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Matlock season 8

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Matlock
Season 8
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 23, 1993 (1993-09-23) –
May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 7
Next →
Season 9
List of episodes

The eighth season of Matlock originally aired in the United States on ABC from September 23, 1993, and concluded with a two-hour season finale on May 19, 1994.

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Cast notes
  • Brynn Thayer departed at the end of the season
  • Brynn Thayer was absent for one episode
  • Daniel Roebuck was absent for six episodes

Episodes

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1541"The Play"Christoper HiblerPhil MishkinSeptember 23, 1993 (1993-09-23)14.0[1]
After an actress in the community play The Last Cry of the Hounds is murdered, Ben agrees to represent the director (René Auberjonois)...on the condition Ben not be cut out of the play.
1552"The Fatal Seduction: Part 1"Christopher HiblerStory by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Anne Collins		September 30, 1993 (1993-09-30)15.8[2]
Ben, Leanne and Cliff go to North Carolina to attend Billy's sister Lucy Lewis's funeral. While there, they end up getting involved in a pair of murders connected to two young women. As a way to catch them, Leanne sets a trap with Cliff in the role of bait.
1563"The Fatal Seduction: Part 2"Christopher HiblerStory by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Anne Collins		October 7, 1993 (1993-10-07)18.5[3]
Ben and Leanne are convinced that Carrie and Ashley are guilty of not only extortion, but murder as well, but the two girls seem to have airtight alibis.
1574"The Diner"Frank ThackeryMax Eisenberg & Lonon F. SmithOctober 14, 1993 (1993-10-14)17.6[4]

Ben takes Leanne to meet Martha Jordan, the wife of his very first client back in 1962. Cyrus Jordan (Stan Shaw) was the cook at the local diner, where he was accused of killing the racist local sheriff, Wesley Slattery, after a disagreement in the diner which ended with Slattery dumping his food on Cyrus. Charlie Matlock (Andy Griffith) pushed his son Ben (Steve Witting) 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 that was 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.

Note: Daniel Roebuck does not appear in this episode. Even though it is assumed that Leanne is over 30 years of age, she is not seen as a little girl in this, nor is Ben's young wife, who likely would have been alive then.
1585"The View"Christopher HiblerStory by : Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff		October 28, 1993 (1993-10-28)18.2[5]

While out of town at a wedding, an ill Ben witnesses a man attack a woman from the window of the hotel, and learns the next day that the homeowner, Philip Cameron, has been accused of killing his estranged wife, Elaine, who was cheating on him. Ben's convinced that Elaine's lover was the killer, and has a hard time convincing the police that the man he saw through the window was not Philip, whom Matlock had also seen through the window earlier that day. Leanne defends Philip while Ben tries to figure out what happened.

Note: Daniel Roebuck does not appear in this episode. Clarence Gilyard Jr. appears as Conrad McMasters (even though he left the show to go to Walker Texas Ranger). It is Conrad McMasters's final appearance.
1596"The Last Laugh"Russ MayberryMilton Berle & Stephen LordNovember 4, 1993 (1993-11-04)16.9[6]

A comedian named Harvey Chase (Milton Berle) is accused of murdering another comic, Billy Jo Walker (Mark DeCarlo), who insulted him. Ben (a fan of his comedy) defends him.

Guest stars: Diana Taylor as Assistant D.A. Ms. Harrington, Desiree Marie Velez as Juanita Walker, Gwynyth Walsh as Kiki Rice, Phil Leeds as Marty Willis, Steven Dean Davis as Russell
1607"The Capital Offense"Robert ScheererBrian Alan LaneNovember 11, 1993 (1993-11-11)20.5[7]

Ben continues his five-year struggle to save a con artist from the electric chair.

Guest star: Diana Taylor as Assistant D.A. Ms. Harrington

Note: Daniel Roebuck does not appear in this episode.
1618"The Haunted"Harvey S. LaidmanStory by : Gerald Sanoff and Joel Steiger
Teleplay by : Gerry Conway		November 18, 1993 (1993-11-18)18.5[8]
1629

While Cliff investigates a suit of medical malpractice and ends up getting more involved then he should with his client, Ben investigates the case of the mysterious Rod Greenwood, who happens to bear an eerie resemblance to a dead business man, Justin Kerns (Josh Taylor), who died from a stroke while having dinner with his wife Sarah (Shannon Wilcox). Cliff and Ben realize their cases are related and continue to investigate both of them together.

Guest stars: Arlene Golonka as Jackie Westmore, John de Lancie as Dr. Albert Levinson, Susan Walters as Melanie Kerns, John Allen Nelson as Bill Parker, Mert Hatfield as Detective Steve Cavallo
16310"The Conspiracy"Leo PennJoel Steiger & Gerald SanoffNovember 25, 1993 (1993-11-25)11.1[9]
Ben defends a lawyer accused of murdering an associate who'd accused him of botching a lawsuit involving toxic waste polluters.
16411"Matlock's Bad, Bad, Bad, Dream"Russ MayberryRobin MaddenDecember 2, 1993 (1993-12-02)14.0[10]
Ben dreams that he, Leanne, Cliff and Billy are in 1932 and are involved in a case where a musician's wife murders her lover and frames him.
16512"The Defendant"Leo PennDavid HoffmanDecember 16, 1993 (1993-12-16)14.4[11]

Leanne falls for Ben's new client, a philanthropist named Gil Stoddard (Richard Gilliland) accused of murdering his business partner.

