34 Years Later, This Forgotten Certified Fresh Drama Is an American Streaming Sleeper Hit

Kathy Bates has become a superstar in the last year thanks to her role in Matlock, the hit legal thriller series streaming on Paramount+, but almost 35 years ago, she starred in a period drama that’s returned to streaming charts. Bates stars alongside Jessica Tandy and Mary Stuart Masterson in Fried Green Tomatoes, the 1991 film following Evelyn (Bates), a housewife who befriends an older woman at a nursing home. Fried Green Tomatoes is currently streaming for free on Tubi in America, and it’s one of the most popular movies on the streamer, sitting at #8 at the time of writing. The film earned scores of 76% from critics and 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and it grossed an impressive $119 million against an $11 million budget.

Kathy Bates made history today as the oldest Emmy nominee for Lead Drama Actress in history. At 77 years old, Bates is still turning in career-best performances, and although she’s mentioned the possibility of Matlock being her final project, fans still aren’t ready to say goodbye to seeing her on their screens. Arguably her most famous role came in 1997 on Titanic — she plays Molly Brown in the James Cameron-directed film. Titanic grossed over $2 billion at the box office and also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Bates even had a stint at The Office working with Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) as they sell printers across the northeast region. Just last year, Bates could also be seen starring opposite Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in A Family Affair, which was released straight to Netflix and not in theaters.

When Does ‘Matlock’ Season 2 Come Out?

Matlock was renewed for a second season after only a few episodes of the first season had been released, but this proved to be a smart call — the show earned rave reviews and strong viewership, and going for the early renewal only allowed the team to begin production sooner. Matlock Season 2 has already been set for release on October 12, and only one episode of the series is expected to premiere on release day. In addition to Bates, Matlock also stars Jason Ritter and Leah Lewis, and it was written by Jennie Snyder Urman.

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of the most popular movies in America on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Bates’ other projects.