Perry Mason episode 4: Why so secretive on the details, HBO?

Perry Mason season 1

Perry Mason episode 4 is coming on HBO this weekend, and there are at least a few different things we know about it. Take, for example, the attached synopsis:

Mason (Matthew Rhys) and Strickland (Shea Whigham) lean on Virgil (Jefferson Mays), again, for extra-legal assistance. Following Sister Alice’s (Tatiana Maslany) recovery from a frightening episode, Birdy (Lili Taylor) urges her daughter to renounce her claims about baby Charlie. E.B. (John Lithgow) faces the reality of his financial situation and takes his frustrations out on Della (Juliet Rylance).

Yet, even with this being said, it does still feel like there are a lot of secrets the show is keeping. HBO has been rather tight-lipped on major reveals, and hasn’t shared much in the way of footage, either, from upcoming episodes. There are still interviews with various cast members out there (Tatiana Maslany has a few good ones), but it does feel a tad quieter than your standard show.

So what gives with all of this? What are we waiting for? We think a big part of the network strategy just has to do with the nature of Perry Mason itself. This is a heavily serialized mystery show, one where one dot connects to the next and then the next. If you share the wrong photo or the wrong video clip, it could disorient everyone or give a significant part of the story away.

In the end, we think that there is a real cognizance on the part of HBO to slow-play a lot of the big reveals for Perry Mason, mostly because they don’t need a huge, speedy rollout. They have time to let viewers discover and appreciate the show. This was billed, for starters, as a limited series from the jump — even if they do decide to make more episodes down the road, they don’t have to hurry it along in the slightest. We can just watch this process play out, slowly and surely, and watch the viewership over time.

What do you want to see when it comes to Perry Mason episode 4?

Beyond just that, what thoughts do you have on the promotional strategy? Be sure to share below, and also stick around for some further updates. (Photo: HBO.)

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