Editing Matlock (1986 TV series) (section)

==Changes==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Matlock original cast 1986 season 1.jpg|thumb|Original cast ''(from left)'': [[Kene Holliday]], [[Andy Griffith]] and [[Linda Purl]]]]
The series premiered with Ben Matlock (played by [[Andy Griffith]]) having a law practice with his daughter, Charlene (played by [[Lori Lethin]] in the pilot movie; [[Linda Purl]] took over the role when the series went to air). Matlock also employed stock market whiz Tyler Hudson ([[Kene Holliday]]) as a [[private investigator]]. Tyler would often go undercover for Matlock in various guises to gather information. Matlock's most frequent legal adversary was Julie March ([[Julie Sommars]]), a Nebraska native. Although their jobs as prosecutor and defense attorney made them professional rivals, their relationship outside of court was very cordial and they often spent time together outside of court with occasional flirtations. Toward the end of the first season, Matlock took on cocky law student Cassie Phillips (played by [[Kari Lizer]]) as an office worker.

After the first season ended, Purl departed from the series and her character, Charlene, moved to [[Philadelphia]] to start her own law practice. To begin the second season, Matlock went to London to try a case where he met Michelle Thomas (played by [[Nancy Stafford]]), a young American lawyer. After the case was over, Michelle followed Matlock to the U.S. and became his new law partner. Cassie stayed on as a file clerk until the end of the season, when she disappeared for reasons never made clear. With Lizer's departure, [[Julie Sommars]] became a regular cast member.

[[File:Matlock cast season 2 1987.jpg|thumb|left|Cast of season 2, ''from left'': ''(top)'' [[Kene Holliday]], [[Julie Sommars]]; ''(bottom)'' [[Kari Lizer]], [[Andy Griffith|Griffith]], [[Nancy Stafford]]]]
Several actors/actresses appeared in the series as different characters prior to becoming regular cast members. In season one's "The Seduction", Stafford played Caryn Nelson/Carole Nathan, a high-class prostitute who was paid off to commit [[perjury]] against Matlock's client. In "The Angel", Lizer appeared as Matlock's client, Margaret Danello, a pop star called "Angel". Roebuck played a young physician, Dr. Bobby Shaw, in "The Doctors"; lawyer Alex Winthrop in season three's two-part episode, "The Ambassador"/"The Priest"; and a prosecutor in a two-part episode, "The Assassination", before becoming a cast regular in season seven.

Some actors/actresses appeared as a different character in each appearance on the show. For example, [[Carolyn Seymour]] played Christina Harrison Ward in season one ("The Affair", episode 4), Dr. Vanessa Sedgwick in season two ("The Genius", episode 20) and Iris Vogel in season three ("The Psychic", episode 13). [[Nana Visitor]] and [[Roddy McDowall]] made several guest appearances as well. Holliday was fired after the third season for drug and alcohol abuse, but had a recurring role in season four ("The Best Seller", episode 4 and "The Witness", episode 14). Matlock hired Conrad McMasters ([[Clarence Gilyard|Clarence Gilyard Jr.]]), a young, former [[North Carolina]] deputy sheriff, to be his new [[detective]]. Like Tyler, Conrad would also go undercover to gather information about cases. However, the two characters were different in their personalities and approach to the job. Matlock and McMasters became good friends and were alike in many ways.

[[Don Knotts]], who co-starred with Griffith on ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', began making frequent appearances as Les "Ace" Calhoun, Matlock's next-door neighbor. Before replacing Stafford at the start of season seven, [[Brynn Thayer]] appeared in two season six episodes ("The Suspect", episodes 7–8) as Roxanne Windemere, a rich widow charged with murder with whom Ben became smitten. In the season finale ("The Assassination", episodes 21–22) she appeared as Leanne MacIntyre, Ben's previously unmentioned daughter who takes on the case of a murdered mayor. She joined the cast full-time in season seven. [[Daniel Roebuck]] joined Thayer as a new regular for season seven as Cliff Lewis, a naive young lawyer and associate. [[Warren Frost]] joined the cast in a recurring role as Billy Lewis, Cliff's father and a personal nemesis from Matlock's past: Ben had abandoned a romance with Billy's sister to pursue his law degree. The move in 1992 to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] for the remainder of the series caused some cast turnover. Stafford left the series to spend more time with her husband, Larry Myers. Sommars followed, although she would play a recurring role in several later episodes. Knotts followed. With Roebuck joining the cast, Gilyard's role was diminished.

After season seven ended, Gilyard left the series to join the new CBS series ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]'', although he appeared once in season eight ("The View", episode five). Like Silverman and Hargrove's ''[[Perry Mason (TV film series)|Perry Mason]]'' series revival, ''Matlock'' had largely become a series of movies-of-the-week by season nine. Part of the reason for this was Griffith's advancing age; he was 66 and also wanted to spend more time with his family. At the end of season 8, Thayer departed from the series. In the first episode of season nine ("The Accused") Ben tells Billy that Leanne moved to Los Angeles, seems to like her job, and "has a fella." In the final season, [[Carol Huston]] joined the series as Jerri Stone, a private investigator helping Cliff in his duties. Like Conrad, Jerri and Ben had shared hobbies including singing. The move also saw a change in filming venue. Shooting in [[California]] for its entire run on NBC (which required Griffith to commute from his home in [[North Carolina]] to the West Coast), ABC moved production to the [[EUE/Screen Gems|EUE/Screen Gems Studios]] in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]] to ease the travel burden on Griffith. The "[[whodunit]]" format was also adjusted to an "[[inverted detective story]]" format.