ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this week’s episode of Rectangles Podcast, Nick and Jan put HBO’s Perry Mason (2020) on the stand. This darker, grittier reimagining of television’s most famous defense attorney trades the polished courtroom theatrics of the past for a smoky, noir-soaked Los Angeles.
The hosts dig into Matthew Rhys’s brooding take on Mason, Tatiana Maslany’s enigmatic Sister Alice, and John Lithgow’s quietly devastating turn as mentor E.B. Jonathan. They weigh how the series leans into prestige TV spectacle while reworking pulp detective roots, and debate whether the slow-burn mystery earns its moodiness.
Along the way, they explore how the show retools iconic characters, how it compares to the original Raymond Burr era, and what it says about the current wave of prestige reboots. It’s part cross-examination, part film-noir appreciation with the rectangles making their verdict clear.
