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Tuned In: ‘Perry Mason’ returns on HBO; Hulu’s ‘Love, Victor’ follows in the footsteps of ‘Love, Simon’

HBO

Tuned In: ‘Perry Mason’ returns on HBO; Hulu’s ‘Love, Victor’ follows in the footsteps of ‘Love, Simon’

HBO’s prequel denies viewers what they expect from “Perry Mason” in the first five episodes

It’s a busy week for returning series – season two of Netflix’s “The Politician” (streaming Friday); season three of Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” (9 p.m. Sunday), season three of Showtime’s “The Chi” (9 p.m. Sunday) – and new programs with familiar titles.

‘Perry Mason’

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HBO’s remake of “Perry Mason” (9 p.m. Sunday) pulls together great elements, casting and period production design in particular, but it takes a full five episodes to get to the courtroom drama viewers familiar with the character expect.

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By the end of this eight-episode, over-long, slow-paced prequel, all the pieces are finally in place – just in time for it to be done.

While the most-remembered adaptation of the title, based on the Erle Stanley Gardner book series that began in 1933, is the Raymond Burr-starring 1957-66 TV series (and 1980s TV movies), the character was first glimpsed on the big screen in 1934 played by Warren William.

This latest iteration, starring Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) in the title role, depicts Mason, initially, as less ethical than the upstanding ‘60s TV version.

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HBO’s film noir-ish “Perry Mason” begins with Mason as a 1931 Los Angeles private detective, not as a defense attorney. He photographs a comedy star in a compromising position for a studio boss before attorney E.B. Jonathan (John Lithgow in vain, prideful mode) recruits Mason to help in a horrific case: An infant kidnapping and murder.

The show develops Mason’s pain-filled backstory while introducing familiar “Perry Mason” characters, including Della Street (Juliet Rylance), who begins as E.B.’s legal secretary, and Paul Drake, reimagined as an African American police officer whose character arc feels particularly resonant today especially when juxtaposed to the cooked cops at the heart of the show’s crime story.

Eventually these characters’ roles realign and Mason becomes the defense attorney viewers tuned in to see. The show finds a way to deliver a “Perry Mason moment” – information revealed in open court that shocks everyone present -- while still depicting more realistic court proceedings.

While character- and world-building are often useful and welcome in premium TV drama, “Perry Mason” stays mired in prologue for its first five episodes, which meander for a full hour, sometimes more.

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Writers/executive producers Rolin Jones (“The Exorcist”) and Ron Fitzgerald (“Westworld”) add a prominent radio evangelist to the story, Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany) of the Radiant Assembly of God. The parents of the dead child worship at Alice’s church but how Alice connects with Mason’s investigation is unclear for much of the series. Church scenes of Alice healing and prophesying while the congregation whoops it up inject some liveliness but for too many episodes it’s disconnected from Mason’s case and feels like a tangent.

‘Love, Victor’

This sweet-natured series set in the same universe as the 2018 feature film rom-com “Love, Simon” gets off to a engaging start thanks to a premiere episode script by “This Is Us” scribes Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, who also wrote the film. But then “Love, Victor” begins to drag albeit out of necessity.

“Love, Simon” wrapped its story in an efficient 100 minutes, but a series can’t be so clear-cut. “Love Victor,” now streaming on Hulu, extends this new coming out story by developing a raft of secondary characters – Victor’s goofball neighbor Felix (Anthony Turpel) makes the best first impression -- and more importantly differentiating Victor from Simon.

The series begins as Victor (Michael Cimino) and his Latino family move from Texas to Atlanta where Victor attends Creekwood High, the same school Simon attended and where Simon kissed his now-boyfriend Bram during the winter carnival. (Nick Robinson, who played Simon in the film, provides voice-over throughout the first season.)

In the show’s opening moments, Victor begins writing to Simon, “Screw you for having the most perfect, supportive parents and friends!” Victor is terrified to come out to his religious mom (Ana Ortiz, “Ugly Betty”) and dad (James Martinez), who have their own struggles.

