Poker Face (2023) Review: The Howcatchem, Reborn on the Road

Is Poker Face worth watching?

Yes. Poker Face is a sheer pleasure, a smart, funny revival of the case-of-the-week mystery that proves episodic television can still feel fresh. Rian Johnson’s clockwork plotting and Natasha Lyonne’s rumpled charisma make almost every episode a satisfying little puzzle with a new town, a new crime and a new set of guest stars. The only real caveat is that the formula is deliberately repetitive, so it plays best an episode or two at a time rather than in a marathon.

What is Poker Face about?

Charlie Cale (Lyonne) has an unusual gift: she can tell, instantly and without fail, when someone is lying. The talent has made her a problem for casinos and a liability to herself, and after a job at a Nevada casino goes badly wrong, she ends up on the run, drifting across America in an old car and taking odd jobs wherever she stops. In every town, someone gets killed, and Charlie cannot resist working out how.

The twist on the form is that each episode shows the murder first, in full, before Charlie arrives. Like Columbo, the fun is not in guessing who did it but in watching how she catches them. Benjamin Bratt plays the casino security chief sent after her in the first season, and Simon Helberg joins the cast in the second.

Poker Face was created by Rian Johnson, the writer-director of Knives Out, for Peacock. It is an American series in English, and this review covers the first two seasons, 22 episodes in all.

A lie detector with a big heart

Lyonne is the show’s secret weapon. Her gravelly voice and loose-limbed, wisecracking manner make Charlie feel like someone who has lived a messy life in cheap motels, but the performance is built on warmth: Charlie cares about the people she meets, especially the ones who are wronged, and that decency turns a gimmick into a character. Her lie-detecting gift is a clever device because it only tells her that someone is lying, not why or what the truth is, which keeps her working for every answer.

Lyonne is also a generous scene partner. Much of each episode belongs to the guest cast, a rotating parade of recognisable faces including Chloë Sevigny, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Nick Nolte in the first season, and she gives them room to shine rather than dominating every frame.

Clockwork plots with Americana flavour

Johnson and his writers treat each episode as a self-contained machine. The opening act shows the crime from the killer’s point of view, then the story rewinds to show Charlie’s path crossing it, and the satisfaction comes from spotting the tells and clues that were visible all along. The settings change constantly, from a barbecue joint to a retirement home to a heavy-metal band on tour, and each world is sketched with affection and a dry sense of humour.

The visual style leans into that American road-movie feel, with wide skies, neon diners and sun-bleached small towns. It is a show made by people who clearly love the craft of mystery storytelling, and its tone is forgiving without ever going soft.

When the formula shows

The structure is the show’s greatest strength and its main limitation. Watched back to back, episodes can feel as if they are built on the same template, and a few solutions rely more on Charlie’s gift than on genuine deduction. The serial chase that frames the first season is also thinner than the standalone stories, and the second season’s attempt to vary the setup is less consistently sharp. These are minor quibbles in a show this entertaining.

Who should watch Poker Face?

It is ideal for fans of classic TV mystery series, lovers of Knives Out, and anyone tired of long serialised dramas who wants something they can dip into. With roughly hour-long episodes that stand alone, it suits casual viewing as well as bingeing. Each episode opens with a murder, and there is violence, strong language and some dark subject matter, though the tone stays light.

If it clicks, try:

• Orange Is the New Black for Lyonne in a very different ensemble role, full of the same caustic humour.
• Wednesday for another deadpan heroine solving murders with sharp wit.
• The White Lotus for a darker satirical take on murder among the privileged.

The verdict

Poker Face is a joyful, beautifully crafted mystery series that makes the old case-of-the-week format feel new, anchored by a lead performance that is impossible not to love. The formula can feel repetitive in large doses, but episode by episode it is one of the most dependable pleasures on television.

Rating: 4.5/5