Bridget Regan joined a Jane the Virgin reunion in the Matlock Season 2 two-part finale, which aired on Thursday, April 23, on CBS. She joined Gina Rodriguez, guest starring in a new role, and returning guest star Justina Machado.
Matlock was created by Jane the Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman who, between casting stars of her previous shows and casting her cast’s spouses, loves to make her productions a family event.
Matlock Season 2 came to a close on April 23 with a two-hour finale airing back-to-back. The episodes are titled “Who Are You?” and “Matty Matlock.”
Here’s the finale logline: “The team confronts an unexpected final hurdle they need to overcome to bring Senior to justice for his role in the Wellbrexa cover up. Meanwhile, they defend an airport ramp operator accused of safety negligence in the death of a passenger.”
Regan, currently a recurring cast member of The Rookie, guest starred as D.A. Samantha Barrett. She faced Matty (Kathy Bates) in court and proved to be a worthy opponent.
As previously reported, Rodriguez made her Matlock debut in the finale. She plays a character called Lida Gutierrez, the FBI to whom Matty fed the Wellbrexa tip. Lida helped get all of the Jacobson Moore lawyers who were complicit in the Wellbrexa cover-up arrested, including Machado’s character, Eva, Senior (Beau Bridges), Eva’s ex-husband, and Julian (Jason Ritter), who gave up his immunity to bring his father to justice.
Urman has been bringing her Jane the Virgin cast onto Matlock since Season 1. She told TV Insider that there’s a strong likelihood that the Jane alums will return to Matlock.
Here’s every Jane the Virgin cameo so far, in order of appearance.
Yael Grobglas
Grobglas was the first Jane the Virgin star to appear on Matlock. She debuted as “human lie detector,” a.k.a. a jury consultant, Shae Banfield in Season 1 and had a noteworthy episode in Season 2 when she was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Matty (Kathy Bates) helped exonerate her.
Grobglas played Petra Solano, a series regular, in Jane the Virgin.
Azie Tesfai
Azie Tesfai appeared in Matlock Season 1 Episode 16, “The Johnson Case,” in which she played public defender Amina Sloane. Amina and Olympia went to law school together. Amina has ties to the District Attorney’s office, which means she might work with Regan’s character.
Tesfai played Nadine Hansan in Jane the Virgin. Nadine was a detective partnered up with Michael Cordero (Brett Dier).
Justina Machado
Machado debuted as Eva, Senior’s fourth ex-wife, in Matlock Season 2. She’s been a recurring guest star all season and will return in the Season 2 finale. Eva is a lawyer and partner at Jacobson Moore, but she runs the firm’s Miami office, so she’s not always present in New York.
Machado played Darci Factor, a recurring guest star, in Jane the Virgin.
Yara Martinez
Yara Martinez appeared as Vicki, one of Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) clients in Matlock Season 2 Episode 13. She played the creator of the “therapeutic” AI tool that allows users to speak with their deceased loved ones. Matty used the technology to “talk to” her late daughter, Ellie (Marnee Carpenter).
Martinez was a series regular in Jane the Virgin. She played Luisa Alver, sister of Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni) and the doctor who mistakenly got Jane (Rodriguez) pregnant via artificial insemination.
Gina Rodriguez
Rodriguez plays Lida Gutierrez in the Matlock Season 2 finale. She was the final piece of the puzzle that Matty, Olympia, and Julian needed to get justice in the Wellbrexa case. The FBI agent, like Matty, lost a loved one to the opioids crisis, giving her personal stake in seeing the Wellbrexa offenders behind bars.
Bridget Regan
Regan plays Samantha Barrett on Matlock. She’s the New York District Attorney, which is a great setup for a potential return in Season 3. Does she work with Tesfai’s Amina?
Regan played the villainous Sin Rostro, a.k.a. Rose, a recurring character in Jane the Virgin. Rose and Luisa were in a toxic, longterm love affair.