Rian Johnson already has one highly successful mystery franchise with his “Knives Out” films. Does he have another with “Poker Face,” the director’s television debut? The new series, the brainchild of Johnson and the show’s star Natasha Lyonne, hits Peacock later this month, to settle that debate.
With “Poker Face,” Johnson and Lyonne give the mystery-of-the-week premise of classic shows like “Colombo” and “Magnum P.I.” a contemporary update. Lyonne stars as Charlie Cale, a laidback and hyper-intuitive casino worker who hits the road to solve mysteries in locales all over the USA.
Here’s the show’s official synopsis, courtesy of Peacock:
Poker Face is a 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.
Like classic sitcoms of old, “Poker Face” boasts a bevy of guest appearances from all sorts of actors. Expect a lot of familiar faces to show up over the show’s ten episodes, like Benjamin Bratt, Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Meadows, Ron Perlman, and Cherry Jones. Other guest stars include Ellen Barkin, Jameela Jamil, Rhea Perlman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nick Nolte, and Luis Guzmán.
Johnson and Lyonne share directing duties on the show, but “Zola” helmer Janicza Bravo directs the show’s season finale. For their part, Johnson and Lyonne provide a brief letter to hype up the show. Read it below:
Never underestimate the power of a good dinner conversation between friends. What started as a discussion over steak frites about detective shows and what made them such a reliable pleasure—the exploration of little worlds within each new setting, the guest stars playing killers and victims, and most importantly, a scrappy protagonist you were always ready to kick back with and see win—ultimately resulted in the creation of Charlie, the driving force behind POKER FACE.
We invite you to follow Charlie on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional dog).
Now please leave the overthinking to Rian, who has masterfully crafted ten self-contained puzzles for Charlie to solve. Just jump in the back of her ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda and enjoy the ride.
Thanks,
Rian and Natasha
So, will “Poker Face” be a successful foray into TV for Rian Johnson? Find out when the series hits Peacock on January 26, when the show’s first four episodes premiere; then new episodes every Thursday through its ten-episode run. Watch a trailer for “Poker Face” below.
