‘Matlock’ Introduces Olympia’s Mother With ‘Fresh Prince’ Alum Vernee Watson

Vernee Watson is coming to Matlock in what could be a recurring role. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum will make her debut in Matlock Season 2 Episode 7, entitled “Prior Bad Acts.”

Watson will play Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) mother, Celeste, in the episode. CBS has just shared the logline for the episode, airing on Thursday, December 4, at 9/8c. Celeste will be involved in the case of the week.

Here’s the description for Matlock Season 2 Episode 7, “Prior Bad Acts”: “Olympia works to repair her relationship with her family after she takes on a case involving her mother’s new husband. Also, Matty and Olympia receive a shocking piece of information.” See the first photo from the episode below.

Olympia’s family has become a central part of Matlock‘s second season. Now that Olympia is in on Matty’s (Kathy Bates) secret investigation into corruption at Jacobson Moore, the pair is working together to try to keep Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), out of prison for the part he played in burying the Wellbrexa study that confirmed the addictive nature of opioids. He’s the one who did the burying, by order of his father, Senior (Beau Bridges), the managing partner of the law firm. But in Matlock Season 2 Episode 5, Senior denied any knowledge of the existence of the Wellbrexa study.

Michael Yarish / CBS

Olympia’s father died before the events of Matlock, and her grief over that loss has been incorporated throughout the show, especially in Season 1, when she thought she lost the recording of one of his final voicemails to her. Bringing Olympia’s mother into the fold will reveal more about the character, who’s having a tough time living under the weight of the lies she has to tell to keep Matty’s secret a secret and protect her family. That’s even harder when that lying involves gaslighting Julian, as seen in Episode 5.

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Next up on Matlock is Season 2 Episode 6, entitled “Harm Reduction,” in which Matty and Olympia continue to test the boundaries of their friendship while helping a group of nuns, and Olympia and Sarah (Leah Lewis) become roped into secretive activities within the firm.

Sarah was introduced to Senior through an awkward encounter with her mother and stepdad in Episode 5. In that scene, Sarah’s mom let slip that her daughter had recently taken on her first case. What Senior doesn’t yet know is that she wasn’t allowed to take on that client. Could he find out and use that information against her, which gets her and Olympia — now a partner at the firm under her ex-father-in-law — roped into those secret activities at work? Parents, they really make a mess of things sometimes.

Watson was recently seen in Shrinking Season 2 as Gaby’s (Jessica Williams) mother, Phyllis, and plays Stella Henry on General Hospital. Watson also starred in Bob Hearts Abishola as Gloria. She played Will’s mom, Viola “Vy” Smith, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and appeared in Peacock‘s Bel-Air spinoff as Janice. This was a new character and an homage to her time on the original series as opposed to a reprisal of her previous role.

Matlock, Thursdays, 9/8c, CBS

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