Suggesting that, yes, we might someday get to see Matthew Rhys get his full Raymond Burr on and strut around a courtroom with his thumbs tucked in the armholes of his vest—TM our regular reviewer, Alison Shoemaker—HBO has announced that it’s renewed Perry Mason for a second season. It’s not the most shocking twist the series has ever served up, certainly; Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald’s noir-heavy take on the classic character has been an early and easy hit for the network, with more than 8 million people tuning in for its June 21 premiere.
Starring Rhys as Mason, plus Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham, and Tatiana Maslany, the series slinks its way through 1930s L.A., tracking Mason’s rise from alcoholic private investigator to alcoholic defense attorney. The series has drawn praise for the charisma of its stars, as well as for its ability to mix fleetly-moving dialogue with subject matter dark enough to make Burr blanch. (We’re not chapter and verse on the old series, but we’re fairly confident Perry never had to deal with a baby with its eyes stitched open.)
Perry Mason is currently in the middle of its first season. It airs Sunday nights on HBO.