I love those novels and I have read quite a few of them, something I inherited from my father, who had read them more than once.
In the book series he's not exactly "unscrupulous" but more of a "the ends justify the means" guy. He has not problem with using every trick and ruse in the book, but he does so to save his client, often risking his own career and freedom. Of course, his clients are always innocent falsely accused (what are the odds?), but this is a classic deus ex in the book series.
Right now, the book series would be completely unplayable since Perry Mason's character is the classic Californian liberal from the 40s/50s that has not place in the modern western world, while Della Street is very close to Mary Wollstonecraft's early feminism which is fully dismissed and even despised by modern mainstream feminism. Both characters would be completely out of place nowadays.
Of course, they can "update" the characters towards something more "XXIth century" morality... but that would feel like a Last Jedi updating. To do that, better do nothing.
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[deleted]
6 years ago
The last I heard, the new version of Perry Mason is being made as a 1930s or 1940s period piece. So hopefully they don't have to worry about updating the characters to fit in contemporary times.
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