How does the new “Matlock” relate to the original TV series?

(Warning: The following contains spoilers for the “Matlock” pilot, which airs in an encore episode on October 10.)

Kathy Bates receives high praise for breathing new life into “Matlock.”

Yes, that’s right, “Matlock,” the retro legal drama from the 1980s and 1990s that originally starred TV veteran Andy Griffith. Griffith played a folksy, sometimes cantankerous Atlanta defense attorney named Ben Matlock who had a knack for solving mysteries, thanks in part to his courtroom cunning.

Griffiths Matlock, whom viewers first met when the series premiered on NBC in 1986, demonstrated an uncanny ability to extract confessions from criminals on the witness stand.

Enter Bates, 76, giving a new twist to the role in CBS’ gender-swapped reboot of “Matlock.” It premiered on September 22nd in a critically acclaimed pilot episode and will be re-aired in an encore episode on October 10th.

Kathy Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock in "Matlock" start anew. — Matty Matlock, like Ben Matlock, has a deep understanding of people. She also uses their tendency to overlook women her age to her advantage.Brooke Palmer/CBS

Bates plays Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a seemingly sweet old lady from the South who is just as smart as her namesake.

In the twist-packed pilot, which was also a ratings hit in September, 70-something Matty introduces herself as an unhappy widow and former lawyer when she gets hired at a prestigious law firm in New York City. At the end of the pilot episode, viewers learn that Matty’s biography is, well, a load of nonsense.

Andy Griffith as Benjamin Matlock in the original "Matlock." — Andy Griffith as Benjamin Matlock in the original “Matlock.” NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Like her CBS colleague Jessica Fletcher – a shout out to fans of “Murder, She Wrote” – Matty relies on her astute observations about people – and their tendency to view older women as “invisible” – when she takes on this power to expose criminal misdeeds Reboot, directed by Jennie Snyder Urman, creator of “Jane the Virgin,” shows how cunning Matty is able to use other people’s sexist and ageist prejudices to gather information that can be used for are relevant to your case.

Bates, who won an Oscar for her role in “Misery,” told The New York Times that she accepted the role of Matty because she knew she could bring all of her talent to it.

“Everything that I’ve prayed for, that I’ve worked for, that I’ve fought for, all of a sudden I can ask to use every bit of it,” Bates said.

Bates also liked the role because she and Matty both use their work to process grief. “Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to it on a deeper level,” she told the publication.

Read on to learn more about how the new Matlock brings his own fresh twist to the original series.

“Matlock” is a gender-swapped reboot of the original series

CBS’ new “Matlock” reboot is a gender-swapped version of the original “Matlock” series starring Andy Griffith, which aired for nine seasons from 1986 to 1995.

In the remake, Oscar winner Kathy Bates takes on the title role of Matty Matlock, a septuagenarian detective determined to uncover certain criminal activities in New York City.

In the series’ pilot, which originally aired on September 22nd and will be re-aired as an encore on October 10th, Matty presents herself as a former lawyer and widow when she gets a job at the prestigious Jacobson firm, where she works Moore’s law firm in New York City works with much younger colleagues.

Although Matty resents being broke and having to take care of her tyrannical teenage grandson, viewers soon learn that clever Matty is not who she seems.

In fact, Matty Matlock isn’t exactly Really Matty Matlock. More on this below.

Matty Matlock uses sexism and ageism to her advantage

While Ben Matlock was revered as an experienced and respected lawyer in the original series “Matlock,” the seemingly shy Matty Matlock knows full well that women her age tend to be underestimated or even ignored.

So Matty cleverly exploits the sexist and ageist beliefs of others to her advantage as she works to nail the criminals she has in her sights.

“There’s a funny thing that happens when women get older,” Matty says in the pilot. “We become almost invisible.”

“It’s useful because no one sees us coming,” she adds.

Matty shows her younger colleagues that women their age have skills

Matty’s new job at Jacobson Moore sees her working alongside the company’s bright young employees.

Although some of her Gen Z peers initially have difficulty identifying with someone of their generation, Matty eventually impresses them with her knowledge of the legal system.

Matty isn’t telling the truth about her identity

“Matlock, like the old TV show,” says Matty as she introduces herself to her colleagues in the pilot episode. (“What TV show?” some Gen Z people respond.)

So is Matty Ben Matlock’s daughter? His niece? How about: none of that.

The pilot ends with a surprising twist: Matty, who supposedly earns pennies thanks to her late husband’s gambling, is actually a rich woman.

After informing her colleagues that she cannot meet for a celebratory drink after work, Matty is seen boarding a city bus to head home. But after just one stop she gets off the bus and slips into a limousine, where a driver calls her “Mrs. Kingston.”

Matty Kingston Soon she comes home to a beautiful house where she is greeted by a husband who – surprise! – is alive and well and has a teenage grandson who seems to adore her.

Viewers also learn that Matty chose the wrong surname Matlock because, as it turned out, “Matlock” was her late daughter Ellie’s favorite show.

Ellie died from opiates manufactured by one of Jacobson Moore’s most powerful customers, a major pharmaceutical company that had allegedly withdrawn the drugs from the market.

Do you see where this is going?

Who else is starring in the new “Matlock”?

Bates leads a cast that also includes Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis as series regulars, as well as Beau Bridges and Andrea Londo in recurring roles.

When and where will “Matlock” air?

“Matlock” will re-air its pilot as an encore episode on October 10th at 9pm ET on CBS.

An all-new second episode of the series will air on October 17th at 9pm ET on CBS.