User reviews

I've actually really enjoyed Poker Face more than I thought I would. I originally wasn't going to watch it because it looked like just another detective crime show, it's not. It's so much better. What originally made me watch is that it's created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion, Looper, etc). I love his movies and how original they are. There are a million of these crime shows with crazy detectives but this is one of the better ones and one of the better new shows of the year. There are enough twists and turns to keep your attention and wanting more. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this show.

Poker Face has been pretty entertaining so far. Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, a casino host with the talent of being a human lie detector. She can tell if you're lying about anything from playing cards to actual murder. She ends up going on the run and being an amateur detective solving murders across the nation. Each episode is its own story and has a great cast of guest stars each episode. It's being hailed as one of the best new shows of the year by just about every critic and the audience seems to really like it too. If you give this a try there's a good chance you'll end up watching the entire season.

That's right - what we have here is the Columbo formula with a female lead, assuming all of his famous quirks and manorisms - from the "one more thing" prods to smoking cigars, Natasha Lyonne delivers "mystery" solving fun as the gravel voiced Charlie Cale. Even the font used for the credits is the same as The NBC Tuesday Mystery Movie (1971).

This is a small twist on the reverse-detective story made famous first by Frederick Knott in Dial M for Murder (1954) and later by Columbo (1971), where the full crime is revealed to the audience up front, and the fun to the audience is watching the sleuth figure it out by discovering all the little details the killers get wrong, and watching the killers squirm.

The twist here is that once the crime is revealed, in typical Rian Johnson fashion, time is backed-up and Charlie Cale's involvement in the setting is revealed. She doesn't witness the crime, but is in orbits of all the characters when the crime is committed. She then uses her "I can tell when they're lying" power to determine who the guilty persons are, and is used to great affect.

This is great fun, and I hope it runs for a long, long time.

At the time of writing, there is one review for this show. It is a somewhat incoherent rant about bribes, cameos and general displeasure. It does not reek of impartiality.

I just finished the first episode. It was very, very good and I am hard to please. The role Natasha was made for. Brody is fantastic. The mood, cinematography and writing are all top par. I've been to Laughlin and stayed at the location, so I don't reek of impartiality.

This is going to be good. Well thought out, well executed. Compare with franchised low grade plutonium by the Sherdian syndicate, this is actually good tv.

The Poker Face pilot is A+. This is a nice throwback to the murder mystery series that used to be common in the 70s/80s. So many TV shows have gone to the long story format it's refreshing going back to the story of the week format.

The pilot episode is a love letter to series like Columbo. In fact, Rian Johnson goes as far as borrowing some of the fonts from Columbo. If you enjoy this series and have never watched Columbo I highly recommend checking those episodes out. Poker Face has a great cast, it's superbly written, and directed.

Hopefully this series keeps up the quality of the opening episodes. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Yes I said it. I've noticed that there are some similarities in their demeanor and even her raspy voice but I am glad to say, Charlie carves her own path in this easy flowing yet still mystical series. I'm two episodes in and so far so good. I happen to like Colombo so the similarities are pleasing and the fact that trouble seems to always find her as she try to evade her own troubles is a nice addition to the old mystery theater ploy. Custom and character is believable enough and actually begs for sympathy at times. The acting is spread out with a mixture of veterans and newbies but it still flows quite honestly. Here's hoping for the best!

Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) is a cocktail waitress and former card hustler working at the Frost Casino in Nevada, but following the murder of her best friend, Charlie finds herself on the run from her past with her abilities as a human lie detector serving her on various self-contained mysteries.

Poker Face is the new Peacock series created by Rian Johnson of Looper, Knives Out, and Glass Onion fame. Much like how Knives Out tapped into the framework star studded closed room murder mysteries, Poker Face evokes a number of classic examples of "case of the week" detective series and the show definitely has DNA from the likes of The Rockford Files, The Fugitive, but most especially Columbo which is deliberately homage by Johnson with its usage of yellow text opening credits and the "howcatchem" format popularized by Columbo. Johnson and company have used these well worn TV frameworks to create a memorable and unique closed ended murder mystery series that does a lot to stand out from the crowded field of procedurals taking up the TV airspace.

At the center of the show is undeniably Natasha Lyonne's Charlie Cale character, and with Johnson's writing and Lyonne's performance the two create a likable and memorable character who we want to see go on further adventures because of how unique she is. While Charlie Cale is able to discern whether people are telling the truth or not, Charlie herself is a bit of a mess barely keeping her head above water and driving a car and living in a mobile home which have both seen better days. In many ways the character reminded me of Jeff Bridges' The Dude from The Big Lebowski as filtered by way of Peter Falk's Columbo as both characters' slovenly appearances cause their antagonists to underestimate them which leads to their downfall. Because Poker Face is up front about its antagonists and doesn't rely on all the post CSI flash of many procedurals, Poker Face distinguishes itself by making itself a character based affair with the cases being a battle of wits between crook and sleuth and we definitely get some memorable crooks from the get go.

