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The Best Episodes of Matlock

Every episode of Matlock ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Matlock!

The Best Episodes of Matlock

Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock. The show, produced by The...

Seasons9

  1. Background image for The Scandal
    8.3/10(175 votes)

    #1 - The Scandal

    S9:E3

    When Matlock defends an attorney accused of murdering her boss, he also uncovers a history of sexual harrassment involving the law firm.

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  2. Background image for The Dating Game
    8.2/10(107 votes)

    #2 - The Dating Game

    S9:E7

    When Cliff's friend Fred is accused of murdering Melissa, a woman he met through the dating service Perfect Harmony, he and Matlock take the case, and Jerri goes undercover to investigate. She sets herself up as one of the datees, much to the frustration of a loca police officer. Unfortunately, she has better luck than she hoped, as one of her dates is a killer in disguise.

    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for The Kidnapping (1)
    8.1/10(110 votes)

    #3 - The Kidnapping (1)

    S8:E13

    Abductors tries to kidnap Leanne but takes Billy instead and hold him for ransom.

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  4. Background image for The Assault
    8.1/10(128 votes)

    #4 - The Assault

    S9:E14

    While Cliff, Jerri and Billy plan to throw Ben a surprise party for his birthday, Ben goes to the city to pick up barbecue. While there, his car breaks down, he's mugged, the phone eats his last quarter ... and by the time he is rescued by activist Stan Johnson and returned to his car, it's half-stripped and they've stolen his barbecue. Matlock is very impressed by the young man, and when he's accused of trying to kill the landlord of the apartment complex he lives in, Matlock steps in to defend him and to stand up to the landlord, who is a very respected man in the legal community.

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  5. Background image for The Heist (1)
    8.1/10(117 votes)

    #5 - The Heist (1)

    S9:E15

    Matlock and Jerri head out to the beach with Billy and Cliff as Cliff prepares for an upcoming triathlon. Once there, Matlock is surprised to run into retired F.B.I. agent Ed Wingate, who is investigating a case of his own. While Matlock keeps himself busy occasionally running into Ed, Cliff throws himself into the competition, and Billy throws himself at Anita Montrose, the real estate agent who rented them the beach house they're staying at. When one of the people Ed is investigating is found dead, Matlock agrees to defend his old friend.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown
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  6. Background image for The Judge
    8.0/10(342 votes)

    #6 - The Judge

    S1:E2

    Ben Matlock accepts the pro bono case of Kevin Meredith, a young man accused of murdering his lover, whom Ben soon realises had a much more powerful lover.

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  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Matlock

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  8. Background image for Dead Air
    8.0/10(118 votes)

    #7 - Dead Air

    S9:E9

    A radio personality is accused of killing his partner, but Ben suspects the victim's girlfriend. The only problem is that she seems to have an airtight alibi...Ray's neighbor, Mr. Yates, watched her 'find' the body.

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  9. Background image for The Sisters
    7.9/10(261 votes)

    #8 - The Sisters

    S1:E8

    Harold Scully is a boring man. But at least he knows that. When he begs old acquaintance Ben Matlock to defend him on charges of murdering his wealthy wife Esther, Matlock reluctantly agrees. The more investigating he does, the more he realises that there is something seriously wrong with Harold's two nieces, sisters Julia and Emily.

    Director:Alan Cooke
    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for The Vacation
    7.9/10(210 votes)

    #9 - The Vacation

    S7:E1

    Matlock and Leanne head to the beach where Leanne reunites with three good friends from college, and Matlock reunites with someone from his past who just happens to be the brother of the woman whose heart Matlock 'broke' years earlier.

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  11. Background image for The Revenge
    7.9/10(121 votes)

    #10 - The Revenge

    S7:E13

    Matlock witnesses a robbery at a convenience store, but when things start happening that make him look like he's losing it, including messing with his papers, sending him to the wrong parties, and submitting phony pictures of his hind end to the papers, Matlock begins to realise that someone is trying to set him up. He, Cliff and Conrad begin to go through some of his old cases, trying to figure out which recently released killer is out to get him, but everyone they think of seems to have an alibi.

    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for The View
    7.9/10(114 votes)

    #11 - The View

    S8:E5

    Matlock realizes he has become a witness in a murder case involving two theater actors and an unhappy husband.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  13. Background image for The Target
    7.9/10(125 votes)

    #12 - The Target

    S9:E13

    Matlock is the unlikely witness when a boat blows up killing Judge Michael Sterns. Had it not been for Ben's sea-sickness, he would have been on the boat. Convinced that someone was out to get him and not Judge Sterns, Matlock, Cliff and Jerri take a look through some of Ben's old cases to find out who did it, and Matlock takes on the case of the man accused of the crime, a former lawyer who had been disbarred for jury tampering exactly five years earlier.

