Robert Downey Jr's Criminally Underrated Show Canceled After Season 2
Robert Downey Jr had his heart set on a role in the series, but that wish is no longer in the cards.
Perry Mason has solved his last case – at least for now. HBO is shutting down the Robert Downey Jr and Susan Downey-produced detective series Perry Mason after its second season.
The decision was made a month and a half after the end of the second season of the show starring Matthew Rhys.
Perry Mason cannot be called the undisputed series hit, as the show is specific, somewhat old-fashioned and a little too slow.
However, it was definitely one of the most memorable, atmospheric and stylish series of recent years. A real noir detective, able to satisfy connoisseurs of this fascinating genre.
In a recent interview, HBO's head of drama, Francesca Orsi, explained what network executives look for when deciding whether to cancel or continue a show:
"Each show has a job to do, given the price tag that we give to it, and there's a viewership component, and there's a critical response element to it and of course, the buzz nature of a show."
It is clear that Perry Mason could not live up to all the points of HBO and the decision was made to close it.
HBO has created an original story in which Perry Mason appears in a completely unusual form that has captivated viewers.
This is not the rich, super-successful lawyer who wins one case after another. In the new series, Mason is the ordinary private investigator working in Los Angeles in the 30s of the last century.
Initially, Robert Downey Jr was going to play the lead role. But in the end, he produced the project and gave way to The Americans star Matthew Rhys, who was joined by actors like John Lithgow and Tatiana Maslany.
In the first season, Perry Mason first solved the mystery of the disappearance and murder of a shopkeeper's son, then defended an unfortunate mother accused of a crime in 1932 Los Angeles.
In the second season, Perry took on another seemingly hopeless case. Two young Mexican brothers, Rafael and Mateo Gallardo, are accused of murdering a wealthy man, Brooks McCutcheon. He was shot dead in his own car at night.
Mason doubts that young Mexicans who barely know how to handle guns could kill Brooks but public opinion is not on the side of Mateo and Rafael.
Source: Deadline