Matlock (season 9)

Matlock defends a journalist who is accused of killing an underworld figure in self defense after meeting with him for an interview.

When Ben defends attorney Lisa Swift (Melora Hardin), who is accused of murdering her boss Bruce Parnelee (David Purdham), he also uncovers a history of sexual harassment involving the law firm.

A basketball coach is accused of murdering an influential booster, and Ben decides to take his case.

Julie March returns from L.A. for a legal conference, and when a former snitch calls her to the jailhouse and admits that he lied, Julie convinces Ben to defend the man, an admitted thief who had one rule — never break into a house when anyone is home. After Jerri Stone (Carol Huston) talks with Susan Kellogg, a woman who lost her daughter to a hit-and-run driver around the same time that Brenda Chaney was murdered, Ben realizes there may be more to this case then meets the eye. Julie also tells him that she's been proposed to and is thinking about getting married again, and asks him what he thinks she should do, and she tells him she's always had feelings for him. At the end of the episode, she says that she decided not to get married yet.

Katie Clark (Jane Sibbett) is a hot new prosecutor in town, fresh from St. Louis, but originally from Atlanta. Her first case involves prosecuting a building contractor, Jack Gibson (Josh Taylor), who has been accused of murdering one of his employees (who just happens to be Clark's former lover). Ben agrees to let her continue on the case, as he is impressed by her desire to not allow her personal past with Gibson get in the way of her duty.

Guest star: Brandon Douglas plays Mike Gibson

Matlock is the unlikely witness when a boat blows up killing Judge Michael Sterns (Robert D. Raiford). Had it not been for Ben's sea-sickness, he would have been on the boat. Convinced that someone was out to get him and not Judge Sterns, Ben, Cliff and Jerri take a look through some of Matlock's old cases, including Jeffrey Spidell (Richard Gilliland) from the season six episode The "Strangler". It turns out that Jeffrey Spidell is the one who is trying to kill him.

While Cliff, Jerri and Billy plan to throw Ben a surprise party for his birthday, Ben agrees to pick up a barbecue. While there, his car breaks down, he's mugged, the phone eats the last quarter he has — and by the time he is rescued by activist Stan Johnson (Christopher Birt) and returned to his car, it's half-stripped and the thieves have stolen his barbecue. Ben is very impressed by the young man, and when Stan's accused of trying to kill the landlord of the apartment complex he lives in, Ben steps in to defend him and to stand up to the landlord George Mitchell (H. Richard Greene), who is a very respected man in the legal community.

Note: This episode contains hallmark elements of a series finale, but was not aired as such, and instead aired fifth-to-last, yet features several narrative elements that would plainly suggest the series is coming to an end. For the first time, Ben Matlock gets himself thrown out of the courtroom on his own Atlanta home turf, because he has finally tried a judge's patience too far and has a massive outburst of indignation, which ironically works to his advantage and ultimately helps his client go free. Instead of being cited for contempt of court, Matlock walks in on a surprise birthday party in the courtroom being thrown by his friends and colleagues, and the judge, Judge Claggett, a good friend of his, respects what he did and decides to forget about it because it is Ben's birthday, so long as he doesn't do this again. After the festivities draw to a close and night has fallen, the only people left in the courtroom are the main cast of Ben, Jeri, and Cliff. Billy is tickled by news of Ben going "bonkers", and Ben reminisces with Billy about being a lawyer for years and this case striking a chord with him. Tired, Jeri and Cliff are ready to go, and Billy begins to follow, but Ben lingers. After Ben requests a moment to himself before following them home, Jeri and Cliff step out and the lights in the room are turned off. A poignant final scene similar to the ending of Cheers occurs where Ben is standing alone in the courtroom with the lights off, nostalgically looking at it for one last time, before finally walking out, playing out to a more sentimental and gentle version of the Matlock theme that implies this is to be our farewell to dear Ben, and leaving viewers looking in on an empty, peaceful courtroom that for the moment has no more cases to be tried and waits for another day's traffic of legal business.

Ben and Jerri head out to the beach with Billy and Cliff, while Cliff is preparing for an upcoming triathlon. Once there, Ben is surprised to run into Ex-F.B.I. agent Ed Wingate (J. Kenneth Campbell), who is investigating a case of his own. While Ben keeps himself busy occasionally running into Ed, Cliff throws himself into the completion, and Billy throws himself at Anita Montrose, the real estate agent who rented them the beach house they're staying in.When one of the people who Wingate is investigating is found dead, Ben agrees to defend his old friend.

After one of suspect's friends died during the triatlon, Ben, Cliff and Jerri continue their investigation and proving Ed Wingate's innocence.

After gathering together a number of people Scott Aston had been investigating who were supposed to be dead, Ben heads to Florida where he finds Chuck Ratner, and Cliff and Jerri learn that the people are all connected because they all turned down the same kind of life insurance. Ben continues in his quest to lose weight in time for his reunion, but decides to fire his personal trainer. Ben is able to get his barbershop quartet costume let out for the singing performance, but unfortunately splits his pants.