Matthew Rhys Excels in HBO's Two-Season Noir Perry Mason

Matthew Rhys gives one of his greatest performances in HBO’s Perry Mason, a two-season noir set in the 1930s that many viewers find underrated. The series returns the character to his Depression-era origins and leans into darker historical themes, offering a slick, edgy revival of the franchise.

Mason is established as a lawyer who operates on the edge of the law, driven by sincere aims and haunted by post-traumatic stress from World War I. The opening episode signals the show’s adult tone with a brutal child death inspired by the Lindbergh kidnapping and depicts Mason as a voyeuristic photographer, details that deepen his complexity as he pursues justice.

The supporting ensemble adds clear depth: John Lithgow plays E.B. Jonathan, a mentor figure who tries to pull Mason back toward hope, while Chris Chalk breaks out as Paul Drake, a seasoned Black beat cop in 1930s Los Angeles.

matthew rhys, perry mason, hbo, noir, 1930s, depression era, lindbergh kidnapping, los angeles, john lithgow, chris chalk