Kathy Bates is getting into the director’s chair for the first time in over 20 years.
During a panel at Deadline’sContenders TV event—where the Matlock actress shocked the audience with a confession about her social media scrolling habits—Bates also revealed she would be directing an episode in the CBS legal drama’s second season.
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“I’m very excited,” she dished about directing an episode on a series where she’s the leading lady.
Of course, it’s also a huge step for the Hollywood icon, as she gets back to her roots, marking her first time directing a TV series in over 22 years.
She previously directed 5 episodes for the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2001-2003.
Bates’ directorial experience also includes one episode of Everwood (2002), OZ (1998), NYPD Blue (1997) and TV films Dash and Lilly (1999), Fargo (2003), and Ambulance Girl (2005).
Starring as Madeline Matlock in the drama set in a prestigious law firm, Bates also confessed she sometimes reads social media for fan reactions but knows she shouldn’t, noting, “I’m not allowed to read Instagram or Reddit because I could see a gazillion wonderful things, then I’ll see one negative thing, and that’s what I’ll pick up on.”
“Although I hear that it’s very human, so it makes me feel better,” she concluded.
Matlock was the first CBS show to score an early renewal in Oct. 2024 after airing just three episodes of the first season.
