Genre: TV Series
Grade: A-
Notable People: Matthew Rhys, Julia Rylance, Shea Whigham, Chris Chalk, Justin Kirk, John Lithgow, Created by: Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald
Title: Perry Mason
Grade: wow- who’d have thunk that this historic TV series could be successfully re-created and not have Raymond Burr rolling around in his grave? The series focuses on the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason. In 1932 Los Angeles. Very well written with an intriguing plot and a great ensemble cast featuring the very nimble Matthew Rhys (The Americans) in THE ROLE and the subtle scene stealing Rylance as the mysterious and charming Della Street. Dramatically adapting the original had me raising eyebrows initially with an African- American Paul Drake and openly gay Della and Hamilton Burger (the highly entertaining Kirk, “Weeds”), but the show is captivating and I even found myself taken with these modern updates on iconic characters, which did provide grist for more complex societal issues to be framed. At the end of each season, we get the treat of a version of the original iconic theme music- da-da-da……….da-da….can you hear it? Regrettably, and surprisingly, the show has been canceled by HBO. Boo!!!!