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HBO joins Netflix in canceling a well-reviewed series that ended on a cliffhanger

HBO is taking notes from Netflix and has canceled a show that ended its previous season on a cliffhanger.

Image via HBO

HBO has announced that it’s canceling the Emmy-nominated series Perry Mason after two seasons. The prequel series, starring The Americans‘ Matthew Rhys in the titular role, ended its second season on a big cliffhanger. This puts HBO in the same boat as Netflix, which earlier this year canned the animated and well-reviewed Inside Job despite its previous season ending with several narrative balls in the air.

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Per Deadline, news of the cancelation comes a month and a half after the season 2 finale aired, around which time producer Robert Downey Jr. said he hoped for another season: “We would be lying if we didn’t say we’ve certainly been talking to Michael a ton about a third season, but our fate rests in the hands of others.” In a recent statement, HBO said:

“We are tremendously grateful for the remarkable work of Matthew Rhys and the unrivaled cast and crew of Perry Mason for their reimagining of such a treasured and storied franchise. While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we are excited to continue working with the brilliant creatives at Team Downey [Downey Jr.’s production company] on future projects.”

This follows comments by Francesca Orsi, HBO’s head of drama, about reviewing series’ “viewership relative to budget.” She explained: “Each show has a job to do, given the price tag that we give to it, and there’s a viewership component, and there’s a critical response element to it, and of course, the buzz nature of a show. It’s those elements that we are always keeping in mind and discussing relative to whether or not a show will continue.”

Apparently, Perry Mason was lacking in either ratings or buzz, as the critical component was firmly present: The first season scored four Emmy nominations, including Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Rhys. But it still hurts to see a show canceled without a complete story. We question whether there’s truly no room in the budget for a streaming movie to tie up all the loose ends, which greatly benefitted HBO’s hallmark western Deadwood over a decade after it was canceled.

Sure, Deadwood had a long time to build a cult following after its cancellation, but if there were enough viewers to greenlight a second season of Perry Mason, then surely there are enough to justify two more hours of storytelling to finish the job.

We doubt Rhys or really any of the talent in front of or behind the camera would try to balloon the budget with exorbitant pay when the alternative is the show simply halting in its tracks. Production costs are obviously a factor for a period piece, but that’s not stopping anyone from writing mostly interiors in the script. How much could a courtroom set really cost, anyway?

Here’s hoping we’ll see Perry Mason: The Movie streaming on Max sometime in 2034.