Victor questions his initial attraction to floppy-haired barista Benji (George Sear, a doppelganger for “Twilight”-era Robert Pattinson). Terrified, Victor aims to date popular girl Mia (Rachel Hilson), a plot arc that reflects reality for some teens, but for others who come out as gay loud, proud and more easily, “Love, Victor” may seem dated. Regardless, Victor’s arc offers producers an opportunity to stretch out the story, an effective if predictable gambit.

Although “Love, Victor” debuts on Hulu, the show was developed for Disney+. Aside from occasional innuendo and stolen kisses, “Love, Victor” is a pretty tame affair – perhaps too tame for Hulu. The show builds to a season finale cliffhanger that sets the stage for a potentially more interesting, less paint-by-numbers second season.

‘Sherman’s Showcase’

Timed to Juneteenth, IFC premieres “Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month Spectacular” (10 p.m. Friday), a hilariously absurd sketch comedy that masquerades as a “Soul Train”-esque show.

Host Sherman McDaniel (Bashir Salahuddin) interviews John Legend about Black History Month; Sari Charley sings about adding Kente cloth to jeans, Marine uniforms, Rambo and even KKK hoods (alas, she does not include a congressional delegation).

“Downtown Addy’s” puts a “Downton Abbey” twist on black historical figures. Another sketch purports to show Terrence Howard negotiating his contract for “Iron Man 2” (he was replaced by Don Cheadle). On Wednesday IFC renewed “Sherman’s Showcase” for a six-episode second season to premiere in 2021.

Kept/canceled/revived

NBC renewed “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” for season two and “Manifest” for season three.

ABC will bring back “For Life” for a second season.

Starz renewed “Hightown” for a second season; USA brings back “The Sinner” for a fourth.

HBO Max’s “Love Life” will return for a second season.

ABC canceled “The Baker and the Beauty; NBC officially axed “Bluff City Law,” “Sunnyside” and “Indebted.”

Following A&E dropping “Live PD,” reruns of the show were taken off Pittsburgh’s WPNT, Channel 22, until further notice; WPNT will fill the 3-4 p.m. weekday time slot with “True Crime Files.”

The second season of “Flack,” canceled by Pop TV, will air on Amazon’s Prime Video but a premiere date has not been announced.

NBC will revive “30 Rock” for a one-hour, commercial-free, remotely produced special (8 p.m. July 17) that will double as a promo for NBCUniversal’s 2020-21 shows.

Channel surfing

ABC’s “The Bachelor” has cast Matt James as its first African American lead. … For the first time ever the “BET Awards” (8-11 p.m. June 28) will be simulcast on CBS and still also air on BET. … CBS soap “The Bold and the Beautiful” resumed filming on Wednesday, the first major U.S. scripted series to resume production since the shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, but then paused a few hours later to accommodate more COVID-19 testing. New episodes may air in July. … NBC announced a stable fall schedule of returning series and one new show (“SVU” spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime” starring Chris Meloni) but no date for when production will resume or when the shows might air. ... ABC announced a 2020-21 schedule that adds one new drama, comedy and game show. … Barry Levinson (“Paterno”) will direct Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton in Hulu’s 2021 limited series “Dopesick,” based on the book about America’s opioid crisis. ... WQED-TV presents a third batch of three classic “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” episodes – pet-themed and from 1982 – at 7:30 p.m. June 25.

Tuned In online

Today's TV Q&A column on the blog responds to questions about “Sweet Magnolias,” “The Rookie” and a WTAE-TV meteorologist. This week's Tuned In Journal includes posts on a “Great Performances” production of “Ann” and the return of “NOS4A2.” Read online-only TV content at http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in.

TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2582. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook for breaking TV news.

First Published: June 18, 2020, 12:00 p.m.

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Matthew Rhys stars as the title character in HBO's "Perry Mason."  (HBO)
Victor (Michael Cimino) falls hard for barista Benji (George Sear) in Hulu's "Love, Victor."  (Hulu)
Matthew Rhys stars as the title character in HBO's "Perry Mason."  (HBO)
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