My inaugural review couldn’t be about a show I enjoyed any more than HBO’s Perry Mason. I never saw much of the original (more of a Matlock guy myself) but knew the premise. A lawyer takes on tricky cases and does some fancy lawyering to get his clients free.
But this show didn’t start like that. At all. In fact, Perry Mason isn’t even a lawyer. I saw plenty of online complaints about this from the Boomer crowd. They also didn’t like the grittiness and vulgarity from the show, either. Almost like they didn’t realize the show was on HBO or something. But I digress.
I won’t give summaries or spoilers on here but just a quick review about if it’s worth watching. And yes, it’s very much worth watching. My favorite movie/TV time genre might be film noir (love the movie L.A. Confidential) and the settings and vibe of this show fit right in. The performances were all great with special recognition to Matthew Rhys as an incredibly gruff and at times unlikable Mason, Juliet Rylance as Mason’s law associate, and Tatiana Maslany as Sister Alice. Honest, though, ever actor nails it.
The show is dark, though. Small spoiler: there is a dead baby involved and if that bothers you, it’s a tough first episode. However, if you are a sucker for courtroom dramas (I am), then Perry Mason is your ticket. We just finished the season finale today but HBO has already give the go-ahead for season two, so giddy up.
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