Few shows have had as much impact on television and culture in general as Perry Mason. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited it as an influence in her going into law. So it's a bit surprising it took so long for someone to attempt a reboot of the popular series, which still airs in syndication today.
The time has finally come. A new Perry Mason debuted on HBO on June 21st, starring Matthew Rhys in the titular role. This is a much different Mason for a much different time. But what's different about it? What's the same? Here are ten things you need to know about HBO's Perry Mason.
True Mason
Development for the new series actually began in 2016, with Nic Pizzolatto set to write. Pizzolatto was the breakout star and showrunner of the HBO series True Detective, which debuted two years earlier to wid acclaim and success.
The early signals were that Pizzolatto would craft something similarly dark to his own series, a major departure for the literally and figuratively black and white original Perry Mason series. Pizzolatto ended up dropping out in 2017 to focus on more True Detective.
Grim and Gritty
Despite the fact that Nic Pizzolatto dropped out, the new Perry Mason is tonally very dark compared to the original series. The first episode contains scenes and images that were simply not even a possibility back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The character is far from the rock steady version Raymond Burr made iconic over fifty years ago.
In the new series, Perry Mason is an alcoholic, divorced, and just trying to get by as a private detective in Los Angeles.
Going Back To Its Roots
While the original Perry Mason series was set contemporaneously in the 1950s, the new series is a prequel focusing on the character's early life. Set in 1932 and in Los Angeles, the story centers around the Great Depression and the 1932 Summer Olympics.
The series takes many cues from film noir in its approach to the era, which is very close in mood and time to when the books the character originates from were set. Erle Stanley Garnder published the first Perry Mason novel in 1933.
A New Perry
The original Perry Mason - to most people, the character was featured in radio dramas and films before the CBS television series - was a true icon. Raymond Burr lent his natural gravitas and distinctive voice to the role, making it hard for anyone who would follow him. But Matthew Rhys is equal to the task.
An acclaimed actor best known for his powerful, nuanced portrayal of a Soviet spy living in America in The Americans, Rhys brings a completely different energy to the role. While it remains to be seen if it will be as good, it will certainly be different.
Iron Mason
The new Perry Mason was almost completely different. When the show first went into development in 2016, Robert Downey Jr., in the middle of his legendary run as Iron Man, was attached to produce and star in the series.
Unfortunately, his intense schedule with the MCU - appearing in pretty much a movie a year from 2008 through 2019 - interfered with his plans to take the role. By 2018, development on the series took a new course and Matthew Rhys took the part.
Strong Direction
With outstanding talent in front of the camera, the show needed behind the camera as well. The new series is directed by Tim Van Patten, a veteran of several major HBO series, including Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, and Game of Thrones.
His considerable experience with crime-related HBO dramas like The Sopranos and The Wire made Van Patten an ideal candidate to direct the series. He joined the production in 2019 and also serves as an executive producer. Van Patten directed five episodes of the first season of Perry Mason, including the first.
Echoes Of The Past
The central mystery of the new series is laid out in the first episode. Perry catches a sensational case - the kidnapping of Charlie Dodson, a baby boy.
The storyline has obvious parallels to the real-life and very sensational kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby which happened in 1932, the same time as the series is set. The story also concerns the rise of evangelicalism in Los Angeles, particularly in the form of the Radiant Assembly of God, a church led by Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany.
More Diverse
The original Perry Mason television series featured a superlative cast of main and recurring actors, but it fell down in one major area. There were no characters of color in the cast, and in a reflection of the times, African-American actors were relegated to background roles. That changes with the new series.
The character of Paul Drake, a white private detective in the original, is now a black police officer in Los Angeles played by Chris Chalk (Gotham). The cast includes a much more diverse range than the original series did, reflecting the reality of 1932 (and 2020).
Della! Della!
In addition to Paul Drake, the new series also brings another important part of the original Perry Mason triumvirate - Della Street.
Barbara Hale played Perry Mason's confidential secretary in the original run and all thirty of the made-for-TV movies from the 80s. British actress Juliet Rylance plays her in the new version, and she seems to be as quick as the original Della was, and maybe a little less proper. The character debuted in the very first Mason novel from 1933.
Huge Ratings
The new show is off to a great start. The HBO series debuted on June 21st with the highest debut for any of its new series in the last two years, beating out the debuts of Watchmen and The Outsider.
A total of 1.7 million viewers watched the show across all platforms. Though it's not quite the huge audience figures from over fifty years ago - the original show boasted over 25 million viewers at its peak - it indicates that the character and franchise still have a lot of life left in them.