After Kathy Bates’ Emotional Performance In Matlock’s Christmas Episode, I Totally Understand Why She’s Already Getting Awards Buzz

Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of Matlock Season 1, called “Belly of the Beast” and set to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

Matlock returned from its Thanksgiving break in the 2024 TV schedule with a Christmas episode, but it wasn’t the most wonderful time of the year for most of the characters by the time the final credits rolled on “Belly of the Beast.” It was no surprise at this point to see that Kathy Bates could deliver a performance touching on a whole spectrum of emotions in under an hour, but I saw it in a new light this time around for one reason.

Bates was nominated for an impressive award just hours before the Christmas episode aired on CBS, and Matlock‘s not even halfway through its first season yet for her to be getting that buzz!

Kathy Bates’ Awards Nomination

The television nominations for the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards were announced on December 5, around nine hours before Matlock returned from its Thanksgiving break. Kathy Bates earned a nomination in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category for her work on Matlock, and she’s in the running against Caitriona Balfe from Starz’s Outlander, Shanola Hampton from NBC’s Found, Keira Knightley from Netflix’s Black Doves, Keri Russell from Netflix’s The Diplomat, and Anna Sawai from FX/Hulu’s Shōgun.

Of course, one Critics Choice nomination may not seem like a lot on paper for an actress who has already collected an Academy Award, multiple Emmys, multiple Golden Globes, and even a couple other CCA nominations for her work in the American Horror Story franchise. But Bates earning that nomination immediately stuck out to me for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that network TV shows have been largely shut out of awards nominations in recent years compared to premium cable and/or streaming options.

The biggest reason why I was struck by the nomination, though, was that Kathy Bates earned it after playing Matty for no more than six episodes, which isn’t even half a standard season on network television. Considering what Bates has said about how many Matlock seasons she’d like to do, she’s getting awards attention for a role she may be playing for several more years after just a handful of episodes.

All in all, I feel validated for crying over Matlock, and the Christmas episode was really the perfect one to air and show off why the leading lady earned her first nomination for the role after just six episodes.

Matty’s Emotional Ride In The Christmas Episode

Matty put in a lot of work to earn a spot on the Welbrexa team at Jacobson Moore, but working Pharma with Julian was a totally different game from the work she did with Olympia, Billy, and Sarah. With her husband and grandson down in Florida for a Christmas break, Matty didn’t even have her usual refuge of loved ones at home, and the pressure kept mounting to the point that I half expected her to snap and blow her cover in front of somebody.

Although the emotional stakes were already sky-high after Matty started listening to an old voicemail from her daughter just to hear her voice, the moment that really did me in came toward the end when the “Mama” beaded necklace that she’d been fiddling with all episode snapped. Beads scattered across the floor and crunched under the heels of the attorneys drinking the night away at the Jacobson Moore Christmas party.

She managed to hold herself together and not break down until she went home for the night, armed with an expensive bottle of alcohol that she’d received from Senior as a bonus for scoring a big win for Team Pharma and Welbrexa. Worse, she was home alone with nobody to talk her down. Matty crossed a line to focus on the bigger picture of getting justice for her daughter, resulting in another young woman losing her shot at striking a blow against Welbrexa due to a technicality.

On the whole, this was a rough episode for pretty much everybody except for Sarah, whose Christmas party date with Kira resulted in a very sweet kiss between the two. Billy’s complete confidence that his longtime girlfriend would accept his proposal was shattered when she turned him down, and he was such a wreck that Sarah herself didn’t hesitate to give him a hug he desperately needed.

For her part, Olympia found out from Julian that he’d cheated on her before they divorced years ago. Even though he came clean because he wanted transparency this time around, Olympia immediately shut down and I’m betting that may be the end of their romantic reunion. This wasn’t biggest episode for Olympia, but enough to show off why Skye P. Marshall is the other Matlock star to earn Critics Choice recognition with a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

While the Christmas episode was eventful enough that I easily could have believed it was Matlock‘s fall finale, there’s still one more episode left before hiatus begins and lasts until the winter premiere in the 2025 TV schedule. Be sure to tune in to CBS on Thursday, December 12 at 9 p.m. ET, ahead of Elsbeth with the arrival of Carrie Preston‘s real-life husband Michael Emerson.

You can also revisit earlier episodes of Kathy Bates’ new series streaming on Paramount+, and find out on January 12 if either Bates or Skye P. Marshall will take home a Critics Choice trophy.