Note: Although he doesn't appear in this episode, Clarence Gilyard Jr. is featured in the opening credits. Daniel Roebuck does not appear in this episode.
16613"The Kidnapping: Part 1"Christopher HiblerStory by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Anne Collins		January 13, 1994 (1994-01-13)17.8[12]

Abductors try to kidnap Leanne, but kidnap Billy Lewis and hold him for ransom by accident instead.

Guest star: Diana Taylor as Assistant D.A. Ms. Harrington
16714"The Kidnapping: Part 2"Christopher HiblerStory by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Anne Collins		January 20, 1994 (1994-01-20)18.6[13]

FBI agent Ed Wingate (J. Kenneth Campbell), who was in charge of Billy's kidnapping, is charged with murdering another FBI agent.

Guest Star: Diana Taylor as Assistant D.A. Ms. Harrington
16815"The Temptation"Harvey S. LaidmanGerald SanoffJanuary 27, 1994 (1994-01-27)19.2[14]

A thug tries to make Leanne fall in love with him by using her journal that he stole from her house.

Note: Daniel Roebuck does not appear in this episode.
16916"The Crook"Leo PennJoel Steiger & Gerald SanoffFebruary 3, 1994 (1994-02-03)15.3[15]

Ben agrees to defend Wally McDaniels, a college professor and fellow choir member, after he is arrested for killing his colleague, Tom Petrie, who turned him into the police for stealing rare books. Ben suspects another professor, who was performing a fraudulent research project that Petrie was threatening to expose, of the murder.

Guest star: Jordan Rhoades as Lt. Harmon Andrews
17017"The Murder Game"Frank ThackeryTeleplay by : Robert Schlitt
Story by : Donald Paul Ross and Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff		February 10, 1994 (1994-02-10)15.4[16]

Matlock reluctantly agrees to spend the weekend as part of a murder mystery with Cliff, Leanne and three other people who each paid $10,000 for the privilege of matching wits with the famous Ben Matlock. When the pretend victim, Robert Gateway (Mark Joy), actually turns up dead, they know that one of the three paying visitors killed him. Leanne has her father keep the three suspects occupied with stories of previous cases, while she and Cliff investigate.

Note: This episode features clips from the season 5 episode "The Critic" and the season 4 episodes "The Talk Show" and "The Con Man".
17118"Brennen"Robert ScheererTeleplay by : Michael McGuire
Story by : Michael McGuire and Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff		February 17, 1994 (1994-02-17)15.2[17]

In a backdoor pilot, Ben vies with a formidable A.D.A Michael Brennen (George Dzundza) while defending a client accused of killing a city councilwoman, and discovers a secret hiding in the D.A.'s past that is affecting his judgment in this case.

Guest stars: Lee Lively as Judge Caldwell, Wayne Tippit as A.D.A. Jerry Carlilse
17219"The P.I."Christopher HiblerJ.I. Henderson & Michael MooreMarch 3, 1994 (1994-03-03)16.9[18]

In another backdoor pilot, after Ben briefly meets Jesse Morgan (Tracy Nelson) in the teaser, the remainder is set in Los Angeles and centered entirely on Jesse and her father (George Peppard) with no Matlock characters even mentioned.

Guest star: Jonathan Banks as Jack Starling

Note: Brynn Thayer and Daniel Roebuck do not appear in this episode. George Peppard, terminally ill with lung cancer while filming, died only four days after this episode aired, making this his final television appearance.
17320"The Godfather"Christopher HiblerRichard CollinsApril 28, 1994 (1994-04-28)15.8[19]
Ben reluctantly agrees to host a reception from his goddaughter's wedding at Leanne's prompting, but when one of the best men is murdered after the bachelor party, Ben agrees to defend the brother of the bride when he is accused of murder. The case is hindered by cheating lovers, a bad history between the victim and the accused and an increasing number of uninvited guests at Ben's house.
17421"The Idol"Frank ThackeryStory by : Joel Steiger & Gerald Sanoff
Teleplay by : Anne Collins		May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19)16.1[20]
17522

Sam Haskins (Scott N. Stevens), an aspiring young lawyer who is a fan of Matlock, is accused of having murdered a P.I., Richard Pepp (Michael C. Gwynne), who tried to blackmail him with spicy pictures.

Guest star: John Beck as Paul Cox

References

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  1. ^ Gable, Donna (September 29, 1993). "'Dave's World,' 'Harts' help CBS to victory". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  2. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 6, 1993. p. 3D.
  3. ^ Gable, Donna (October 13, 1993). "New shows pick up steam in ABC win". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  4. ^ Graham, Jefferson; Gable, Donna (October 20, 1993). "'Home Improvement' powers to No. 1". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  5. ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 3, 1993). "ABC usurps CBS as No. 1". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  6. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 10, 1993. p. 3D.
  7. ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 17, 1993). "Walters gives ABC a special boost". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  8. ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 24, 1993). "CBS sweeps back to top". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  9. ^ DeRosa, Robin (December 1, 1993). "Thanksgiving week tie for NBC, CBS". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  10. ^ DeRosa, Robin (December 8, 1993). "'White Dog' has its day; CBS, its week". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  11. ^ DeRosa, Robin (December 22, 1993). "ABC on top for 2nd week". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  12. ^ DeRosa, Robin (January 19, 1994). "'Columbo' on the case for ABC". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  13. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. January 26, 1994. p. 3D.
  14. ^ DeRosa, Robin (February 2, 1994). "Super Bowl runs up NBC's score". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  15. ^ DeRosa, Robin (February 9, 1994). "Lilith brings ratings to 'Frasier'". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
  16. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 16, 1994. p. 3D.
  17. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 23, 1994. p. 3D.
  18. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 9, 1994. p. 3D.
  19. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 4, 1994. p. 3D.
  20. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 25, 1994. p. 3D.
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