‘Parks and Recreation’ Actress Joining ‘Matlock’ Season 2

A Parks and Recreation actress is joining Matlock.

Deadline reports that Sarah Wright Olsen will be recurring in the second half of the CBS legal drama’s second season in the New Year.

Wright Olsen is set to play Gwen, an efficiency expert analyzing the firm. It’s unknown when she will be making her debut on the show, but she has already started filming. Wright Olsen is joining the series alongside newcomer Henry Haber, who is playing Hunter, a younger associate from the floater pool who is a total bro. He has also started filming and, like Wrigth Olsen, did not make an appearance in Thursday’s fall finale.

Fans may recognize Wright Olsen from Parks and Rec, where she had a brief stint as Millicent Gergich in Seasons 4 and 5. She also starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Marry Me and the Netflix sports drama Spinning Out. Matlock marks Wrigth Olsen’s first acting credit in four years, with her most recent being an episode of ABC’s Home Economics in 2021. Additional credits include The Place of No Words, American Made, Mixology, Walk of Shame, Men at Work, 21 & Over, and Happy Valley, among others.

Sarah Wright Olsen’s addition to Matlock is not so surprising, even with her hiatus from acting. Her husband, NCIS: Los Angeles star Eric Christian Olsen, serves as an executive producer on the drama, so it was only a matter of time before he was able to wrangle her in. More information on Wright Olsen’s first episode have not been shared, but the series returns on Thursday, Feb. 26, so it might be a while.

Matlock stars Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, Leah Lewis, Sam Anderson, and Aaron Harris. Inspired by the classic television series of the same name starring Andy Griffith, Matlock follows Bates’ Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years, who rejoins the workforce at a prestigious law firm with a hidden agenda, using her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases.

Matlock is officially on break until Thursday, Feb. 26, but fans can catch up on the entire series on Paramount+, where current episodes are available to stream. Details surrounding Wright Olsen’s appearance will likely be released in the coming weeks.