrets has been a job in itself for Olympia Lawrence on ‘Matlock.’ Played by Skye P. Marshall, the lawyer saw her friendship with Kathy Bates’ Madeline “Matty” Matlock tested by lies and an opioid cover-up. Season 2 eventually left the pair preparing to open their own firm. As the CBS drama gets back to work, Marshall has something else to share with fans.

Marshall is directing Season 3 Episode 5, titled ‘Classic Kingston.’ She announced the news in a November 12 Instagram post featuring photographs of herself working with Bates on set. “And for my next trick… DIRECTING!!” she wrote. The carousel offered a look at her work behind the camera, while a separate Instagram Story showed her director’s chair. Actress Arasha also appears in the carousel and will feature in the episode.

Her caption credited the people who helped her take on the assignment. “Having the support, love and dedication of my magnificent MATLOCK Cast & extraordinary Crew/Writers has made my heart explode!” she wrote. She described it as “a vision board made manifest,” before thanking showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman. “To my friend and Showrunner, Jennie Snyder Urman, I love you. Your continuous trust in me is deeply appreciated. AND ACTION!!!” she added.

That trust was also central to Marshall’s interview with TheWrap, when she recalled asking Urman to “stretch me beyond my comfort.” She also discussed how much she had learned from working opposite Bates. “We don’t make sense of the scene; we feel the sense of the scene,” she said. The interview came as the writers were developing Season 3 after the finale set up Olympia and Matty’s next chapter.

Production on Season 3 is underway, but viewers still have a wait ahead. ‘Matlock’ is scheduled for a midseason premiere on CBS in 2027. The network has not announced an exact date. In October, Beau Bridges told TV Insider that filming had recently started and that he was due back on set in December.

The later return follows Urman’s request for more time to build the show’s next mystery. The Wellbrexa investigation, which drove Matty’s mission, concluded in April’s two-hour Season 2 finale. Urman told TV Insider that month that the team needed time to plan what would come after that resolution. “I’m excited about it, but I am also grateful because we needed a little bit of time,” she said.