‘Matlock’ boss on David Del Rio’s firing and writes Billy off

“Matlock” is undergoing some changes.

In early October, David Del Rio, who plays employee Billy Martinez, was removed from the set and fired after being accused of sexual assault. Season 2 was already in production when the incident occurred, and Del Rio had already filmed seven episodes. “Prior Bad Acts,” which aired on December 4, marked his final appearance, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman confirmed Variety.

That episode ended with Billy telling his pregnant girlfriend, “I really want to get married,” an odd-sounding phrase that later seemed to have been mixed together. While Snyder Urman did not confirm that this was the case, she said, “I will just say that we had to make creative changes, and we did. We end up in a different place than what we planned, but we really stopped and tried to think about how we can have an exit that makes sense in the world of our show and for the character.”

During the December 11 midseason finale, Sarah (Leah Lewis) reveals that Billy has taken the day off from work, and later discovers that his pregnant girlfriend has suffered a miscarriage. “His departure will be explained over the course of the next two episodes, and it really ties into the character and what’s happening with the company as a whole,” says Snyder Urman. “We want to stay true to the character.”

While Snyder Urman said she is “unable to discuss the events” surrounding the allegations against Del Rio that led to his firing, she added, “We just plugged in and moved on. We’re just all happy to be back and focused on the work. I think that’s the point: We want the show to be great. We want it to be fun for the audience to watch.”

Although Lewis never confirmed her involvement in the allegations, after news broke that Del Rio had been fired, she shared a message via Instagram in which she wrote, “Mom is here, we move forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands. Thank you everyone for every kind of support and care. Truly, we move forward in strength. Key word, strength. Please let that be the takeaway.” Del Rio’s wife, in turn, posted and deleted a photo of her and her own mother with the caption, “Mom is here. We move forward in love and strength after what Leah did to our family. Thank you all for the love and support!”

In the show, Lewis’ character faces a tough road in season 2, after she was removed from Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) team after lying to her boss during the midseason finale. Plus, the merger is moving full steam ahead, meaning no one’s jobs are safe. One positive note? Olympia and Matty (Kathy Bates) are finally on the same team again.

“That relationship is just everything to me,” Snyder Urman said of Matty and Olympia. “If I could headline the second half of the season, it’s joy, because we’re having so much fun coming in with some new characters, some returning, and then we start turning the cards left and right. That brings a certain amount of joy, in terms of telling the story and getting answers. And then we see Matty and Olympia working together – this intergenerational friendship that was unexpected, but means the world to both of them. They’re looking at all these obstacles, but working through them together, which to me is a relief is because I hate writing them in conflict.”

Additionally, two new characters are introduced in the second half of Season 2: Sarah Wright Olsen as Gwen, an efficiency expert who analyzes the company; and Henry Haber as Hunter, a younger co-worker and “total brother.”

“Matlock” returns to CBS with new episodes on Thursday, February 26.