Kathy Bates deserves this Emmy Name, but Matlock’s best actor should never have been snubbed

When the EMMY 2025 nominations were announced this week, one of the most surprising and most deserved entries in the best actress in a dramatic series category came from Broadcast television. Kathy Batesnominated for its role in CBS Matlock,, History as the oldest nominated of all time in the category, proving that power performance does not only belong to the streaming and prestige diffusion series. As Matty Matlock, the Oscar winner brings depth, heat and live comic timing to a legal procedure which could easily have felt a formula in lower hands. Her appointment testifies to the quantity she raises the show.

But while Bates fully deserves his flowers, his appointment also throws a spotlight on one of the greatest oments of the Emmy: Skye P. Marshall. As Olympia Lawrence, a clear and tenacious lawyer at Jacobson Moore, Marshall has delivered one of the most emotional performances of the season. She has more than held on her own bates opposite, associate it with intensity, And sometimes even steal the scene. And in the moments when Marshall had to wear whole scenarios by herself, she did it with a subtlety and a force that made Olympia one of the most convincing characters in the series. If Matlock Obtaining the EMMY recognition is a victory for the drama of the network, then Leaving Marshall out of the conversation feels like a huge round.

Skye P. Marshall gave “Matlock” one of his richest characters

Since its introduction into the Matlock Pilot, Olympia has become a character with a depth far beyond the “difficult lawyer” archetype. She could easily have been described as guarded, impetuous and disdainful, in particular towards Matty, her new unconventional colleague. But Skye P. Marshall made sure that Olympia was never to a note. It has imbued it with complexity, leaving flashes of vulnerability and force coexisting in the same scene. It is the kind of performance in anchored layers that Not only pupils the character, but the spectacle as a whole.

Good writing certainly helps, but It is Marshall’s performance that gives Olympia his soul. While she delivered a strong job throughout the season, an in particular episode felt like her real moment Emmy: episode 17, “I was that too”. After spending a large part of the season to set up emotional highs and difficult cases and uncertainty around the creation of partners, Olympia finally faces Matty after having learned that she was lying on who she was really. In the heart of Matlock was an increasing and deeply real friendship between Olympia and Matty, which was one of the most convincing relationships on television this year. The public had anticipated the reaction of Olympia to Matty’s long -standing secret, and when the moment came, Skye P. Marshall delivered a performance that captured betrayal, sorrow and, finally, compassion.

The Olympia trip continues in this episode is a masterclass as an actor in layers. It begins with pure anger and betrayal, even going so far as to lock Matty in a room, walking a dangerous ethical line in pursuing the truth. This anger then gives way to a deep sadness and a feeling of loss, when it confronts the end of a friendship in which it trusted and opens on the lies of paranoia Matty triggered in it. And finally, after learning that Matty was in Jacobson Moore in search of justice for the death of her daughter, Olympia moves again to empathy and, ultimately, a sense of renewed goal.

This arch alone is enough to Justify Skye P. Marshall’s place on the restricted list of Emmy To support the actress. In fact, the humanity that Marshall brought to Olympia was so powerful that viewers could easily be with it during the holder of the series, which testifies to How much his performance was anchored and emotional his performance was really. It is also a perfect example of the evolution of network television, offering a narration focused on the characters that even compete in the most rented prestige dramas.

It is time for EMMYS to take the performance of the network again

There is no doubt that the EMMYS have moved strongly to series of prestigious and streaming cables. But in doing so, they overlook some of the most anchored and emotionally resonant performance on television, many of which occur in network dramas like Matlock. The irony is that Network TV currently offers some of its most focused on the characters for years. Matlock Can present itself as a simple legal procedure, but below the surface, it deeply dig into trauma, insecurity and what makes its human characters. Olympia is at the heart of this, especially after the bomb final drew his personal life in his work. At a time when the public wants rich characters as much as intrigue, Matlock book, And Skye P. Marshall was a great reason why.

Of course, a large part of the spotlights have rightly went to Kathy Bates, who brings a huge shade, mind and weight. But what does Matlock Really singing is that Bates does not wear the series alone. Marshall equaled his scene for the scene, anchoring the emotional arcs of the series and Allow Olympia to shine in its own right. Bates can remain anchor as long as she chooses it, but if Marshall proved something this season, it is that it is more than capable of entering the head. She helped define the tone of the show and to anchor some of her most powerful moments and focused on the characters.

The Emmys did things right by appointing Kathy Bates, but They missed the situation as a whole, leaving Skye P. Marshall aside. If the television academy really wants to honor the best of what television has to offer, it must start taking performances like Marshall seriously. At a time when network television evolves and the narration focused on the characters is prosperous, Marshall helped to do Matlock One of the most emotionally resonant dramas of the year, and it deserves the recognition of correspondence.

All episodes of Matlock are available to broadcast on Paramount + in the United States

Matlock

Release date

September 22, 2024

Network

CBS

Directors

Kat Coiro, Brad Silberling, Gina Lamar, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Jennifer Lynch, Jude Weng, Tessa Blake, Yangzom Brauen, Marie Jamora, Daniel Willis

Writers

Nicki Renna, Jeffrey Lieber, Sara Rose Feinberg

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  Kathy Bates

  Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock

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  Skye P. Marshall

  Olympia Lawrence