
Don't be fooled by his down-home demeanor and country-boy ways; criminal defense lawyer Ben Matlock is worth every penny of his fee. Count on Matlock to visit the crime scene, scope out the clues everyone else missed, and dramatically reveal the real criminal (usually a killer) during a climactic trial sequence.
A serial killer (Richard Gilliland) whose eventual target is Ben embarrasses him in court by leaving false clues.
On his way to a dude ranch, Ben is knocked unconscious and dreams of himself as a frontier lawyer, with Conrad as a gunslinging client and Julie as the owner of a boardinghouse.
Ben's insurance agent (Ron Fassler) is charged with murdering a deceitful marriage counselor (Bryan Cranston) after the police learn the adviser was having an affair with the agent's wife (Kim Johnston Ulrich).
In a flashback case involving the young widow (Sheree J. Wilson) of a wealthy older man (Daniel Benzali), Ben recalls the investigative techniques his father taught him.