When Does Matlock Return? Here's What We Know About matlock Season 2

matlock Season 2 resumes Thursday, Feb. 26, with a new episode scheduled for 9 p. m. ET. The show returns after a roughly two-and-a-half-month break, bringing a ripped-from-the-headlines installment and several cast updates as the season continues toward its expected 16-episode total.

Matlock returns Feb. 26 at 9 p. m. ET

The second half of Season 2 begins on Thursday, Feb. 26, with the next new episode set to air at 9 p. m. ET. The series is coming back after its most recent new episode aired on Dec. 11, which was titled "Call It a Christmas Gift. " That December episode featured a harassment case involving the city’s fire department and included a personal confession by a main character that threatened a key relationship on the team.

matlock episode "Collateral" synopsis

The returning episode is titled "Collateral. " Plot details for the installment show two character strands intersecting: Olympia and Matty each assemble collateral for Julian as they try to regain his trust after he makes a shocking discovery, while an injunction case shifts when the client is detained by immigration agents, forcing the legal team to pivot to keep him with his family and prevent deportation. Those plot beats frame both workplace tensions and a high-stakes procedural element for the episode.

Cast updates and guest additions

Season 2’s second half brings new faces. Two actors — Sarah Wright Olsen and Henry Haber — join the cast in roles introduced during the latter part of the season. Wright Olsen will play Gwen, described as an efficiency expert brought in to analyze the firm; Haber will play Hunter, a younger associate drawn from the floater pool. The showrunner has said the writers wanted fresh energies in the office dynamic and specifically discussed adding a character with a very different temperament to react against the existing cast.

Additional guest casting announced for the season includes a guest role named Langston, described as a charming, double-PhD intellectual. One of the new guest actors is married to an executive producer on the series; that casting marks the second time a spouse of a production member has appeared on the show. Producers have signaled continued use of guest associates to broaden storytelling possibilities.

Where the season stands and what’s next

Season 2 is expected to total 16 episodes, and the series has already been picked up for a third season. Earlier episodes from the first two seasons are available to stream the day after broadcast. With the midseason return now scheduled, the show will resume serial plotting and the remaining episode order will determine how long the current story arcs remain in focus.

Key takeaways:

• matlock returns Feb. 26 at 9 p. m. ET after a two-and-a-half-month hiatus.
• The returning episode, "Collateral, " mixes workplace trust issues with an injunction case complicated by an immigration detention.
• Season 2 is expected to have 16 episodes, and the series has been renewed for Season 3.

After Feb. 26, viewers should watch the schedule for how the remainder of the season is blocked; with a confirmed episode count and a renewal already in place, the production and broadcast plans set a clearer path for the storylines introduced in the season’s second half.