PERRY MASON (Season 2) -- A Quality Hybrid of Film Noir and Courtroom Drama

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO.

Perry Mason was a law procedural that ran from 1957-1966, starring Raymond Burr. He reprised the role many times after that over the years. In 2020, Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald, together with HBO, launched its version of Perry Mason, starring Matthew Rhys of The Americans fame. Coming in March, the second season of the acclaimed series kicks off with some great anticipation. 

When season two of Perry Mason kicks off, Perry (Matthew Rhys) has found himself doing general law. He and his associate, Della Street (Juliet Rylance), find themselves defending a grocery store owner against an ex-employee who supposedly stole company designs and secrets. He's not happy doing this, but it pays the bills. When a well-respected member of the community Brooks McCutchen (Tommy Dewey) turns up dead, two Mexicans are fingered for the murder. Their family members enlist the services of Perry and Della for help. They, in turn, ask a friend, Paul Drake (Chris Chalk), to help with this difficult investigation.

Because of the era Perry Mason is set in, it has a vibe of film noir — a genre that has been popping up more and more lately. A new Philip Marlowe film starring Liam Neeson is out in theaters currently. Films like Chinatown, The Big Sleep, and The Maltese Falcon paved the way for shows like this. Season one was very good and had an interesting storyline. Season two is more in line with those classics I just mentioned, though, and that is more to my liking than the previous season.

Matthew Rhys has proven he is a fantastic actor with his long run on FX's The Americans. His turn as Perry Mason is a bit different from that other starring role. He has a more unsure nature of himself about this character. This is before his more confident years in his previous series. He's still learning the law, and he has to rely more on his friends and associates and the instincts he used as a private investigator in previous years. Rhys changes direction as Mason, and it is fun to watch him in action.

Sometimes, I'm a big fan of courtroom dramas or comedies. They just bring out dramatic things in films that make them better most of the time. This show is not like a television procedural, it has more of a cinematic feeling. Add in the film noir elements, and there is nothing like this series on television today. HBO and the showrunners, directors, and writers have created a show that takes risks and goes places unexpected for this type of series. Many story beats don't meet expectations — they exceed them.

Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO.

This series has a good cast of characters. A few return from the previous season, but also some new ones. Shea Whigham once again plays both sides as a private investigator Pete Strickland for the district attorney, but he is also trying to keep his relationship with Mason. That is a hard thing to do in this climate. Oscar nominee for best supporting actor for Sound of Metal, Paul Raci, is the father of the deceased, Lydell McCutchen, but he has a mechanization of his own that may put him in the crosshairs of Mason and his team. Hope Davis, as Camilla Nygard, is a confidant and friend of Street, who relies on her wisdom about the town of Los Angeles and the men that run it. And Eric Lange returns as Detective Holcolm, who has a history with the deceased. This show has a stellar cast that makes it better with every episode.

As I mentioned, the film noir elements of this series are some of the best things about it. They add mystery and suspense where needed. With the investigative side of the show, the legal drama is set in 1930s Los Angeles, based on novels and short stories penned by Erle Stanley Gardner. They mix well with the film noir elements. These are the two main parts of how and why these types of shows and films work. There is a style and formula of film noir that fits perfectly into Perry Mason. I loved what they did with this show.

Perry Mason mixes some great elements of film noir investigative work and a courtroom drama, and seamlessly creates a fantastic season 2 of this acclaimed series. The cast is filled with terrific character actors doing some of the best work of their careers. The star that never ceases to amaze with his range as an actor, Rhys, gives viewers watching this series a believability factor that he has embodied this lawyer who may be in over his head time and again, but never compromises his beliefs and fights for his clients. This is a character and actor viewers can and should get behind. This show also adds some other elements in subplots that are eye-opening for me and fans watching at home on their television screen. I want to see this series continue, and I hope the creators continue to break ground with the directors and people involved behind the scenes. These different visions aren't compromised by anything going on in the world. 

Perry Mason debuts on HBO on March 6 at 9pm ET/PT, with new episodes airing subsequent Mondays. All eight episodes reviewed.

Rating: 4.5/5