Poker Face is a really entertaining series and it definitely has the legs to be a long running and fun bit of investigative escapism. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of classic sleuthing tropes.

The first episode was outstanding and award-worthy. Second and third episodes were very good.

After that, even with suspension of disbelief, the show gets very repetitive and predictable. Are we supposed to believe that the lead character, who is a fugitive accepting low-skill temp jobs in every town she stops, always ends up bumping into criminals and solving a crime at every single temp job she takes?!

I love the acting, the lead actress is terrific, but I think it would have been more convincing as a mini-series surrounding the plot from the first episode, instead of "murder of the week"!

Great fun show, binge worthy

Really enjoying this show, watched the first 4 episodes in one hit. Love Natasha Lyonne as the main truth telling character. It's fun, lighthearted but not boring. The characters are well put together. The female truck driver in episode 2 was great. Sometimes you don't need a heavy drama and whilst this isn't edge of your seats its interesting and entertaining all the way through, episode 4 was a bit silly but clever none the less.

So expect some silly moments but fun to watch. Reminds me a bit of 'Shut Eye' about the fortune teller scam.

This story is about a woman who can really tell if your lying, who wouldn't like to have that skill.

First episode is great and overall, I like the vibe and Natasha in the role. Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly detached from reality and is not nearly as good as the show it is obviously based on, Columbo.

For anyone who has not seen Columbo, I HIGHLY recommend watching it and search for best episodes and watch those first. It had some duds but overall, a higher percent of the episodes were good compared to this. It's on Peacock but you may be able to find it free elsewhere since it's an older show. It's great though, the main actor/character is iconic and it has some cool 70s TV moog/synth soundtrack that I actually like more than the North Brooklyn/Silverlake dwelling indie cool person's oldies playlist style soundtrack on this show. It also makes perfect logical sense he is constantly around crimes and trying to solve them since he is an Investigator with the LAPD, unlike Charlie/Natasha on this who is just a random person running from scummy casino people. It's just really hard to believe that everywhere she stops has a murder and she is the one to investigate and figure out who really did it (but in Columbo style, where the viewer knows already unlike mystery shows where the viewer is trying to figure it out too).

I think this show can be better but they need to change some things. Again, the first one is making the premise more believable, she could at least be a private instigator, she doesn't have to work for the police. Just finish up the casino villain part of the story like those people get arrested. Second is have at least one or two other regulars on the show, like she has an assistant if she becomes a private instigator. Third is maybe doing some episodes in mystery show format just to mix things up more. They don't have to all be in the Columbo style.

Thank you Rian Johnson for bringing back the 1970s quirky crime detective. Columbo, Rockford Files, Kojak, & Police Woman are just a few of the shows Poker Face takes inspiration from. Nowadays there are a lot of rehashing of the old into new form. Most should never have been attempted. And, I think Natasha Lyonne is perfect. The writing is creative & stories are imaginative, with a suspenseful back story. It has a gimmick of her having special abilities to find the truth but it comes off believable. It's not obvious to the plot & overdone at all. The cast in each episode are top actors and comedians, along with newer faces that hang right in there for talent. Loved seeing Natasha & her castmate from Orange is the New Black, Dascha Polanco back together in 1st episode. I am really looking forward to the remainder of the season.

Just an overrated series. Tho I like Natasha, but here the episodes are made just too easy ,notwithstanding Miss Lyonne ability of being a walking lie detector! ... they dont seem authentic or gritty.

I mean it's one thing to figure out when someone is lying, it's another when you become a full blown detective, analyzing situations and getting into the weeds without any prior experience or exposure!! And that too while you are being chased by the biggest goon in the area who is after your blood!!

We should not praise something which just doesn't make sense, just bcz it looks cool or flashy on TV... It's rather cocky to me and not as intelligent as it tries to be.

Not for me...

I love so much about this show. Natasha Lyonne stole my heart in Orange is the New Black, then again with Russian Doll.

But even she can't bear the weight of a weak script with the same formula pasted on different places.

Every episode is about a murder, every episode tells you the viewer what will happen, and then we can enjoy watching Charlie find the clues. Except the clues are too easy and not clever.

There's no satisfying ending, and to make it worse; the people we get to meet are dull. There's no one to root for, and even Natasha's great portrayal of Charlie falls flat (especially if you've seen her work her magic in Russian Doll).

So unfortunately, all I can say is you'd be better off watching Russian Doll again then watching this show.

Rian Johnson gave us updated versions of the classic Agatha Christie "whodunit" mystery (with Knives Out and Glass Onion) and now turns his attention to the inverted "howcatchem" style of classics like one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Columbo, with Poker Face. Just as a popular, long-running series like the former wouldn't have worked w/o the charismatic lead role by Peter Falk, this new show depends on the serious likability & watchability of Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Orange Is the New Black). We need to cheer on her seemingly endless attempts to do the right thing (she has a gift that is essential to these attempts, which I'll not spoil here). And we must care what happens to her when she is being chased by the bad guys (played ably by Benjamin Bratt & Ron Perlman). The pint-sized Lyonne is like a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking woodland sprite, as she imparts her truths to those looking to hide dark secrets. Murderers catching a glimpse of her dull blue Plymouth Barracuda headed their way would be wise to run the other way as fast as they can! As with my Columbo ratings, I give Poker Face a 9/10 as a series though most of the individual installments get an 8. The simple reason for this is the lack of such consistency with most series.

