Credit: Poker Face
Rian Johnson has been one busy man recently. The long-awaited sequel to his 2019 hit movie Knives Out is coming our way very soon. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be landing on Netflix on the 22nd of December. On top of this, his new TV series, Poker Face, is dropping on Peacock in January!
Poker Face follows Charlie (Natasha Lyonne), a woman with an extraordinary talent for being able to determine when someone is lying. So, with her skill in hand, she sets out on the road in her Plymouth Barracuda. With every stop she makes, she can’t help but unearth her skills and solve a burning mystery. This marks Lyonne’s biggest role since breaking out in 1999 with the teen classic American Pie.
Credit: Poker Face (Peacock 2023)
Poker Face’s Format
Although Johnson is no stranger to Television, directing popular episodes of Breaking Bad and Terriers, Poker Face marks his first TV series as creator, writer, and director. Each episode is like its own movie with a whole new supporting cast. As Charlie moves from town to town, she can’t help but become embroiled in the shady goings-on. And, of course, she uses her incredible skill to catch the baddies!
Johnson recently sat down with Vanity Fair to discuss Poker Face and its episodic format.
“There’s a lot of reasons I like that format,” Johnson explained. The shows format has been compared to that of classic detective series, Columbo, “The big one is because I really love the idea of getting great guest stars for every episode, as opposed to the whodunit where you have to juggle five or six suspects to make it satisfying. I wanted to be able to create a real meal for actors to come in and feast on if they’re going to be the guest star.”
Poker Face features an array of impressive guest stars such as Adrien Brody, Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tim Blake Nelson. It is unsure from the trailer which of these stars has been cast as villains, but it’s safe to say they will all make for thrilling material!
Credit: Poker Face (Peacock 2023)
Rian Johnson’s History
Johnson is known for his mind-bending storylines and is a self-proclaimed lover of the whodunnit. However, as mentioned above, Poker Face will follow a different format. ‘Howcatchem’ is a type of storytelling where the audience knows the murderer from the very beginning, and the drama comes from our lead star trying to catch them. Popularized by the likes of Columbo, this was a popular form of storytelling throughout the 70s and early 80s. In recent years the hit FX show, Fargo, has paid homage to this style, showing us the crime at the beginning of the series and letting the carnage unfold afterward throughout the show’s duration.
It’s fair to say we are in safe hands with Johnson. His new movie, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is already generating huge Oscar buzz. His slate of previous films is also super impressive with the likes of Looper and Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. On top of this, his iconic episode of Breaking Bad, The Fly, is a fan favorite and the most rewatched episode of the series aside from the finale. So, it’s without a doubt going to be very interesting to see what Johnson has to offer come January.
Other notable stars sharing the screen with Lyonne include Ron Perlman, Clea Duvall, Benjamin Bratt, and Ellen Barkin. Poker Face will arrive on Peacock on Thursday, 26th January 2023. You can check out the exciting new trailer below:
What Else is Peacock Has to Offer
Peacock is coming in hot this January with 2 more exciting shows. You can check out Paul T. Goodman on January 1st, a mind-bending series from the producers of The Disaster Artist. And The Traitors, a game show where celebs and civilians compete for a massive cash prize, is landing on January 12th.
Currently streaming and ready to binge is The Thing About Pam, starring Renee Zelwegger, a shocking drama based on the brutal 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. The horrific crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolic scheme involving a once-trusted neighbor and friend of Betsy Faria.
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