Perry Mason

...and I'm not disappointed. I'm all for providing an old story an origin, and this production gives you just that and does it very well. And, boy, is it gritty, dusty, smoky, and boozy. It is not for the weak-stomached. Keep in mind that this is an old story being told in today's voice. The Perry Mason of the 60's is an interpretation of his character for television audience of that decade, produced for family network TV, while the HBO version is for an audience that expects what HBO is capable of delivering. Can't wait for the finale to see how it all comes together.

So far I like this series. It is different from the original series, but that's okay with me. If there is a Season 2, etc., I think the show will evolve Perry Mason's career into the type of attorney people remember from the original series. John Lithgow's character is a defense attorney and described as his mentor.

Otherwise, the story is compelling and the acting is amazing. It is a bit dark, perhaps too dark. But the hardboiled detective genre works for me, and the cast wears it well.

I can't believe the hate I'm reading. I heard of Perry Mason from my parents. Its an origin story and it won't always match up with the original and THATS OK. The cinematography is great, the writing is top notch, the story is awesome. This is the Noir that we need. If you want a good show to distract you from the current world, watch this show.

Grew up on and enjoyed the two versions of the Perry Mason series/movies that stared Raymond Burr. They were based on the Earle Stanley Gardner books and followed his style well. This series is definitely not at all like its predecessors nor the books. Where Burr's version of Mason was a successful lawyer with a upstanding reputation and quick thinking to get clients out of a jam, Rhys' Mason is a down and out lawyer working as a PI who takes on shady clients (photos of a man & his mistress), then double crosses his client for more money. Della is a more sassy character here and she doesn't so much keep Perry organized as keeps him honest. As the first episode goes on, you do see things come together that shows some finer character traits when he is dealing with the viewing of the baby corpse in a murder he is investigating. These little snippets of emotion could potentially lead to a more refined character in later episodes even as he maintains a "rough around the edges" personality. I'm not totally sold on this new variation of Mason, but it intrigued me enough that I'll watch a few more episodes hoping the writers are building to something that will hook me in for the long run.

This is a completely different story, in a different time and place than the 1950s TV series. It's darker, messier, less predictable. That's not a bad thing. Maybe this is a Perry Mason origin story that will eventually lead to the polished courtroom wizard we all know and love; maybe it won't. I don't really care. It's a ride worth taking no matter what. It feels like Chinatown; it's got some things in common with Showtime's Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. The acting and production values are first-rate. Like many series first episodes, it takes time to set up characters and situations - the pace should pick up. I'm intrigued enough to see where it goes from here.