MATTHEW RHYS RETURNS
He Remasters Perry Mason on HBO
It has been nearly two years since we last saw Matthew Rhys in The Americans. Now, the actor is ditching his espionage persona and swapping it for the iconic fedora of Perry Mason. But fans of the original Perry Mason won’t find a stuffy procedural — rather a modern noir centered around one case.
HBO’s Perry Mason serves as an origin story for our protagonist. Perry isn’t a defense attorney yet. Instead, he’s a private investigator looking for his big break. Lucky for him, this series shows that. When a kidnapping leaves an infant dead, a family hires Perry to get to the bottom of it.
It wouldn’t be Perry Mason without Della Street (Juliet Rylance) and Paul Drake (Chris Chalk). Though the series is a prequel and takes place in 1932, Della and Paul get modern upgrades. Della is an undervalued assistant whose gender is the only thing preventing her from being successful. Paul Drake is a Black cop in the LAPD who has to deal with the judgemental eyes of his white colleagues. The series is far from routine, breaking the Perry Mason mold.
“Built with confidence, patience, and a voice calibrated for today’s audiences (if not the rapid pacing to match), HBO’s update may seem like a far cry from the stuffy CBS procedural that always offered a happy ending — but it’s better for it,” Ben Travers writes for IndieWire. “No one needs another case-of-the-week legal drama that treats its defender like a private investigator, but plenty of people should savor seeing a real P.I. lead a rag-tag team of plucky rebels looking for justice.”
Of course, at the helm is Matthew Rhys, whose rugged looks and worn expressions make a compelling Perry Mason. PROVOKR is happy to see him back in a lead role and can’t wait to see what he does next.
