Perry Mason is one of the finest shows (courtroom or otherwise) that was ever made. A memorable cast, great scripts, and always a surprise in the courtroom. I watched the shows for years and years in re-runs. Being blessed with a poor memory, I could usually be depended on to forget the final outcome of the trials. There were quite a few shows and guest starts to keep track of. One "highlight" of my life was to get onto a murder trial jury myself during some of my more intense Perry Mason years.
The thing that separated 'Perry' from other shows was it's compactness. It was all story. Personal relationships were hinted at, but took up little time on the screen. If some errand needed to be run, Paul Drake (the detective) would appear with the information in the next scene. Nor car chases, no fistfights, and no love interest in every episode. JUST STORY. I've heard this is one reason Raymond Burr gave up the show. The show was so dependant on him in just about every scene that he had to live on the studio lot in a trailer during filming (and that was most of the year).
In contrast, later 'Perry Mason' attempts HAD the aforementioned elements. There were car chases, fist fights, and Paul Drake Jr. was allowed much screen time for these and to win over the girl too. We got to see all the painstaking effort to get the information his dad just seemed to pull out of the air.
It was good to see Perry back, and I did watch. The 'newer' shows paled by comparison to the all-time classic original. But, it's tough for anything to live up to our memories.....
PS- I even sang along to the very recognize-able theme with lyrics of my own.......
