Sometimes a supporting character just takes on a life of their own and becomes an icon. That's what happened with Perry Mason. When he was originally created by Erie Stanley Gardner, it was as a supporting character. That quickly morphed into a radio show, and the rest is history. Now, HBO will take us back to 1931 Los Angeles to tell the origin story of the great defense attorney. Check out the latest trailer for Perry Mason:
In case you didn't notice, there are a lot of familiar characters that jump out. Matthew Rhys (The Americans) of course plays Perry Mason. You might also recognize Christopher Chalk (Gotham) who plays Paul Drake who is certainly more than you ordinary beat cop. Orphan Black fans will also recognize Tatiana Maslany as Sister Alice McKeegan. There's also the great John Lithgow as Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan, who seems to be a bit of a mentor to Mason. You also have Juliet Rylance (American Gothic) as Della Street, Shea Whigham (Marvel's Agent Carter) as Pete Strickland and many more.
Here is the synopsis for Chapter One, which premieres on June 21st: "Los Angeles, 1931. On the heels of an unsavory investigation involving a famous comedian, Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) – a PI struggling to make ends meet – and his right-hand man Pete Strickland (Shea Whigham) are hired by attorney E.B. Jonathan (John Lithgow), Perry's mentor, to solve a perplexing case: the brutal kidnapping of one-year-old Charlie Dodson, whose parents Matthew (Nate Corddry) and Emily (Gayle Rankin) were targeted for a $100,000 ransom. After meeting with Herman Baggerly (Robert Patrick), a millionaire elder at the Dodsons' church, Perry, E.B., and E.B.'s legal secretary Della Street (Juliet Rylance) ponder why a family of unmistakably modest means would be extorted for such a steep price."
That's just the start of what looks it will be a very intense and in-depth season. If you're watching it live on HBO, it will premiere at 9pm, but you can also watch the show on HBO Max. Executive producers for the series include Amanda Burrell, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Ron Fitzgerald, Joe Horacek, Rolin Jones, and Timothy Van Patten (who also directs); co-executive producer: Aida Rodgers; producer: Matthew Rhys; created by Rolin Jones & Ron Fitzgerald.
Photo Credit: HBO