'Perry Mason' Season 2 Will Have Its Day In Court On HBO
Get ready for more of Matthew Rhys wearing rumpled suits and yelling "Objection!" while bathed in moody noir lighting. HBO has gone ahead and ordered Perry Mason season 2, which makes sense since the first season feels like an extended prequel. When first announced, Perry Mason was going to be a limited series, but HBO clearly had a change of heart and wanted to keep the series going. Based on the character who originally appeared in a series of books, radio dramas, and a TV series starring Raymond Burr, the new Perry Mason was a grim, gritty, and pulpy story about how Perry Mason went from being a low-rent private eye to a talented defense attorney.
For the most part, I quite enjoyed the first season of Perry Mason. The performances were strong, the direction great, the visual aesthetic often stunning. That said, the first season had a problem with plotting. Specifically, it made the mistake that so many modern-day adaptations of existing IP make – it's all set-up. This first season wasn't so much the story of Perry Mason but rather the story of how Perry Mason became Perry Mason.
In the original Perry Mason stories and TV series, Perry was a lawyer, but the HBO version kicks things off with the character, played by Matthew Rhys, as a hard-boiled private eye in the 1930s. But the time this first season draws to a close, however, Perry has become a full-blown lawyer, and all the familiar characters from previous incarnations – Juliet Rylance as secretary Della Street, Chris Chalk as cop-turned-private eye Paul Drake, and Justin Kirk as DA Hamilton Burger – have fallen into their familiar roles.
Which means everything has been perfectly set in place for a second season. And sure enough, that's what happening. "It has been an exciting journey to work with the immensely talented team behind Perry Mason," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. "Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930's Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season."
The official Perry Mason season 2 announcement makes no mention about returning cast members, but it's probably safe to assume Matthew Rhys and company will be back for more courtroom action whenever season 2 rolls around, and there will probably be new cast members, too. The first episode of Perry Mason aired on HBO in June, and there are three episodes left to air in season 1.