I'm Obsessed With Reboots And Classic TV. So I Asked An Expert Why.

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, Kathy Bates as Madeline "Matty" Matlock, Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock. In the premiere of the new “Matlock,” Bates’ character — based on the original role made popular by Andy Griffith in the ’80s and ’90s — takes cues from Mason’s often tricky legal maneuvers. Audiences can draw a straight line from the new CBS show through to the original “Matlock” to “Perry Mason.” “Perry Mason,” whose titular attorney defends falsely accused people in every episode, was originally a 15-minute radio program from 1943 to 1955, based on the books by Erle Stanley Gardner, before premiering on TV in 1957. “Perry Mason” viewers love shots of urban Los Angeles, the flashy automobiles of the 1950s, Della’s classic wardrobe and handsome detective Paul Drake. CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images “Vintage TV just represents a form of remembering what the past was like and what people back then watched,” Batcho said, referencing “Gunsmoke” and “All in the Family.” “Scholars will try to figure out why people watched, and vintage TV will always exist as a source of information.” In a famous episode, Archie and Edith attend the funeral of Edith’s cousin.