Matheson is mostly remembered for being the author of I am Legend, the only Sci-Fi book I can recall being made into a movie three times; I’ve only seen the Seventies version known as The Omega Man (it’s very Seventies). For me he is the man responsible for memorable Sci-Fi television: “The Enemy Within” episode of Star Trek, “Terror at 20,000 Feet” for The Twilight Zone and the teleplay for The Martian Chronicles.
Recently we’ve been watching the Science Channel’s Prophets of Science Fiction which is a bright spot in the cesspool trend known as “reality” television. If Ridley Scott is continuing the show, he should include Matheson. It’s not an unreasonable idea especially when the finale to season one (or the whole thing) was George Lucas whose Star Wars is not Sci-Fi, it’s Space Opera or Space Fantasy because it has little-to-no Science.
I’m glad Matheson lived to see his work adapted unlike Dick, Heinlen or Wells.