Perry Mason

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.

If you are hoping this series will be like Raymond Burr's 1957 PERRY MASON, then release that expectation. This is an HBO production, so you can expect nudity, crude language, politically corrected characters and violence. What you will also find is some very talented actors giving convincing performances. Matthew Rhys portrays an evolving character, slowly breaking free from PTSD. I cringed when I heard that Tatiana Maslany's character was going to be an Aimee Semple McPherson copy, but I have to give credit to Tatiana, she didn't settle for disparaging stereotype but, unsurprisingly, gave a nuanced performance of a young woman caught in extraordinary circumstances. BRAVO. In essence this first season is an origin story for the character of PERRY MASON. It begins in one place and ends with Perry Mason, lawyer. I enjoyed it and will look forward to the second season. I give it an 8 (great) out of 10. {Crime Drama}

This is a reboot of the Perry Mason series that is nothing like the original which was based on a series of books written by Erle Stanley Gardner.

In this much darker reboot there was some phenomenal cinematography. It was filmed in an almost film noir kind of light...with slower moments and they didn't shy away from social commentary(which may be one of my few complaints about season one, which overall I enjoyed).

I think you have to scrub your mind of the other iterations of Perry Mason and give this series a clean slate in order to enjoy it...otherwise you might get caught up in all of the new back story like: Della Street is a lesbian and lives with her handmodel roommate, Paul Drake is an African American police officer with a very pregnant wife, and at least at the beginning of the series Perry Mason is a down on his luck barely making ends meet private investigator who is divorced from his wife who is raising their son, living on his deceased family's dairy farm that a Hispanic female pilot and some times lover is trying to purchase for a song to expand her airport while Perry drowns his sorrows in alcohol. It is implied that he received a dishonorable discharge from WWII for shooting fellow allied soldiers to put them out of their misery and hasn't been the same since.

As mentioned, a lot of social issues are introduced to the story as well as new backstories for these well-known and beloved characters...but if you can get past it, The Who-done-it mystery of season one and the cinematography are fantastic! Additionally, there is another wonderful performance by Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslaney, who plays an evangelical minister in Hollywood where she claims she is going to bring the dead baby back to life.

It was a bit of a chess game putting all of the players on the board where we know they are in position to play and I for one am looking forward to what is instort for season two. Hopefully there will be another great mystery...and maybe a little less social justice.

Final note: Johnathan Lithgow was phenomenal as E. B.. I always enjoy his acting, but he played this heart wrenching character flawlessly. I loved the still moments with just him the best...like filling the bird feeder.

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.

I'm completely puzzled by the reviews of this series. I love good noir. The series, in my view, is the best contemporary noir since LA Confidential. The cinematography is beautiful, the plot doesn't insult me, and you actually have to listen to the dialogue to follow the plot. The characters don't look like something out of Entertainment Tonight, and the meter, cadence, and thstructure are right on time. If you like noir, and you're not texting, posting on Twitter or Instagram while you watch, you won't find anything better.