HBO's Perry Mason reboot series has been sentenced to cancellation after two seasons.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Perry Mason will not be returning for a third season on HBO. "We are tremendously grateful for the remarkable work of Matthew Rhys and the unrivaled cast and crew of Perry Mason for their reimagining of such a treasured and storied franchise," the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network said in a statement. "While we won't be moving forward with another season of the series, we are excited to continue working with the brilliant creatives at Team Downey on future projects."
Starring Matthew Rhys (The Owl House, Cocaine Bear) as the eponymous private investigator turned lawyer, HBO's Perry Mason was created by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald, with Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey serving as executive producers. The show premiered on June 21, 2020, with Season 1 running for a total of eight episodes through Aug. 9, 2020. About halfway through Season 1, HBO renewed Perry Mason for Season 2. The second season ultimately premiered earlier this year on March 6, running for eight episodes through April 24.
Upon its debut in 2020, the Perry Mason reboot was met with strong viewership numbers, boasting HBO's biggest premiere in two years. The show has also been met with generally favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 1 holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 75 percent against an audience score of 70 percent. Season 2 fared even better, currently holding a "Certified Fresh" rating of 87 percent and an audience score of 81 percent. Moreover, Rhys' portrayal of Perry Mason himself netted him Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nods.
The History of Perry Mason
The character of Perry Mason was originally created in 1933 by author Erle Stanley Gardner. In Gardner's books, Mason was a criminal defense attorney who was often tasked with defending someone who had been charged with murder, sending him on a quest to prove his client's innocence by finding the real killer. It didn't take long for the fictional lawyer to get the live-action treatment, with Warner Bros. putting out a series of six Perry Mason feature films from 1934 to 1937.
As far as the small screen is concerned, the original Perry Mason television series aired on CBS for nine seasons from 1957 to 1966. A revival series titled The New Perry Mason subsequently aired on CBS for a single season from 1973 to 1974. A series of 30 Perry Mason TV movies -- two of which were written by comic book legend Gerry Conway -- then aired on NBC from 1985 to 1995. Perry Mason also starred in his own radio serial from 1943 to 1955, as well as in a number of comic books and even a short-lived comic strip.
HBO's Perry Mason is currently streaming on Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter