Matlock executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman has revealed that David Del Rio‘s final episode as Billy Martinez has already aired. She said there will be another update on Billy later in Season 2 that will complete the character’s storyline. The midseason finale airs Thursday (December 11) night at 9/8c on CBS. Matlock has also cast Henry Haber and Sarah Wright Olsen in the second half of Season 2, premiering in February. Snyder Urman said that Haber’s character is not a “replacement” for Del Rio.
Del Rio was fired from Matlock in October after CBS investigated a report of an alleged sexual assault, reportedly involving Del Rio’s costar, Leah Lewis. Del Rio has denied the allegations. On December 11, TMZ reported that CBS reopened the investigation.
Matlock Season 2 Episode 7 was Del Rio’s last appearance as Billy, according to Snyder Urman. The episode aired on December 4. The showrunner said that there will be an update on Billy in an upcoming episode that will conclude the character’s storyline. She confirmed that the Welbrexa study storyline will also conclude in Season 2.
“I’m not going to discuss details, but what I can talk about is in terms of the show,” Snyder Urman told Deadline. “The last episode you see him is in 7, and then you find out how Billy’s story ends, which is in a very organic way that has to do with our whole office and how things are being shaped in this merger.”
There is a possible merger looming in Matlock Season 2. In Episode 7, Billy and Sarah discussed rumors of the merger. It seems that Billy’s exit could be explained as him losing his job in the merger, or something along those lines.
Wright Olsen and Haber’s characters are newcomers at the firm. Wright Olsen plays Gwen, “an efficiency expert analyzing the firm,” per Deadline. Haber plays Hunter, “a younger associate from the floater pool who is a total bro.” The characters will not appear in the midseason finale, but the actors have already started filming future episodes.
“We’re always bringing in new associates, new people, because we want to give our characters different energies to react to, and different obstacles to overcome,” Snyder Urman told Deadline. “And one thing that we were talking about in the writers’ room that we’ve been wanting to bring in is a bro, like a real bro.”
“What will it be like for Olympia [Skye P. Marshall] and Matty [Kathy Bates] to be around a bro?” she continued about Hunter. “They’ve been with characters that really see them as the pinnacle and do things their way. But what happens when you have somebody who spreads a little bit and shoots a basketball when he wants to have ideas flowing? What is that like in our ladies’ world? And I’ll tell you, it’s funny.”
Matlock, Season 2 Midseason Finale, Thursday, December 11, 9/8c, CBS
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.
