This article originally appeared on Complex.com
Screened: Five episodes for review
Of all the questions posed by HBO’s Perry Mason revival, the biggest one of all seems to be “Just who is this for?” In the show’s initial batch of episodes, I’m not sure if I can definitively answer that question. The courtroom drama that made the Raymond Burr-led 1950s and 1960s version so infamous is largely unseen. In its place instead is a gritty crime drama that more resembles a 1930s version of True Detective than it does anything remotely close to what people remember of the Burr series. (That’s no accident: TD creator Nic Pizzolatto was initially attached to the project, with Robert Downey Jr. set for the lead role) While that approach is (admittedly) a smart way to bait the hook for new viewers, the result causes this version to trend all too familiar waters, despite stunning visuals and superlative performances—and lands it in a bit of a narrative no man’s land, unsure of where exactly it wants to go.