‘Perry’ Part II: HBO reboot returns for more ‘30s drama
Amid a jazzy Christmas celebration on a dark Los Angeles street in 1931, a fedoraclad man cradles a bundled blanket, its woolen plaid bright under the light of a single streetlamp. As the music turns somber, a gravelly voice comes over the telephone to instruct a local grocer and his wife, both shaking with fear, to leave $100,000 on the desk behind them and meet an approaching streetcar. Heeding the voice’s instructions, the couple rush to the cable car clattering down the hill outside. Upon closer inspection of the emptying vehicle, they find their infant child dead, his eyes stitched shut.
The opening scene to “Perry Mason” is neither easy to watch nor easy to forget, yet it’s been nearly three years now since this pilot aired. Thankfully, fans of the series led by Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) no longer have to wait: Season 2 premieres Monday, March 6, on HBO.
While the title “Perry Mason” may sound like just another cop drama named for its leading character, viewers of a certain age may well remember otherwise. The original series, created for CBS in 1957 and starring “Rear Window” (1954) actor Raymond Burr, followed defense attorney Mason through his cases as he worked his magic to clear each client while always managing to expose the real criminal in the process. And while there are many similarities between the two shows beyond the name, HBO’s version is quite a bit edgier than its CBS counterpart.
In HBO’s “Perry Mason,” Mason is a private detective operating on the streets of Los Angeles in the early 1930s. Bedraggled and downtrodden following his time serving abroad in World War I, Mason has since returned home to a failing America; a country crippled by loss of life, financial devastation and deep-seated corruption. Sadly, the L.A. police force is also deeply affected. Determined to make some cash while helping people in need, Mason tries to set his own personal troubles aside to focus on the heart of the matter: justice. As a result, Mason eventually turns to a career in law in order to help his clients to the best of his ability.
Grab your fedora and travel back in time to the last year of prohibition when “Perry Mason” makes its way Monday, March 6, to HBO.