    Director:Unknown
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  14. Background image for The Buddies
    7.8/10(147 votes)

    #13 - The Buddies

    S4:E12

    After an old friend from college dies, Matlock has to investigate three college chums on the charge of murdering a hitchhiker thirty years earlier.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  15. Background image for The Strangler
    7.8/10(143 votes)

    #14 - The Strangler

    S6:E3

    Serial killer Jeffrey Speidel strangles his victims. When Matlock gets inovlved in the case, Speidel makes a point of turning Matlock into his next target...his goal is to ruin Matlock publicly before killing him.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown
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  16. Background image for The Dame
    7.8/10(132 votes)

    #15 - The Dame

    S6:E6

    While dining with Julie, a chance meeting with a woman causes Ben to relate the story of his investigation, many years earlier, of a widow that Ben's father (played by Andy Griffith) believes may have been involved with the death of his friend - her husband.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for The Foursome
    7.8/10(127 votes)

    #16 - The Foursome

    S6:E11

    Matlock reluctantly agrees to defend millionaire Ellis Blake when he's accused of murdering his daughter's fiancé, Jeffrey Holden, an enterprising golf caddy who supplemented his living by blackmailing the men he caddied for. At the same time, Matlock is dealing with a brand new deputy district attorney, Lauren Richmond, who just seems too sweet to be real.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for The Outcast (1)
    7.8/10(161 votes)

    #17 - The Outcast (1)

    S6:E14

    Matlock retires from law after bungling up a case and forgetting his client's name. He heads out of town to do some fishing, but after a hitchhiker he gave a lift to dies mysteriously, he sticks around to investigate the case.

    Director:Unknown
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  19. Background image for The Outcast (2)
    7.8/10(133 votes)

    #18 - The Outcast (2)

    S6:E15

    Matlock retires from law after bungling up a case and forgetting his client's name. He heads out of town to do some fishing, but after a hitchhiker he gave a lift to dies mysteriously, he sticks around to investigate the case.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  20. Background image for The Singer
    7.8/10(137 votes)

    #19 - The Singer

    S7:E7

    Matlock defends a producer accused of killing a singer, and treis to prove that one of the other men at the recording studio was guilty.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  21. Background image for The Diner
    7.8/10(131 votes)

    #20 - The Diner

    S8:E4

    Matlock takes Leanne to meet Martha Jordan, the wife of his very first client back in 1962. Stan Shaw was the cook at the local diner when he was accused of killing the local sheriff after a disagreement in the diner. Charlie Matlock pushed Ben, who had recently quit his job as a district attorney to take the case, but not everyone in town was happy with the Matlocks siding with the black cook accused of killing the white sheriff. Despite Cyrus Jordan's attempts to get the Matlocks to drop his case for their own safety, father and son were determined to prove that Cyrus never killed anyone.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for The Accused (1)
    7.8/10(115 votes)

    #21 - The Accused (1)

    S9:E1

    Matlock defends a journalist who killed an underworld figure in self-defense after meeting with him for an interview.

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  23. Background image for The Verdict
    7.8/10(102 votes)

    #22 - The Verdict

    S9:E11

    Katie Clark is a hot new prosecutor in town, fresh from St. Louis, but originally from Atlanta. Her first case involves prosecuting a building contractor who has been accused of murdering one of his employees, who just happens to be Clark's former lover. Despite his reservations about Clark prosecuting a former lover, Matlock agrees to let her continue on the case, impressed by her desire to not allow her personal past with Gibson to affect her judgment.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for The Reporter
    7.7/10(168 votes)

    #23 - The Reporter

    S1:E23

    When Laurie Palmer is arrested for killing her husband, the reporter covering the case is convinced of her innocence, and goes to Ben Matlock looking for help.

    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for The Captain
    7.7/10(149 votes)

    #24 - The Captain

    S3:E6

    Captain Edward Hanna was once a fine, fine cop. Unfortunately, his actions over the years have netted him with the nickname 'The Mad Hatter'. When police officer Jim Shanley is found dead after spouting off about Hanna, sergeant Jerry Reese is charged with the crime. Everyone thinks he's guilty, especially Shanley's partner, Donna Dawson. In defending Reese, Matlock begins to realise that his old friend Hanna isn't the cop he used to be.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for The Blues Singer
    7.7/10(172 votes)

    #25 - The Blues Singer

    S3:E19

    When legendary blues singer Eddie Haynes is charged with murder, Matlock agrees to defend a man he once idolized. Haynes swears that the young rock star he's accused of killing was going to write him a hit song, and Matlock soon realises that there is no shortage of people who wanted the charismatic young musician dead.

    Director:Leo Penn
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Best Episodes Summary

"The Scandal" is the best rated episode of "Matlock". It scored 8.3/10 based on 175 votes. Directed by Frank Thackery and written by Brian Alan Lane, it aired on 10/20/1994. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Dating Game".