David Del Rio was fired from Matlock after an investigation over a sexual assault allegation brought on by his co-star, Leah Lewis, in October.
Since they had already filmed half of season 2 and were going on a filming hiatus around the same time, the show had to figure out how to move forward without him.
So, in the second-to-last episode before the winter break, they had his character depart the show after his girlfriend had a miscarriage.
That was then. The legal drama returns on February 26th, and there will be three new faces in the midseason premiere. They are Sarah Wright Olsen, Edwin Hodge, and Henry Haber.
Today, Lewis shared a photo of her new male co-stars with Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall, and they look like they already fit in. Granted, Hodge has an advantage because he is married to Marshall in real life.
According to TVLine, this is a description of the three new characters: “Wright Olsen plays Gwen, an efficiency expert analyzing the firm. Haber plays Hunter, a younger associate from the floater pool who is a total bro. Hodge plays Langston, ‘the kind of guy who can show up late, knowing he’ll charm everyone into forgetting about it as soon as he arrives. A double PhD in neuroscience and philosophy, he is a deep thinker… and a smooth talker.'”
Will they be able to smooth-talk fans into liking them? We shall find out when the series returns later this month.
Del Rio asked CBS for another investigation into the allegations, and he was granted one by the network. The investigation has reportedly been concluded recently, but the outcome has not been revealed.
CBS picked up ten of their shows for next season today, but Watson and DMZ were not two of them.
What did they pick up? Tracker, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Matlock, Elsbeth, Fire Country, NCIS, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney, Survivor, and The Amazing Race. They join the series that were already picked up for the 2026=2027 season: Boston Blue, Sheriff Country, FBI, Ghosts, and two new series, Cupertino and Einstein.
CBS also had not made a decision on the upcoming scripted originals, CIA and Marshalls, and Hollywood Squares and The Road.
With all of that, there is not a lot of room for anything else, like a potential Tracker or Ghosts spinoff.
Back in October, David Del Rio was let go from Matlock after an investigation that he allegedly sexually assaulted his co-star, Leah Lewis, on the set.
Since then, we wanted to know how his character will be written out of the legal drama. Today, we found out.
Deadline spoke with the show’s creator, Jennie Snyder Urman, who revealed that his episode had already aired.
“I’m not going to discuss details, but what I can talk about is in terms of the show,” Snyder Urman told the site. “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.”
Yesterday, TMZ reported that CBS reopened the complaint and interviewed the actor and a few others about the incident. Del Rio is said to have denied the allegations.
Back in October, David Del Rio was fired from Matlock because he allegedly sexually assaulted his Matlock co-star, Leah Lewis.
There was an investigation conducted as soon as Lewis reported the alleged September incident on the Paramount lot, resulting in his immediate dismissal.
Neither actor has addressed the allegations publicly, but he has denied the allegations.
But today, TMZ is reporting that CBS reopened the case and has heard from several witnesses, including Del Rio, whose high-powered attorney was by his side.
Matlock resumed filming last week after a planned hiatus, which began shortly after the incident.
There have been reports that his character was written off of the series. But CBS has not said if that episode has been filmed yet.
Tonight at 9:30p on CBS, DMV gets a special episode after the Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion.
Did you know the DMV has a magazine that celebrates the best of the DMV, and that for the third year in a row, Beau (Randall Park) and his North Hollywood DMV are on the cover?
As soon as Barb (Molly Kearney), the gullible, pushover manager of East Hollywood DMV, sees that, she gets her workers together and suggests they go there on their lunch break to see what NoHo is doing that Least Hollywood (Beau’s words, not mine) isn’t doing.
What could go wrong when our lovable, dysfunctional E-Ho workers, goody two shoes Collette (Harriet Dyer), troublemaker Vic (Tony Cavalero), sexy newbie Noa (Alex Tarrant), and over-it Gregg (Tim Meadows), show up at their competing DMV that has everything they don’t? Just what you think will happen, but only worse.
And that is why I have been enjoying DMV so much. I went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it is.
Yes, they suck at their jobs. But would you expect any less from DMV employees? Nope! Everyone hates the DMV, but this show almost makes me want to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
If only they had one in North Hollywood like the one they have on tonight’s episode, I would go. But just like the show, that office is fiction. Our closest office is in Glendale, and it is nowhere as nice as East Hollywood. And yes, there is only a Hollywood DMV, and not one E-Ho. There is a lot of lying going on at CBS when it comes to the DMV.
Back to the sitcom. If you have never seen it, tonight is a great episode to start with. And then you can see why I am loving and not hating the show about one of the universally most-hated places in the United States.
