Matlock was a spin-off of Hee Haw, originally airing on NBC and later moving to CBS, which was apparently designed specifically to appeal to old people. It involved Andy Griffith wearing a powder blue suit and speaking in a folksy and soothing manner for approximately forty-five minutes every week. Sometimes, this speaking took place in a courtroom, or when the character was surrounded by roving bands of expository excuses, or the pre-dead Don Knotts. Or all three.
Matlock's move from NBC to CBS was the turning point that triggered CBS's ascendance as the premier network for old people.
The show also has won numerous awards for its ingenious titling of episodes. Every episode began with the word "The" and then offered one or sometimes two others after that which often symbolized the deep inner Tantric meaning that only those who watched each episode at least 14 times could appreciate. The show varied this formula only 7 times in 195 episodes, not counting the Pilot, "Diary of a Perfect Murder." (Of course, who counts a pilot for much of anything anyway?) The 7 shows that marred the masterwork titling started out harmless, even sanguine ('sanguine' means 'bloody'): "Santa Claus," "Blind Justice," and "Nowhere to Turn." But by the times of "Mr. Awesome, "Matlock's Bad, Bad, Bad Dream," and "Brennen," it was clear that Matlock himself was addicted to some pretty bad shrooms. It was no coincidence that the final break from the usual title scheme was halfway through the 9th and final season, and was called, appropriately, "Dead Air."