Perry Mason (June 21, 9 p.m., HBO)

Matthew Rhys as the title character in “Perry Mason.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of HBO

It’s clear from the opening moments of this adaptation, which feature a murdered infant with his eyelids gruesomely sewn open, that we’re not in 1960s TV-land anymore.

Forget the upstanding courtroom lawyer played by Raymond Burr in the 1957 to ’66 TV series, this Perry Mason is a rumpled, cynical private detective practising his sleazy trade in 1930s L.A. at its noirest. (In the first episode, he’s employed to take tawdry photos of a Fatty Arbuckle-esque actor caught in flagrante delicto with a starlet, with a side of whipped cream.)

The good news is that Perry, played by the very able Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”), doesn’t stay a sad-sack loser for the entire eight episodes because, really, how many more anti-heroes does TV need? His innate decency spurs him to do the right thing for a woman who’s being railroaded in the murder case thanks to corrupt, brutish cops and a venal district attorney (Stephen Root), and lands him in the defence lawyer role better known to TV viewers and readers of Erle Stanley Gardner’s books.

This version of Mason may not be familiar, but the genre – dark, gritty crime drama – certainly is. Think “L.A. Confidential,” “True Detective,” “Bosch,” a more modern depiction of L.A.’s criminal underbelly; even “Boardwalk Empire,” which shares a director with “Mason,” Timothy Van Patten. The supernatural “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” also comes to mind, since both shows are set in the L.A. of the ’30s and include an Aimee Semple McPherson-like evangelist.

In “Mason,” that role, of Sister Alice, is played by Canadian Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), part of a cast stacked with ringers, including John Lithgow, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Lili Taylor and Shea Whigham.

Rylance (“The Knick”) and Chalk (“Gotham”) take on roles that existed in the original series, Della Street and Paul Drake, but here the characters have new identities that allow for 21st-century context: Della, still a legal assistant, is something of a budding feminist while Paul, now a Black police officer, chafes at racism and corruption within the force.

The episodes certainly can meander, mostly in aid of Perry’s back story – we get flashbacks to his World War I service, attempts to reach out to his estranged son, sex scenes with his lover (Mexican actor Veronica Falcon) – but the acting and the central plot are interesting enough to keep it watchable.

Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets (June 21, 8 p.m., PBS)

Historian Lucy Worsley does her best impression of Queen Elizabeth I giving her famous speech at Tilbury in “Royal Myths & Secrets.” PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of PBS

I confess I’ve been devouring books about royals since I was a child, with a particular soft spot for England’s Queen Elizabeth I. She happens to be the first subject of this three-part docuseries featuring historian Worsley, the chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces, which is the charity that manages the places where the kings and queens of England once lived. Don’t let Worsley’s animated demeanour and penchant for playing dress-up fool you; she knows her stuff. Each episode explores fallacies involving three queens. Besides Elizabeth, the subjects include Queen Anne (yes, the one played by Olivia Colman in “The Favourite”)  and Marie Antoinette. 

Late Night in the Studio (June 26, CBC Gem)

Nobu Adilman plays a CBC archivist in the comedy “Late Night at the Studio.”
PHOTO CREDIT: CBC Gem

This comedy series is a perfect pre-Canada Day watch if you’re looking for something that makes slyly and gently subversive fun of Canadian culture. The conceit is that Nobu Adilman (writer, actor, podcaster, Choir! Choir! Choir! co-founder) is a CBC archivist — sharing hidden gems from the vaults. Each 12-minute episode reveals another totally fake program: an adventure series starring a young David Suzuki; a cartoon about a talking doughnut hole that looks suspiciously like a Timbit; a cheesy 1980s soap opera set in Regina, Saskatchewan; a 1970s children’s show that teaches some unusually harsh lessons; and a 1960s Christmas special in which all holiday traditions get equal billing. The CBC itself takes some ribbing. Worrying that “Late Night” isn’t getting enough viewers to stay on the air, Adilman quips, “Then again, this is the CBC.”

We’re Funny That Way: A Virtual Pride Special (June 26, 8 p.m., CBC Gem)

Two-spirit Mohawk singer Shawnee performs in “We’re Funny That Way: A Virtual Pride Special.”
PHOTO CREDIT: CBC Gem

Like everything else that involves crowds of people, Pride celebrations have been driven online by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the annual We’re Funny That Way Festival, which showcases queer comedians and other performers. Truthfully, standup routines need a crowd for the jokes to land properly, but musical performances translate well to the virtual realm, and the special includes songs from Shawnee, Lucas Silveira, Kate Rigg and drag queen Miss Conception. Gavin Crawford also hits the mark with an impression of “Little Edie” in “Grey Gardens.”
And Carolyn Taylor of “Baroness von Sketch Show” turns a haircut into performance art, while a sketch involving comedians Colin Mochrie and Debra McGrath and their trans daughter Kinley aims straight for your heart.

Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (June 26, Disney Plus)

Kristen Bell records the song “Some Things Never Change” for the film “Frozen 2”
in the docuseries “Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2.” PHOTO CREDIT: Disney Plus

I have never watched either of the “Frozen” movies, but I still found this behind-the-scenes look at the making of the sequel watchable. Starting 11 months before the movie hit theatre screens, this docuseries invites you into the creative process and gives you a sense of the very detailed work that goes into making a big-budget animated film. The big names are well-represented, including actors Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, and songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, but also unsung heroes like animators Wayne Unten and Malerie Walters, and storyboard artist Marc E. Smith.

Odds and Ends

Dr. David Langer in a special episode of the docuseries “Lenox Hill.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Netflix

A special ninth episode of “Lenox Hill” (June 24, Netflix) revisits the Manhattan hospital where the first eight episodes were shot in 2019 just as the coronavirus pandemic begins to lay waste to New York City, which became the epicentre of COVID-19 in the United States.

“Isolation Stories” (June 23, BritBox) is a hybrid of traditional drama with DIY TV-making. Actors play characters who are dealing in various ways with the pandemic. The actors, including Sheridan Smith, Eddie Marsan, Robert Glenister and more, got remote guidance from the directors and shot the scenes themselves with the help of their families.

A couple of different specials pay tribute to the people helping get the world through the coronavirus crisis. First up is “United We Sing: A Grammy Tribute to the Unsung Heroes” (June 21, 8 p.m., Citytv and CBS). Hosted by Harry Connick Jr., it features a plethora of musicians and actors. “Global Goal: United for Our Future – The Concert” (June 27, 8 p.m., CTV, Crave) celebrates all those who are working on COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, including scientists, health workers and activists. The celebrity guest list won’t be announced until sometime this week.

If you’re excited about the July 2 preview of “Canada’s Drag Race,” you can get a sneak peek at the queens who are competing on “Drag Ball Presented by Crave.” It streams June 27 at 8 p.m. on the Drag Race on Crave YouTube channel and the Pride Toronto Twitch channel. Performances by all 12 of the contestants are promised along with messages from judges Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Stacey McKenzie, and “secret” celebrity guests. I’ll have an interview in the Toronto Star with all the judges ahead of the premiere, but you can read my previous interview with Brooke Lynn and the stars of CBC Gem’s “Queens” here.