Perry Mason is arguably the most famous criminal defense lawyer in the world. Now the cult figure is returning to the TV screens.
The American writer Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) created a cult figure with Perry Mason. He dedicated over 80 novels and several short stories to the legendary defense lawyer. Perry Mason also campaigned for justice in film and series formats. The best known is probably Raymond Burr (1917-1993), who played "Perry Mason" in several TV films and nine seasons of a television series. He received the Emmy twice for his performance as "Perry Mason". Now the cult figure is returning to the TV screens – in a series that reinvents him completely.
Perry Mason is no longer a defense lawyer
The new HBO detective series "Perry Mason" is located in Los Angeles in the 1930s. The title character makes his mark as a private detective. His marriage failed and the trauma of his deployment in World War I still reverberates. Finally, he is put on a kidnapping that got out of hand. He doggedly searches for the truth and encounters deep abysses in the city of angels.
Matthew Rhys becomes a private investigator
Welsh-born actor Matthew Rhys (45) can be seen as the new Perry Mason. He won the Emmy in the category "Best Actor in a Dramasserie" in 2018 for his performance as Philip Jennings in "The Americans". He was twice nominated for the role for a Golden Globe. In 2019 the series was awarded the best drama series with the Golden Globe. There are six seasons of "The Americans", the finale flickered on the screens in 2019.
For Matthew Rhys, "The Americans" was a stroke of luck in several ways. In addition to the awards, he met Keri Russell (44, "Felicity"), who played the leading female role. The two fell in love while filming. Since 2014, they are officially supposed to be a couple. Their son was born in 2016. Russell also brought two children into the relationship from her failed marriage to Shane Deary.
Other projects by Matthew Rhys include the television series "Brothers & Sisters" (2006-2011) and roles in "The Publisher" (2017) and "The Wonderful Mr. Rogers" (2019). Now he is investigating as Perry Mason in Los Angeles in the 1930s.
From July 31, the eight episodes of "Perry Mason" will be shown on Fridays at 8:15 p.m. on Sky Atlantic HD – either in German or in the original. The episodes are also available on demand with Sky Q, Sky Go and Sky Ticket in Germany and Sky X in Austria.