Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Perry Mason (1957 TV series)" in English language version.
Back in 1960, Perry Mason earns the first Silver Gavel in this category—star Raymond Burr accepts the award from ABA President John Randall for lawyer-turned-writer Erle Stanley Gardner's Paisano Productions.
The Perry Mason television series came along at the right time in the right format with a style that evoked noir. The series benefited by that style and it was most certainly a factor in its success.
I see, especially the early episodes, as having a strong link to film moir.
Lt. Arthur Tragg, by contrast, isn't incompetent so much as he is less imaginative than Mason, who also benefits from fewer procedural restraints; in the service of his clients, Mason conceals evidence and misdirects the detectives.