As Perry Mason closes its second season on HBO, the question remains if the series will be back for a third year.
The original Perry Mason was a television classic with Raymond Burr playing Erle Stanley Gardner’s revered defense attorney who somehow always found a way to win a seemingly impossible case. Burr reprised the role in a 1985 TV movie that was such a hit that further movies followed, with Burr playing the role all the way to his death in 1993.
In 2020, HBO produced a new version of the story with Emmy-award winner Matthew Rhys as a younger Mason, a former soldier turned rough and tumble private eye. Investigating a case soon led Mason to become an attorney himself.
Mason’s usual partners were given a more diverse makeover. Secretary Della Street (Juliet Rylance) became more of an aide as well as a lesbian. Investigator Paul Drake (Chris Chalk) was a former cop fighting the racism of being a black man in 1933.
The second season has focused on Mason becoming more like the attorney fans know, fighting to prove that two migrants are innocent of the murder of the son of a rich businessman. While the Season 2 finale airs on Monday, April 24, the question of whether it will get a third season or not hangs in the air.
Is there going to be a Perry Mason Season 3?
One thing to keep in mind was Perry Mason was originally conceived as a limited series and its second season renewal was a surprise. That might be a factor in a possible Season 3.
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of a third season of Perry Mason is the behind-the-scenes drama of HBO. Since its merger with Discovery into WarnerMedia, the network has canceled several series and is even renaming its streamer HBO Max into simply Max. This has included several high-priced series that put any scripted fare at risk.
Perry Mason is a high-priced show as a period piece and while the critical acclaim has been good, the ratings are half of what Season 1 had. That makes it trickier to see it getting a renewal.
At the moment, there is no word on the show’s fate as HBO has been known to wait months after a season finale for a decision on a new year. Thus, fans may have to wait a bit before knowing if Perry Mason has closed his final case or not.