Kathy Bates would be the oldest Emmy winner in her category’s history (and it’s not even close)
If Gold Derby's Emmy odds are correct, then Kathy Bates is on the verge of making history.
The veteran star is currently favored to win Best Drama Actress for the reimagined Matlock. She would be 77 years old when the trophies are handed out Sept. 14, which would make her the oldest woman ever in the category by 15 years.
Glenn Close (Damages) has held the Emmy record since 2009, and before that 2008, when she won back-to-back Best Drama Actress trophies at ages 62 and 61. Prior to Close, the category's oldest winners were 60-year-old Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters in 2007), 58-year-old Barbara Stanwyck (The Big Valley in 1966), 57-year-old Barbara Bel Geddes (Dallas in 1980), 50-year-old Sada Thompson (Family in 1978), and 50-year-old Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder in 2015).
After winning the Critics Choice Award for Matlock, a shocked Bates thanked showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman "for creating such an amazing role for an old lady like me." The actress also referenced the combined age and experience of everyone on set, saying, "When we come to work everyday, there's so much love. There's so many hundreds of years of experience rolling the dolly, working the camera, the costumers, the prop people — they're just the top of the line. It feels like a miracle, and I'm so grateful to all of them."
Bates' biggest hurdle at the upcoming Emmys has nothing to do with age. She stars on a broadcast network show, and those have had trouble breaking through at awards shows in recent years, with voters instead favoring streaming services and premium channels. In fact, the last time a CBS contender competed in the Best Drama Actress race was Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) a decade ago; she won in 2011 and 2014.
But if anyone can break out of the broadcast bubble, it's Bates. In addition to winning the Critics Choice Award, she also reaped noms at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes, where she was bested by Anna Sawai (Shōgun). Sawai was actually eligible at the 2024 Emmys, where she won, so she won't be a thorn in Bates' side going forward.
Historically speaking, legal shows have always done well at the Emmys. Just look at prior contenders like The Good Wife, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and L.A. Law. Will Matlock be the next lawyer program to join that esteemed list?
The pilot begins with the poor and lonely Madeline "Matty" Matlock (Bates) maneuvering her way into a job at the prestigious law firm of Jacobson & Moore. That's where she meets junior partner Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), senior partner Julian (Jason Ritter), novice associates Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis), and managing partner Senior (Beau Bridges). Viewers soon discover that Matty is actually a wealthy woman whose "sweet old woman" persona is all a rouse, and her real goal is to find out which lawyer hid documents related to the opioid crisis that led to her daughter's death.
The Oscar winner for Misery (1990) already has two Emmys on her mantel, for Two and a Half Men (guest actress, 2012) and American Horror Story: Coven (supporting actress, 2014).
Will Matlock be the third Emmy win for Bates? Sound off down in the comments and in Gold Derby's TV forums.
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