Perry Mason on Sky Atlantic - Start date, cast and everything you need to know

Perry Mason

Perry Mason is getting a reboot!

Perry Mason is a new eight-part thriller coming to Sky Atlantic.

Here's everything you need to know...

What is Perry Mason about?

Perry Mason

Perry Mason (credit: Sky/HBO)

Perry Mason is a shrewd, compassionate US defense lawyer, first seen in the 1950s TV series.

The character was adapted from the crime novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.

And now he's getting an all new look, appearing in Sky Atlantic's new series of the same name.

The new series will turn back the clock to when a young, down-on-his-luck Perry is honing his crime-solving skills by working as a private investigator in LA in the early 1930s.

Perry Mason is executive produced by Robert Downey Jr and directed by Tim Van Patten.

MORE: The Luminaries on BBC1 - everything you need to know

Who stars in the series?

Matthew Rhys as Perry

Matthew Rhys as Perry

Private investigator Perry Mason is played by Matthew Rhys.

Despite winning an Emmy for his role as Phillip Jennings in The Americans, Matthew was apprehensive about the new role.

He revealed, "The pressure wasn’t lost on me. I thought, 'Perry Mason? No!'" he says. "But I wanted to see how this guy becomes the Perry Mason that we all know.

"This series is not the courtroom drama my grandad loved because Perry is on the outside looking in. He is so fallible and flawed that I couldn’t say no to the role. There are about eight things you have to play at any one time, and the humour is very dark."

Joining him is fellow Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany, known for her role as the clones in Orphan Black.

She plays Sister Alice, the leader of the Radiant Assembly of God.

Sister Alice is described as "a charismatic preacher who wields great power in early '30s Los Angeles".

Paul Drake, who was a private investigator and Perry’s staunch comrade in the classic series, also makes an appearance.

He's played by Chris Chalk in the new series, and will struggles with the racial tensions and prejudices of the time.

Juliet Rylance completes the main cast as Della Street, Perry's assistant.

Speaking about these roles, Matthew adds, "Della is the foil to Perry. They’re like siblings. There’s a lot of acerbic ping-pong between them. And Drake is a policeman who should have a degree of power, but because of his skin colour, he doesn’t.

"The writers have been incredibly smart, spotlighting some enormous issues of the time."

Is there a trailer?

Yes. You can watch the trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNATvJMPZaA

When can we watch Perry Mason?

The first episode airs on Sky Atlantic on 22nd June at 9pm.

CATEGORIES
Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress