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June 7 (UPI) — Perry Mason won’t return for a third season on HBO.
Deadline reported Tuesday that HBO has canceled the legal drama series starring Matthew Rhys after two seasons.
Perry Mason was based on the character from Erle Stanley Gardner’s detective novels, which were previously adapted as a CBS series that aired in the 1950s and ’60s.
The HBO series was a prequel starring Rhys as Mason, a down-on-his-luck private investigator living in Los Angeles in the 1930s. The cast also included Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham, Justin Kirk, Diarra Kilpatrick and Eric Lange.
Team Downey’s Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey were executive producers, with Jack Amiel and Michael Begler as writers and co-showrunners.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the cancellation.
“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. “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.”
Perry Mason premiered on HBO in June 2020 and aired its Season 2 finale April 24. The season ended with a cliffhanger with Perry in prison.
“We’re really proud of Perry Mason and loved working with Team Downey and Michael Begler this season on the show,” HBO head of drama Francesca Orsi told Deadline. “I’m really proud of what we delivered for Season 2.”
