The series aired from 1957 to 1966 and defined the TV courtroom drama Emma Urdangen is a digital producer and writer at PEOPLE. She joined the brand in 2026. CBS Photo Archive/Getty While procedurals ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. CBS via Getty The cast of 'Perry Mason.' From left: Barbara Hale, Ray Collins, Raymond Burr, William Talman and William Hopper.

While procedurals usually revolve around catching the crooks and criminals, television's pioneer courtroom drama Perry Mason first posed the question "What if they didn't do it?" Airing from 1957 to ...

Raymond Burr in 'Perry Mason' (left); Raymond Burr in 'Perry Mason Returns' (right). Legal shows often focus on police and prosecutors, but there was one seminal TV pioneer that put the defense team ...