Kathy Bates’ “Matlock” debuted to impressive ratings, matching CBS’s post-Superbowl premieres of recent years.

The legal drama drew 7.73 million viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day figures. Sunday’s premiere is CBS’ most-watched non-Superbowl premiere in more than five years, since the April 2019 premiere of “The Code,” which followed “NCIS.”

In Canada, the episode was the most-watched show in terms of total viewers, with nearly 1.2 million viewers.

After airing its first episode as a sneak peek on Sunday, “Matlock” returns on Thursday, October 17 at 9:00 PM ET/PT in its regular night and time slot.

In the pilot episode of “Matlock,” Bates was introduced as Madeline Matlock, who used her unassuming demeanor to land a job at a prestigious law firm, Jacobson Moore.

Fighting for a spot at the firm under senior attorney Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), Matty poses as a struggling former attorney who must return to work to care for her grandson after the death of her daughter. But the final moments of the premiere episode reveal that Matty is anything but predictable, and has a secret ulterior motive.

“The writing challenge I gave myself with ‘Matlock’ was to create a character who constantly tells others and the audience that they’re underestimating her,” series creator Jennie Snyder Urman told TheWrap. “(But) underestimate her at your own peril. There’s more to her than you think.”

In addition to Bates and Marshall, “Matlock” also stars Jason Ritter, who is both Olympia’s ex-husband and the son of the company’s head. David Del Rio and Leah Lewis also play the younger employees of the company, Billy and Sarah.

“Matlock” releases episode 2 on Thursday, October 17. Episodes are also available to stream on Paramount+.

The post ‘Matlock’ Debuts as Best CBS Premiere Outside of the Super Bowl in More Than 5 Years with 7.7 Million Viewers appeared first on TheWrap.