
Scripted series · HBO
Perry Mason
There's power in the truth.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Perry Mason actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Perry Mason reads strongest on Tension, Bingeability and Character Depth.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Set in 1932 Los Angeles, the series focuses on the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason. Living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage. L.A. is booming while the rest of the country recovers from the Great Depression — but a kidnapping gone very wrong leads to Mason exposing a fractured city as he uncovers the truth of the crime.
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 16 episodes.

Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
20208 episodes
7.0IMDbIn 1932 Los Angeles, a low-rent private investigator digs into a controversial and politically loaded case.
Best episode · S01E02 Chapter 2

Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
20238 episodes
6.5IMDbMonths after the Dodson case has come to an end, the scion of a powerful oil family is brutally murdered. When the DA goes to the city’s Hoovervilles to pinpoint the most obvious of suspects, Perry, Della, and Paul find themselves at the center of a case that will uncover far reaching conspiracies and force them to reckon with what it truly means to be guilty.
Best episode · S02E05 Chapter Thirteen
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

S01E02
Chapter 2
Following one of her trademark barn-burning sermons, Evangelical preacher Sister Alice offers the Dodsons the church's full moral and financial support – much to her mother Birdy's dismay. During a routine domestic intervention, beat cop Paul Drake is rerouted to a gruesome crime scene, where he follows a confounding trail of evidence.

S01E07
Chapter 7
Hoping to expose the hidden link between the Radiant Assembly's staggering debt and Charlie's ransom, Mason puts Herman Baggerly on the stand. Sister Alice faces mounting pressure from the church elders about her promises for a "resurrection." Strickland loses track of a key witness, while Drake's detective work opens a new avenue in the case.

S02E05
Chapter Thirteen
As the Gallardos’ trial nears, Perry attempts to negotiate with the DA. Rafael and Mateo recount the real-life consequences of the McCutcheons’ Los Angeles expansion. Later, the pursuit of a lead lands Paul in danger, and Perry makes a convincing demonstration in court.
- Directed by Marialy Rivas
- Written by Niko Gutierrez-Kovner

S01E08
Chapter 8
After the team receives some unvarnished critique from Hamilton Burger, Della presents an increasingly stubborn Mason with her case for putting Emily on the stand. As the sensational trial winds to a close, Mason, Strickland, Della, and Drake attempt to tie up loose ends - and set the stage for their futures.

S01E01
Chapter 1
Los Angeles, 1931. On the heels of an unsavory investigation involving a famous comedian, Perry Mason--a PI struggling to make ends meet--and his right-hand man Pete Strickland are hired by attorney E.B. Jonathan, Perry's mentor, to solve a perplexing case: the brutal kidnapping of one-year-old Charlie Dodson, whose parents were targeted for a $100,000 ransom.

S02E06
Chapter Fourteen
After he’s subpoenaed, Holcomb offers Perry an olive branch. Meanwhile, Della continues to foster her relationships with Camilla and Anita, giving her the confidence to question her first witness – and push the verdict in the Gallardos’ favor.
- Directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Written by Elizabeth Baxa
Recently aired
Latest Episodes

S02E08
Chapter Sixteen
- Directed by Marialy Rivas
- Written by Michael Begler

S02E07
Chapter Fifteen
- Directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Written by Pedro Peirano, Mauricio Katz

S02E06
Chapter Fourteen
- Directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Written by Elizabeth Baxa

S02E05
Chapter Thirteen
- Directed by Marialy Rivas
- Written by Niko Gutierrez-Kovner

S02E04
Chapter Twelve
- Directed by Jessica Lowrey
- Written by Michael Begler, Jack Amiel

S02E03
Chapter Eleven
- Directed by Jessica Lowrey
- Written by Michael Begler, Jack Amiel
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
- Photo unavailable
Rolin Jones
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Ron Fitzgerald
Creator

Robert Downey Jr.
Executive producer

Michael Begler
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Joe Horaceck
Executive producer

Susan Downey
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Amanda Burrell
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Jack Amiel
Executive producer

Tim Van Patten
Executive producer

Pedro Peirano
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Niko Gutierrez-Kovner
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Sarah Kelly Kaplan
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Mauricio Katz
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Elizabeth Baxa
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Howard Korder
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Eleanor Burgess
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Kevin J. Hynes
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Steven Hanna
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Peter FeldmanProducer
- Robert Downey Jr.Executive Producer
- Michael BeglerExecutive Producer
- Joe HoraceckExecutive Producer
- Susan DowneyExecutive Producer
- Amanda BurrellExecutive Producer
Writing
- Pedro PeiranoWriter
- Michael BeglerWriter
- Niko Gutierrez-KovnerWriter
- Sarah Kelly KaplanWriter
- Mauricio KatzWriter
- Elizabeth BaxaWriter
Direction
- Marialy RivasDirector
- Fernando CoimbraDirector
- Nina Lopez-CorradoDirector
- Deniz Gamze ErgüvenDirector
- Jessica LowreyDirector
- Tim Van PattenDirector
Cinematography
- Eliot RockettDirector of Photography
- John GrilloDirector of Photography
- David FrancoDirector of Photography
- Darran TiernanDirector of Photography
Music
- Terence BlanchardOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation































































