Matthew Rhys-led series was the largest audience for a new HBO series debut since “Sharp Objects”
Tim Baysinger | July 22, 2020 @ 11:05 AM
Last Updated: July 22, 2020 @ 11:09 AM
HBO
HBO has renewed its “Perry Mason” remake for a second season.
“It has been an exciting journey to work with the immensely talented team behind ‘Perry Mason,'” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. “Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930’s Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season.”
This “Perry Mason” stars Rhys in the title role, a low-rent private investigator who is living check-to-check and is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage; John Lithgow as Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan, a struggling attorney and a semi-regular employer of Mason; Juliet Rylance as Della Street, E.B. Jonathan’s creative and driven legal secretary; Tatiana Maslany as Sister Alice McKeegan, the leader of the Radiant Assembly of God, preaching to a hungry congregation and a radio audience across the country; Chris Chalk as Paul Drake, a beat cop with a knack for detective work; and Shea Whigham as Pete Strickland, who is hired by Mason as an extra set of eyes on his various investigations.
Rhys took over the role of Perry Mason from Robert Downey Jr., who remains an executive producer on the series.
10 TV Shows Based on Podcasts Ranked, From 'Homecoming' to '2 Dope Girls' (Photos)
"Homecoming" is back and "Dirty John" will be returning for its second season on June 2. Here are other TV shows based on successful podcasts, with their Metacritic ranking (as of May 24, 2020).
"Up and Vanished" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: n/a
Payne Lindsey's true-crime podcast first became a successful two-part special on Oxygen, exploring the disappearance of Georgia schoolteacher Tara Grinstead. And then it became a series, with Payne and his team exploring a new cold case in each episode.
Oxygen
"Alex Inc." - based on "StartUp" (2018)
Metacritic score: 49
Zach Braff played a journalist who quits his job to start his own podcast business -- in a short-lived ABC sitcom very loosely based on Alex Blumberg's "StartUp" podcast about the founding of his own Gimlet Media podcast network.
ABC
"StarTalk" (2015 - )
Metacritic score: 55
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson adapted his hit podcast into a long-running talk show on NatGeo, with a wide variety of guests beyond the science (and even sci-fi) field.
National Geographic
"Dirty John" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: 58
Connie Britton and Eric Bana starred in the first season of this true-crime anthology series based on the Wondery podcast about love gone wrong. The second season starred an ill-fated coupled played by Amanda Peet and Christian Slater.
USA
"Lore" (2017-18)
Metacritic score: 60
Aaron Mahnke's podcast exploring the true histories behind horror legends like werewolves and vampires inspired an anthology series that blended dramatic scenes, animation and narration and ran for two seasons on Amazon.
Amazon Prime
"Limetown" (2019)
Metacritic score: 62
Jessica Biel starred in this Facebook Watch series that told the fictional story of the disappearance of 300 people at a Tennessee neuroscience facility. But the show failed to capture the creepy immersiveness of the original podcast and lasted only one season.
Facebook
"The Ricky Gervais Show" (2010-12)
Metacritic score: 62
The creator of "The Office" adapted his radio show (with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington) into a podcast, and then into an animated HBO series that made its potty-humor jokes literal.
HBO
"Comedy Bang! Bang!" (2012-16)
Metacritic score: 67
Scott Aukerman adapted his comedy podcast into a parody talk show that ran for five seasons on IFC.
IFC
"Homecoming" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: 76
Julia Roberts starred in the first season of this show, based on Gimlet's fictional podcast about a secret government program to transition U.S. war veterans back to civilian life. Janelle Monaé took center stage in Season 2.
Amazon Prime
"2 Dope Queens" (2018 - )
Metacritic score: 87
"Daily Show" alum Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson adapted their hit comedy podcast into an HBO series that hits a broad range of topics.
HBO
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A growing number of TV shows have been inspired by audio hits
"Homecoming" is back and "Dirty John" will be returning for its second season on June 2. Here are other TV shows based on successful podcasts, with their Metacritic ranking (as of May 24, 2020).