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''Matlock'' was an American Television Legal Drama starring Andy Griffith as attorney Ben Matlock . The format of the show was very similar to that of '' Perry Mason '', with Matlock figuring out who the murderer is and then confronting them in a dramatic courtroom scene near the end; although whereas Mason usually exculpated his clients at a pretrial hearing, Matlock usually secured an acquittal at trial, from the jury. The show ran from 1986 to 1993 on NBC , then 1993 until 1995 on ABC . The show can currently be seen in Syndication and is distributed by Viacom . BACKGROUND The show features Ben Matlock as a renowned, folksy, yet cantankerous defense attorney who is worth every penny of his $100,000 fee. Known for visiting the scene of the crime to discover clues otherwise overlooked and his down-home style of coming up with viable, alternative theories of the crime in question (usually murder) while sitting in his office playing the Banjo or polishing his shoes, Griffith's character also had conspicuously finicky fashion sense. Ben Matlock always appeared in court wearing his trademark gray suit (though the necktie he always wore would be different) and, over the nine seasons, was seen behind the wheel of two generations of the Ford Crown Victoria —always an all gray model. Matlock studied law at Harvard , based his law practice in Atlanta, Georgia and lived in a farmhouse in some neighboring suburb. Throughout the series, three different women played Matlock's daughters, all of whom worked on cases as his co-counsel. Linda Purl played Charlene Matlock in the March 1986 pilot episode/TV movie "Diary of A Perfect Murder". Linda Purl starred in this role for the rest of the first season. After Matlock's hired associate counsel Michelle Thomas ( Nancy Stafford ) left the show at the end of season six, Brynn Thayer joined the cast as Leanne MacIntyre , another daughter. In the second to last episode of season six, Matlock's daughter Leanne arrived as a barrister, successful in her own right, who returned home to work with her father for a while after breaking up with her former husband. Leanne's ex-husband Peter MacIntyre ( Robert Desiderio ) appeared in a season seven episode entitled The Debt when he needed her help to defend himself against a murder charge. NOTABLE GUEST STARS Griffith's old partner in comedy Don Knotts first appeared in a 1988 episode of the series. Titled "The Lemon", Knotts played Ben's new neighbor Les "Ace" Calhoun, a "King of Plastic" who is framed for the murder of the "cowboy" car salesman who talked him into buying a car that later breaks down. In the beginning of the show when he and Ben meet for the first time, he calls Ben "Benge", a reference to their old days in '' The Andy Griffith Show '' when Knotts' character Barney Fife sometimes called Andy "Ange". Knotts would continue to make appearances as Les Calhoun on the series until the show's first cancelation in 1992 . He even had a small role in two Matlock TV movies ("The Picture" in 1992, and "The Ambassador" in 1988) Country music star Randy Travis appeared in a 1992 (season six) episode "The Big Payoff" as character Billy Wheeler. In "The Mark" (a season seven episode), Travis reprised the role of Matlock's old friend Billy Wheeler, an aspiring country singer who wins the lottery and shortly thereafter finds himself framed for the murder of his cheating business partner. Both Travis and Griffith originate from the same state, North Carolina . Long before he would take the memorable small role as D.A Fletcher in the ''. MATLOCK'S FELLOW INVESTIGATORS Matlock had four investigators working for him over the course of the series' nearly nine year run. First Tyler Hudson ( Kene Holliday ) in seasons one through three and later Conrad McMasters ( Clarence Gilyard Jr. ) during seasons four through six. In season seven ( 1993 ) Daniel Roebuck 's Cliff Lewis character became the regular sleuth. For the ninth season, Carol Huston 's Jerri Stone became the sleuth. Roebuck, of '' The Fugitive '' fame, and Warren Frost (Cliff's father Billy Lewis) became regular cast members until the conclusion of the ninth season and the series in 1995. Roebuck appeared on at least four previous occasions playing characters Dr. Bobby Shaw ("The Doctors", 1987 ), Alex Winthrop ("The Ambassador", 1988 and "The Priest" 1989 ), and Assistant District Attorney Sadowsky ("The Assassintation", 1992). '' Jake And The Fatman '' was a spin-off based on a character that originated in The Don, a two part Matlock episode from season one. In The Don, Conrad played prosecutor James L. McShane. Styles played Paul Baron, the son of Matlock's client. Executive Producer Dean Hargrove was responsible for both ''Matlock'' and ''Jake and the Fatman'' and worked as a writer or producer on a host of other familiar TV mystery shows like '' Columbo '', ''McCloud'', '' Diagnosis Murder '', ''Father Dowling Mysteries'', and ''Perry Mason''. MATLOCK IN POPULAR CULTURE ''Matlock'' is a Running Joke on '' The Simpsons '', where the show has a huge cult following amongst the senior citizens of the town of Springfield. In one episode, the Simpsons' house is almost destroyed to make way for a "Matlock Expressway", while in another a frail Andy Griffith is mobbed and thrown to the ground by a crowd of obsessive elderly fans. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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