Matlock Season 8, Episode 12: The Defendant

The Play

After an actress in The Last Cry of the Hounds is murdered, Matlock agrees to represent the director of a local community play...on the condition that the director not cut him from the play.

60 min

The Fatal Seduction (1)

Matlock, Leanne and Cliff go to North Carolina to attend Billy's sister'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 up a trap using Cliff as bait.

The Fatal Seduction (2)

The Diner

Matlock takes Leanne to meet Martha Jordan, the wife of his very first client back in 1962. Stan Shaw was the cook at the local diner when he was accused of killing the local sheriff after a disagreement in the diner. Charlie Matlock pushed Ben, 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 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.

The View

Matlock realizes he has become a witness in a murder case involving two theater actors and an unhappy husband.

The Last Laugh

A comedian becomes accused of murdering another comic who had insulted him on stage.

60 min

The Capital Offense

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

60 min

The Haunted (1)

While Cliff investigates a suit of medical malpractice and ends up getting more involved than he should with his client, Matlock investigates the case of the mysterious Rod Greenwood, who happens to bear an eerie resemblance to a dead businessman. Soon Cliff and Matlock realise that their cases are tied together.

The Haunted (2)

The Conspiracy

Matlock defends a lawyer accused of murdering an associate who'd accused him of botching a lawsuit involving toxic waster polluters.

60 min

Matlock's Bad, Bad, Bad Dream

Matlock dreams that he, Leanne, Billy and Cliff are in 1932 and are involved with the murder of a sax player.

The Kidnapping (1)

Abductors tries to kidnap Leanne but takes Billy instead and hold him for ransom.

The Kidnapping (2)

The FBI agent who was in charge of Billy's kidnapping case is now accused of killing another agent.

The Temptation

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

60 min

The Crook

A stealer is accused of murdering the man who closed the book on his thefts.

60 min

The Murder Game

Matlock reluctantly agrees to spend the weekend as part of a murder mystery with Cliff, Leanne, and three people who each paid $10,000 for the privilege of matching wits with Ben Matlock. When the pretend victim turns up really 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.

60 min

Brennen

Ben vies with a formidable D.A. 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.

The P.I.

A P.I.'s daughter shoots some photos that get the wrong man accused of murder.

The Godfather

Matlock reluctantly agrees to host a reception for his goddaughter's wedding at Leanne's prompting, but when one of the best men is murdered after the bachelor party, Matlock 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 houseguests at Matlock's home, none of which were invited.

60 min

The Idol (1)

A lawyer who is a fan of Matlock's is accused of murdering a blackmailing P.I.

The Idol (2)