dailyloe.com – Emmy-nominee Melanie Lynskey returns to the CBS drama ‘Matlock’ in Season 2 Episode 14, airing Thursday, April 16, 2026. TV Insider provided an exclusive first look at her scene featuring her real-life husband, Jason Ritter. The star-studded scene also includes Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, and Beau Bridges. Lynskey plays the character Debra Palmer, a former lover of Senior, portrayed by Bridges.
Debra Palmer was with Senior years prior when he was in Australia. She gave the order to his son Julian, played by Ritter, to bury the Wellbrexa study. Lynskey made her debut on the show in October and has not been back since. Her character has been mentioned as others continue their secret mission against Senior.
The episode is titled ‘Day One’ and involves the team tracing Senior’s money trail. They arrange a delicate meeting with a key accomplice that could expose them all. The team also takes on a criminal justice student’s personal case involving a hit and run.
In the exclusive clip, Lynskey’s character arrives at the Jacobson Moore law firm. Her arrival shocks Matty, Olympia, and Julian. Matty whispers to Olympia, ‘I knew Edwin came on too strong.’ This implies Edwin and Debra will cross paths in the episode.
Matty and Olympia send a warning to Julian about the arrival. Julian then sprints up to his dad’s office to monitor the situation. Senior introduces his ex, Debra, to his son Julian in the office.
Debra delivers a flirty line to the two men. ‘Mr. Handsome and Mr. Handsomer! I’ll let you two guess which is which,’ she teases. Julian replies, ‘OK, we will,’ with trepidation. Senior is shown loving the attention from her.
This episode marks the penultimate episode of ‘Matlock’ Season 2. The two-part finale will air back-to-back on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Lynskey’s appearance follows another spouse’s guest role the previous week.
Skye P. Marshall’s husband, Edwin Hodge, had appeared on the CBS drama the week prior. Lynskey is also known for her role in the series ‘Yellowjackets’.[]
Source: TV Insider
