Filmmaker Rian Johnson’s critically acclaimed throwback detective series “Poker Face” has been a hit for the creator, delivering a new take on the “Columbo” and “Murder She Wrote” style formula but set in the modern day.
The series, which evokes 1970s detective procedurals and adopts the ‘howcatchem’ formula rather than a whodunnit approach, was renewed for a second season back in February.
Natasha Lyonne stars as Charlie Cale, a woman who has an innate ability to detect lies, and she encounters strange crimes and mysterious deaths that she can’t help but try to solve whilst also on the run from a casino boss in pursuit of her.
Appearing as part of Deadline’s The Contenders panels for the series, Johnson said working on the series was so rewarding that they hope to continue telling these stories for many years to come:
“We want to keep doing it and I feel like it is very much built so that there is an overarching story but it’s kind of similar to the story of whether Sam is going to get home on Quantum Leap. It kind of doesn’t matter really, it’s just an engine to be able to keep her on the road and keep her moving and keep doing these little mysteries and having exciting people in them. Our goal is to just keep doing that as long as we can.”
The ten-episode first season kicked off on January 26th and boasted an impressive ensemble of guest stars, including Ron Perlman, Nick Nolte, Benjamin Bratt, Chloe Sevigny, Jameela Jamil and Joseph-Gordon Levitt. It still boasts some of the best reviews of the year so far, with a 99% (8.5/10) on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season is available in full on Peacock.
