Watch Poker Face

Poker Face is a 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series streaming on Peacock Premium. It comes from the creative mind of Rian Johnson, acclaimed writer and director known for knuckle-tight murder mysteries like Brick and Knives Out. The show follows Charlie Cale, played by Russian Doll's Natasha Lyonne, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. This makes her an excellent detective, but a lousy casino employee. So Charlie hits the road in her cherry-red Plymouth Barracuda, landing in a new city each episode where she invariably stumbles upon a fresh body and new lies to unwind.

With echoes of Columbo, Murder, She Wrote, and other classic whodunits, Poker Face sets out to bring back the episodic mystery format. Each episode stands alone with a new setting, new suspects, and a new puzzle for Charlie to solve. Johnson directed the pilot and serves as executive producer alongside Ram Bergman and Lyonne.

The tone falls somewhere between Agatha Christie and Quentin Tarantino, with snappy dialogue, dark humor, and the occasional burst of violence. Charlie is a classic noir archetype - the wise-cracking loner determined to root out the truth no matter where it leads. The suspects she encounters along the way are an eccentric, high-spirited bunch keeping all manner of secrets. Part of the fun is watching Charlie needle and manipulate them into revealing themselves.

With a charismatic lead, clever writing, and new twists on a familiar formula, Poker Face aims to breathe new life into the case-of-the-week mystery. The variety of settings and guest stars promises to keep each episode feeling distinct. One week Charlie travels to a lounge singer's wedding, the next she's looking into murder at a sci-fi convention.

Lyonne's deadpan comedy and moral ambiguity make her an intriguing investigator. She's happy to break the rules and cut corners to unravel motives and alibis. The show doesn't shy away from violence but largely keeps the tone light with banter, intrigue, and oddball characters rather than gritty procedurals.

Poker Face arrives at a time when streaming services are exploring new takes on old formats from Westerns to sitcoms. By honing in on crisply-plotted standalone mysteries, the show bucks the trend toward serialized drama and high concept genres. The focus is on clever clues, red herrings, and dramatic reveals familiar to mystery lovers since Agatha Christie defined the genre.

With Rian Johnson overseeing the project and a game cast in place, Poker Face has all the cards it needs to deliver a satisfying throwback mystery series. For viewers craving self-contained stories full of clues to piece together, suspicious characters to parse, and a quick-witted guide leading the way,Charlie Cale's adventures promise an entertaining deck bound to deal some winning hands.

Poker Face is a series that ran for 2 seasons (22 episodes) between January 26, 2023 and on Peacock Premium