HBO renews Perry Mason for a second season

Perry Mason and Della Street will continue to fight the good fight on a second season of HBO’s new legal drama.

We’re nearing the end of the first season of Perry Mason on HBO, and I admit the show has won me over. A reboot of a decades-old court drama that first got really big in ’50s, the new show explores the title character’s early days working as a private investigator for the lawyer E.B. Jonathan (John Lithgow).

At first I thought I had the show pegged — oh, he’s another girm antihero with a drinking problem and a troubled family life, how very HBO of you — but the series has brightened up recently. Together with terrific production values and sensitive performances from folks like Matthew Rhys (as Perry) and Juliet Rylance (as E.B.’s unbreakable legal secretary Della Street), I earnestly want to see what happens next.

And I get to, possible for years to come! HBO has picked up the show for another season, per Variety.

“It has been an exciting journey to work with the immensely talented team behind ‘Perry Mason,’” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming. “Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930’s Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season.”

The numbers for the show have been solid: the premiere drew in around 1.7 million viewers. Those aren’t Game of Thrones numbers or anything, but it’s better than the premieres for shows like Watchmen or The Outsider, and about on par with Westworld season 3. Plus, Perry Mason doesn’t involve dragons; that should cut down on overhead.

And if the show continues to be as good as it’s been, I think it’ll be one of those series where viewership rises the longer it’s on. You never want to have it the other way, if you can avoid it.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels