Three years after the ending of the first season, HBO finally released eight new intriguing episodes of one of the best detective stories in recent years. The show has everything in the right place: a slow paced story filled with details, captivating characters and intense scenes. I think that the script was better, as the story feels more realistic. In the previous season there were a few plot elements that felt a bit too stretched. I am glad that they fixed this issue. I loved the development of Perry Mason: he is still irreverent, but here at least we see him a bit more composed and he looks like a proper lawyer, not just an irascible drunk. I truly enjoyed seeing Juliet Rylance and Chris Chalk taking a more central role; together with Rhys they form a wonderful team, creating a more dynamic narration. The creators also deepened these characters quite interestingly, showing a bit of their personal lives. The show keeps the structure that was set in the first season: it focuses on the court trial of one single case.
The costumes, the locations and the ambience looks faithful to the 30s. The photography is amazing: I loved the soft lightning and the incredibly well done shots. "Perry Mason" confirms once again to be one of the few detective stories still told in an old school style, which is amazing in this modern day of fast paced series. Considering all the improvements that were made, this season deserves a mark of 7.6. It is truly a pity that the network did not renew the show for a third season, considering that one of the executive producers is Robert Downey Jr. Unfortunately this is a pretty niche genre and it does not have much appeal to a larger audience. I am glad that we managed to get two seasons.