How Perry Mason Became a Must-Watch Show
Unfortunately, it appears that the reboot of Perry Mason, featuring Matthew Rhys as a modern take on the classic detective and lawyer, has been canceled by HBO and its new streaming service Max. Despite the creative changes that improved the second season, it seems that Rhys’ snazzy portrayal of the coolest paralegal in 1930s Los Angeles will not be returning for a third season. This news comes as a surprise, as Perry Mason was among the most high-profile shows of the spring television season and had received Primetime Emmy Award attention for its first season.
Many viewers are left wondering why Perry Mason was canceled so soon. Some have cited the ongoing writer’s strike, which puts increased pressure on studios and television networks to keep track of what shows are performing well. Others point out that Perry Mason was not a particularly cheap production for HBO, as the period settings made it a surprisingly costly investment for Warner Bros. Discovery. Considering that HBO is also investing in expensive productions like House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, and Tokyo Vice, another big-budget project may not have seemed like a good option.
However, Perry Mason had become a must-see show in its second season, making its cancelation an unfortunate decision. Matthew Rhys’ brilliant performance as Perry Mason was reminiscent of his work in The Americans, where he played the character of KGB agent Phillip Jennings. Although Jennings and Mason aren’t the same type of men, they both work in the same morally gray profession that makes their ethical dilemmas interesting. Rhys’ portrayal of Perry Mason was nuanced, balancing the darkness of the story and some of the gruesome violence with an appropriate amount of humor.
Despite the overwhelming amount of content available on the combined HBO Max streaming service, it seems that the network is struggling to find the next show to acquire the “prestige” status that prior shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, and The Leftovers had once occupied. With shows like Succession and Barry ending recently, the question remains what the next “must-watch” HBO show will be. Although The Last of Us and House of the Dragon have strong reviews, it’s unclear how many seasons they will last.
In retrospect, the decision to cancel Perry Mason seems short-sighted. Sometimes, a great show needs time to find its footing and become the definitive version of itself that will define its legacy. Perry Mason’s second season set up the idea that each season could introduce a different case, establishing a compelling hook for a third season that sadly will not see the light of day.
Sadly, it appears that the rebooted version of Perry Mason that starred Matthew Rhys as a modern version of the classical detective and lawyer is the latest series to be canceled by HBO and its new streaming service Max. Perry Mason made many creative changes that improved its second season that warranted more attention, but sadly, it doesn’t seem like Rhys’ snazzy take on the coolest paralegal in 1930s Los Angeles will live on to see a third season. It comes as a bit of a surprise, as Perry Mason was certainly among the most high profile shows of the spring television season, and had received a fair amount of Primetime Emmy Award attention for its first season. Rhys continues to add interesting work to his resume in the wake of the conclusion of The Americans.
So, why did Perry Mason get canceled so soon? Many would cite the ongoing writer’s strikewhich puts increased pressure on studios and television networks to keep track of what shows are performing well. It also wasn’t a particularly cheap production for HBO, as the recreations of the period settings made it a surprisingly costly investment for Warner Brothers Discovery. Considering that this is the network that is also investing in expensive productions like House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotusand Tokyo Viceanother big budget project may not have seemed like a good option. However, Perry Mason had become a must-see show in its second season, and its cancelation is an unfortunate decision.
Matthew Rhys’ Brilliant Performance
Rhys proved with The Americans that he had the ability to lead a genre series; in that show, he was playing the character of KGB agent Phillip Jennings. Jennings goes undercover with his fellow agent Elizabeth (played by Rhys’ future wife Keri Russell), and must pretend to be a normal American couple in the 1980s during the rise of Ronald Reagan’s administration and the height of the Cold War. The tension of The Americans is whether their KGB loyalties will lead to any tension with their newfound friends that they’ve made in the United States. The Americans is one of the best drama shows of its generation, and while Perry Mason doesn’t quite reach the same levels of success, it’s worth watching for the talent of Rhys alone.
While Jennings and Mason aren’t exactly the same type of men, they both work in the same morally gray profession that makes their ethical dilemmas interesting. Jennings is actually interested in defecting to the United States, which puts pressure on both his marriage and his professional obligations. Mason has a lot of the same struggles, as he tries not to invest himself in cases, as he knows that he needs to maintain his professionalism to do his best work. At the same time, keeping himself at a distance can be challenging when Mason learns to empathize with the people he’s investigating.
Rhys has also added more humor to the character in the second season, which certainly helps balance out the darkness of the story and some of the gruesome violence. Some viewers may have turned off season 1 after the pilot episode, which features the death of an infant, so it may seem like a bit of a surprise that Perry Mason can actually be pretty funny at points. Rhys adds an appropriate amount of humor to the role without making the series feel like it’s conflicting in its tone.
HBO’s Lack of New Shows
Perry Mason’s cancelation comes after the launch of the new streaming service Max, which bundles together content from the HBO primetime network, the HBO Max streaming service, Discovery+ and its properties, and the various “content hubs” centered around Turner Classic Movies, DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Sesame Workshop, CNN, and Studio Ghibli. Despite the overwhelming amount of content on the combined service, it seems like HBO’s best output may be behind it as the network struggles to find the next show to acquire the “prestige” status that The Sopranos, The Wire, and The Leftovers had once occupied.
HBO shows such as Succession and Barry both ended recently, ending both the network’s best reviewed drama and comedy shows at the same time. The question remains what the next “must watch” HBO show will be, which has become increasingly difficult to determine considering that the network recently canceled Westworld despite the promising end to the fourth season. The Last of Us certainly has the strong reviews to justify further investment, but given the parameters of the storytelling based on the source material available, it may only last a few seasons more; the same could be said for the Game of Thrones spinoff show House of the Dragon.
Theoretically, Perry Mason could have occupied the same “must watch” status that those programs had if it hadn’t been canceled so abruptly. Max may hope that the upcoming seasons of True Detective and Winning Time may inspire the same passion, but there’s no guarantee that either show will inspire the same sort of propulsive investment from viewers that an ongoing mystery series like Perry Mason did. The second and third seasons of True Detective were more divisive, as some viewers did not appreciate the more experimental aspects of the series. Winning Time had an excellent first season, but it lacked a mystery element considering that it’s based on a true story. In retrospect, the decision to cancel Perry Mason feels fairly short-sighted.
The Improvement of Season 2
Sometimes, a great show needs to find its feet before becoming the definitive version of itself that will define its legacy. It would have been a shame if shows like Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or The Leftovers were judged purely on the merits of their first season, and Perry Mason may have had that same issue. However, season 2 set up the idea that each season could introduce a different case, which established a compelling hook for a third season that sadly will not see the light of day.
