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This post contains spoilers for season 2 of "Perry Mason."

"Perry Mason" season 2 has switched things up pretty dramatically from the first season, bringing supporting characters to the forefront and creating a much more satisfying show in the process. Both Juliet Rylance's Della Street and Chris Chalk's Paul Drake have been given significant storylines, and at times Chalk has found the whole thing a bit depressing, noting how many of the issues faced by his character are still prevalent today. But it's not just the pervasive racism of 1930s Los Angeles that plagues Paul Drake. His transformation from a noble yet embattled beat cop to a promising yet tortured Pi has come with its share of challenges.

At the end of season 1, Drake quit the Los Angeles Police Department, setting things up for season 2 wherein Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys), budding attorney Della Street, and lead investigator Paul Drake form the new Mason & Associates practice.

Plot: Months after the Dodson case has come to an end, the scion of a powerful oil family is brutally murdered. When the Da goes to the city’s Hoovervilles to pinpoint the most obvious of suspects, Perry, Della, and Paul find themselves at the center of a case that will uncover far reaching conspiracies and force them to reckon with what it truly means to be guilty.

Review: When Perry Mason debuted in 2020, it was as a limited series. The stellar whodunit introduced a new generation to a grittier take on Erle Stanley Gardner’s iconic literary creation previously associated with Raymond Burr’s performance. Matthew Rhys brought a different edge to Mason alongside Juliet Rylance and Chris Chalk as Della Street and Paul Drake. Thanks to critical acclaim, HBO decided to turn Perry Mason into an ongoing series. Three years later, the sophomore run is here with a new case,...

HBO has added seven cast members to the second season of its four-time Emmy-nominated detective noir series Perry Mason. Katherine Waterston has come aboard as a series regular, joining six new recurring castmembers Hope Davis, Jon Chaffin, Fabrizio Guido, Peter Mendoza, Onohoua Rodriguez and Jee Young Han. In addition, Diarra Kilpatrick who played Clara Drake in Season 1, has been upped to series regular.

Season 2 of Perry Mason takes place months after the end of the Dodson trial. Perry (Matthew Rhys) has moved off the farm, ditched the milk truck, he’s even traded his leather jacket for a pressed suit. It’s the worst year of the Depression, and Perry and Della (Juliet Rylance) have set the firm on a safer path pursuing civil cases instead of the tumultuous work criminal cases entail. Unfortunately, there isn’t much work for Paul (Chris Chalk) in wills and contracts, so he’s been out on his own.

“Perry Mason” Season 2 at HBO is building out its cast.

Katherine Waterston is joining Season 2 as a series regular, while Season 1 star Diarra Kilpatrick is being upped to series regular. Peter Mendoza, Hope Davis(“Your Honor,” “Love Life”), Jon Chaffin(“Bmf,” “The Haves and the Have Nots”), Fabrizio Guido, Onohoua Rodriguez, and Jee Young Han will all join the show in recurring roles. Full character descriptions for the new additions to the cast can be found below.

In Season 2, months after the end of the Dodson trial, Perry’s (Matthew Rhys) moved off the farm, ditched the milk truck, he’s even traded his leather jacket for a pressed suit. It’s the worst year of the Depression, and Perry and Della (Juliet Rylance) have set the firm on a safer path pursuing civil cases instead of the tumultuous work that criminal cases entail. Unfortunately, there isn’t much work...