“Perry Mason” is back. And we talked to the cast and producers about where the show is headed this season – and beyond (you can watch the interview above).
After the new iteration of the classic series (based, like the original show, on the stories of Erle Stanley Gardner) debuted in 2020 as a limited series on HBO, the cable network decided to bring it back, this time as a (potentially) ongoing show. Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham and Chris Chalk are all back, as is the corruption, vice, murder, political intrigue and far-reaching conspiratorial nature of the original run of episodes.
This time Mason is defending a pair of young Mexican men who are accused of killing a wealthy socialite and the son of a powerful Los Angeles business. Of course, when Mason (and his team) start to dig, they uncover something far more sinister.
“The important thing for us was that it was all about character. It was all about seeing where we ended with these three characters and where we want to see them in Season 2. They’re kind of like the superfriends at the end of the first season and it all seems like, OK, we’re all in a good place. But we loved that that party ends and reality sets in,” said Michael Begler, one of two new executive producers/showrunners for this season (with his partner Jack Amiel). “Starting from that place and diving into the research of what was going on in 1933 in Los Angeles, that was where we took off on.”
As for the stars of the show, they would love to continue to luxuriate in the world that has already been established by the two seasons.
“It becomes surreal, particularly in this framework. The world that has been created for this show is so rich, and so I think this year, there’s so much delving into these characters in a more detailed way since we’ve already built the world. Now we can actually live in it,” Rylance said. “So you think, well, let’s keep living in it.”
You can start living in “Perry Mason” Season 2 starting tonight, with new episodes on HBO and HBO Max every Monday.
