Wise counsel

Kathy Bates stars as legal eagle Madeline Matlock in a new version of the hit drama

- CAREN CLARK, TESS LAMCRAFT

NEW DRAMA Matlock Tuesday, 9pm, Sky Witness

Almost 30 years after Matlock last aired, the US legal drama returns to our screens this week with a brand-new version starring Kathy Bates in the title role of the brilliantminded lawyer.

The Oscar-winner plays charismatic septuagenarian lawyer Madeline 'Matty' Matlock, who has always had a skill for getting to the bottom of any legal case and is now keen to come out of retirement and reignite her law career.

The 10-episode drama opens with straight-talking Matty using her initiative and unassuming 'old lady' demeanour to gain access into prestigious New York law firm Jacobson Moore, where she promptly gatecrashes a senior partners' meeting and convinces them to give her a job on a trial basis.

'She wheedles her way in by playing the age-discrimination card, says Bates, whose credits include hit Hollywood movies Misery, Titanic, Fried Green Tomatoes and About Schmidt.

Matty immediately impresses the head honchos with her sharp mind and wealth of experience and is assigned to work with prickly lawyer Olympia Lawrence (Skye P. Marshall) on a case in which a man has been wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years.