Perry Mason

★★★★

Monday 11am, 8.30pm, Showcase, On Demand

This is a wonderfully noirish reimagining of the iconic 1960s defence lawyer, giving us a kind of origin story. It’s 1930s LA and Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) may be officially allowed to practice as a lawyer but mostly he’s a down-at-heel gumshoe chasing cheating husbands and naughty Hollywood starlets. Things start out real dark, with the gruesome kidnapping and murder of a baby boy. But one of the pleasures here is the expert way it handles light and shade, both literally – in its brilliant use of shadow and sunshine – and figuratively. The script, from Ron Fitzgerald and Pulitzer-winner Rolin Jones (who worked together on both Friday Night Lights and Weeds), effortlessly moves between Mason’s tragic private life, his grim pursuit of justice, the often absurd situations he finds himself in, and the bone-dry wisecracking of his associates – notably Juliet Rylance’s fabulous interpretation of Della Street. The other really clever sleight of hand here is the way it manages to import a contemporary sensibility without ever feeling discordant or preachy. It’s a very different beast from the Raymond Burr series. This time round the bedrock is corruption – in the police force, politics, business – making the stakes higher, and the gig so much tougher. It’s an intriguing mix that’s as intelligent as it is stylish. Melinda Houston