HBO Cancels Perry Mason After Two Seasons

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When Perry Mason premiered on HBO in 2020, the series—a gritty reimagining of the iconic defense lawyer from the novels by Erle Stanley Gardner, who also appeared in dozens of reboots across TV, film, and radio—was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike. The series drew in eight million viewers for its first episode and that initial season earned 13 Emmy Award nominations. At the time, Francesca Orsi, the executive vice president of HBO Programming, said, “Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930s Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season.”

The show’s second season, brought beloved characters played by Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, and Chris Chalk, among others, back as well as introducing new players to the criminal underworld of 1930s Los Angeles.

But will the show return for another season? Here’s what we know.

HBO canceled Perry Mason after two seasons.

HBO opted not to renew the series. "We are tremendously grateful for the remarkable work of Matthew Rhys and the unrivaled cast and crew of Perry Mason for their reimagining of such a treasured and storied franchise," HBO said in a statement to Deadline. "While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we are excited to continue working with the brilliant creatives at Team Downey on future projects."

The cast wants to reunite.

Asked by T&C whether he’d like to see Mason come back again, Rhys was unequivocally enthusiastic. “We’ve been introduced to Mason at an early stage in his career if not his life,” he said. “He’s a newfound lawyer, so him finding his legal legs could take many seasons.”

Juliet Rylance, who plays Mason’s business partner and long-suffering sidekick Della Street, tells us, “This second season is deeper and darker and more exciting than the first. We’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of what these characters lives are like and what they’re dealing with. There’s so much more to share. For Della, she’s experiencing the first real romantic she’s had as a gay woman in this era, which is exciting and dangerous.”

It’s still timely.

Part of what makes Mason such a hit with audiences is that even though the action takes place nearly a century ago, the subjects it tackles are (unfortunately) timeless. “We’re looking at the same issues through a different lens, which is something that’s drawn people in,” Chalk tells T&C. “They’re issues we’re grappling with today, but looking at them in the 1930s is somehow easier to take than looking at them today. Everybody is doing their best to tell a great story and honor these characters.”

There are plenty of mysteries left to solve.

The character of Perry Mason—a criminal defense lawyer who is usually able to swing a last minute acquittal for his clients, with lots of hijinks along the way—comes from a series of novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Gardner certainly created a wide universe of stories to choose from—he published 80 Perry Mason books between 1933-1969. (Two novels were also published posthumously in 1972 and 1973.) He also wrote four Perry Mason short stories.

The original series ran for almost a decade, and there have been dozens of reboots.

Since the first book was published in 1933, the Perry Mason character has been reincarnated on television, film, and radio. Warner Bros. actually released six Perry Mason films concurrently with the books in the 1930s. Four of the films starred popular Broadway and film actor Warren Williams.

The best-known Perry Mason was the eponymous CBS series, which ran from 1957 to 1966, with Raymond Burr as the titular character, and Barbara Hale as his secretary Della Street. Several years after that show was canceled, another series, The New Perry Mason, aired in 1973 featuring Monte Markham, but was cancelled halfway through the season.

Interestingly, after a 20 year hiatus, both Barbara Hale and Raymond Burr reprised their roles in a series of Perry Mason television films for NBC, which aired from 1985-1995 as sequels. Burr starred in 26 out of 30 films— after his death in 1993, the additional four movies continued on and did not feature the Mason character, who was described as being "out of town."

Finally, the Perry Mason character and storylines were also adapted for radio as a 15-minute daily crime serial on CBS Radio that aired from 1943–1955. Clearly, this beloved character finds a way to be reborn with every generation.

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