(Photo by: HBO)
Vulture Watch
What’s This TV Show About?
A detective drama series on the HBO cable channel, the Perry Mason TV show is a prequel that provides a reimagined origin story for the legendary criminal defense lawyer. The show stars Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham, Eric Lange, Justin Kirk, Diarra Kilpatrick, Katherine Waterston, Hope Davis, Fabrizio Guido, Peter Mendoza, Mark O’Brien, Paul Raci, Jen Tullock, Jon Chaffin, Onahoua Rodriguez, Jee Young Han, Sean Astin, Tommy Dewey, and Wallace Langham. Initially, Perry Mason (Rhys) is a low-rent private investigator who lives check-to-check in the 1930s. His wartime experiences in France haunt him, and he suffers the after-effects of a broken marriage. He eventually becomes an attorney. Della Street (Rylance) is his secretary, and former police officer Paul Drake (Chalk) is his lead detective. In the second season, months after the Dodson case has ended, the scion of a powerful oil family is brutally murdered. When the DA goes to the city’s Hoovervilles to pinpoint the most obvious of suspects, Perry, Della, and Paul find themselves at the center of a case that will uncover far-reaching conspiracies and force them to reckon with what it truly means to be guilty.
Season Two Ratings
The second season of Perry Mason averaged a 0.03 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 362,000 viewers. Compared to season one, that’s down by 69% in the demo and down by 36% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (includes DVR playback through 3:00 AM). While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel. There can be other economic factors involved in a show’s fate, but typically the higher-rated series are renewed and the lower-rated ones are cancelled. Find out how Perry Mason stacks up against other HBO TV shows.
Perry Mason has been cancelled, so there will not be a third season. Could the show be revived someday? Stay tuned for further updates.
Telly’s Take
Will HBO cancel or renew Perry Mason for season three? The ratings aren’t spectacular, but the critics and general audience have given the series generally positive reviews. I’m concerned that it’s been three years between seasons, as this likely means that the cast’s options have expired, making it more challenging to assemble the cast for another year. Rhys has said he is open to making a third season, so I suspect Perry Mason will be renewed for a third and final year. I’ll update this page with breaking developments. Subscribe for free alerts on Perry Mason cancellation or renewal news.
6/7/23 update: Perry Mason has been cancelled by HBO after two seasons.
Perry Mason Cancellation & Renewal Related Links
- TV show ratings are still important. Follow Perry Mason‘s weekly ups and downs.
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- Explore the HBO status page and other TV show status pages.
- Check out our lists of already cancelled and ended TV shows.
What do you think? Were you hoping the Perry Mason TV show would be renewed for a third season? Are you sorry that HBO cancelled this TV series instead?
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