A new update about Matlock season 2 comes months after David Del Rio's firing. Following its massive success last year, Kathy Bates' quasi-reboot was one of the most anticipated show comebacks during the 2025-2026 network TV cycle. While revivals have been the Hollywood norm in the last decade, Matlock season 1's game-changing twist immediately set it apart from those that came before it, as the CBS series continues to deal with the ramifications of Olympia discovering Matty's secret.
However, not long after Matlock season 2 premiered, the show was rocked by a scandal involving some of its main cast members. Per the reports, Del Rio was fired due to alleged harassment complaints filed by his co-star and frequent scene partner, Leah Lewis. The incident supposedly happened during the September 26 filming of the show and was reported by October 2. Del Rio was then fired and escorted out of the set. Due to the incident, Matlock season 2 entered a pre-scheduled filming hiatus.
Now, Lewis confirms on her Instagram (via TVInsider) that production has indeed restarted for Matlock season 2. In her Instagram Story, the actor shared a photo of her dressed as her character, Sarah, on the set of the CBS legal drama. She wrote in the caption: "And we back up and running." Per the outlet, the plan was always to pick up filming after Thanksgiving.
For context, Matlock season 2 went on a couple of weeks of broadcasting break. The last episode released, "Harm Reduction," featured the whole crew trying to figure out a conflict between a few nuns and some of the people in their community. In the bigger scheme of things, the attempt to replace Senior in the law firm moved forward. There were still no indication of Del Rio's character, Billy, leaving — something that the writers likely figured out during the filming break.
One way to easily explain what will likely be an abrupt departure of Billy is to tie it to the unexpected pregnancy of his ex-girlfriend. There has been a few mentions of it throughout the show's sophomore year after it was confirmed in the Matlock season 1 finale. It's the narrative opening the show needs to write out the character without the need to make a big spectacle out of it.
Currently, there is no information about when Billy will be on the show, as it's unclear how far along the filming of Matlock season 2 was when Del Rio was fired. It's curious how CBS is going to incorporate his departure into the story, but after that, hopefully the show can focus on its intense story at hand.
