Network: HBO
Episodes: 16 (hour)
Seasons: Two
TV show dates: June 21, 2020 — April 24, 2023
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham, Tatiana Maslany, John Lithgow, Justin Kirk, Diarra Kilpatrick, Eric Lange, and Katherine Waterston.
TV show description:
A detective drama, the Perry Mason TV show is a prequel that provides a reimagined origin story for the legendary criminal defense lawyer. Most viewers know the character from the 1957-66 TV show that stars Raymond Burr.
Before he became an attorney, Perry Mason (Rhys) was a low-rent private investigator in the 1930s who lived check-to-check. His wartime experiences in France haunt him, and he suffers the after-effects of a broken marriage.
Mason is often employed by a struggling attorney named Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan (Lithgow), who serves as Mason’s mentor and father figure. Della Street (Rylance) is Jonathan’s secretary, who’s both creative and driven legal.
Paul Drake (Chalk) is a beat cop with a knack for detective work. Mason hires Pete Strickland (Whigham) as an extra set of eyes on his various investigations.
Sister Alice McKeegan (Maslany) is the leader of the Radiant Assembly of God and preaches to a hungry congregation and a radio audience across the country.
Other characters include Detective Ennis (Howard); Detective Holcomb (Lange); speakeasy owner Lupe Gibbs (Falcón); grocery store owner Matthew Dodson (Corddry); District Attorney Maynard Barnes (Root); businessman Herman Baggerly (Patrick); Birdy McKeegan (Taylor), Sister Alice’s mother and closest advisor; City Morgue attendant Virgil Sheets (Mays); and the mother of a missing infant, Emily Dodson (Rankin).
Episode #16 — Chapter 16
As the Gallardos prepare for the worst, Perry and his team work with an unlikely ally in their final push for justice.
First aired: April 24, 2023.
What do you think? Do you like the Perry Mason TV show? Do you think it should have been cancelled or renewed for a third season?