Sharp writing, brilliant performances, callbacks to serial murder-mysteries and stunning cinematography and production designs make for a thrilling ride that proves Rian Johnson belongs on any medium.

Natasha Lyonne offers up a powerful performance that solidifies her as one of today's great character actors, while the jaw-dropping list of guest stars never disappoints, whether they're comedic relief or dramatic cruxes, the actors always deliver.

There are moments where you can tell producers cut costs, and the show may not be quite as enthralling as Johnson's "Knives Out" films, but "Poker Face" fits where it sits and is likely the best content on Peacock.

Full disclosure - I am a Natasha L fan and I disagree with the reviewers saying that this series falls short after episodes 2 and/or 3. First off, the guest stars at the best, especially Benjamin Bratt who is seen a way I haven't seen him before.

The series never failed to surprise me in how they gave us the answer as to who killed whom and why, and then flawlessly, and often with a lot of humor, dragged Charlie into it (the Natasha character) to solve the murder in her own very odd way and for her own reasons.

People complain about how she does it, but that's the whole point of the show! It's Charlie doing what she does best and not wanting others to get away with murder - literally.

So, watch a few episodes and decide for yourself what you think. Enjoy the Rolodex of guest stars and the scenery and decide if you want to binge it too.

I thought it was a fun ride!

Great first episode 8/10 after that everything seemed crashing down. Watched till episode 4 and not interested in finding out what happens next.

Main character is annoying and hardly likable who seems to find crime at every place she visits and apparently having gift of knowing who is lying she also is world's smartest detective who is able to solve every case with as much little details as possible.

At murder scenes cops just leaves evidences untouched so that later main character at their timely convenience can find them, even with most trivial matters like checking apparent things such as "dash cams" or asking right questions has to come from the main characters on top of that things are just there to reveal themselves at convenience of plot.

Solid show. Great premise and each story for each episode is very interesting, mysterious, entertaining and is well structured with great characters with villainous motives. The only negative this show suffers from is predictability. Obviously she will continue to solve every single murder every episode using her power of perception in picking lies. There's no deviation from the formula and no surprises at the end of each episode except for the satisfaction that the bad guys got what was coming to them. Still, it's a fun show with great storytelling. Will be interesting to see how the season ends.

I love the actors in this series. As with any series, some episodes are better than others. It all depends on the writing and story structure, and the first 2 episodes were solid entries.

The third episode, the BBQ murder "mystery" was watchable, but did not come close to being a mystery and the way the protagonist figured out the murderer's identity was poorly handled.

The series has Rian Johnson listed in the credits, and this seems exactly like his other efforts: sometimes excellent, sometimes pretty bad. Overall, it's worth watching, but not gripping or "must see" content. If you have nothing else on your watch list, you might find this to be entertaining.

This is a slow burn. It's written like a drama not an action movie. If you have no attention span you will not like this. If you are patient and want to be entertained by something more intellectual you will be rewarded. Natasha is so commanding in this performance. That alone is reason enough to view. The first episode sets up the central conflict and leads into the rest of the series being a mystery of the week type show. Is also quite quirky which really works here. It's also a very fun concept that the main character Charlie can tell when people are lying. It's a gift I'm sure a lot of people wish they had.

If there was any doubt that streaming has now officially displaced cable, you simply have to look at the talent pool that showed up in 2023. Apple signed a deal with bestselling writer Dennis Lehane, the first series being the excellent BLACKBIRD. You have the top-tier team of Nolan/Joy active in the sci-fi arena. The two creators behind SMALLVILLE took a hiatus and came back with guns blazing, bringing us the highly addictive (and brilliantly written) WEDNESDAY. And here Rian Johnson, who broke into the industry with the vastly unappreciated BRICK --- on my IMDb list of the best films ever!! -- and stunned audiences with KNIVES OUT, brings us POKER FACE, a series where the talented Lyonne finally finds a role that fits her like a glove.((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Only watched the first episode so far but it is great to see a character who isn't just a retread of every other super hero or an angst-ridden weakling. I checked Natasha Lyonne out and see she has roles on 64 listings, but I had never seen or heard of her before. I hope this production is the beginning of a new chapter in her career.

Charlie is so refreshing and the performers playing opposite her are top flight. (Fun to see Benjamin Bratt again and Adrian Brody is great as a slimy weasel.) Ready to dive back in to Episode 2 to see this gal with a supernatural gift and a superhuman moral compass. And that smoky voice of her is as appealing to listen to as her disaster zone of hair is to watch.

Good production values, some great cynical jokes makes this a good choice for viewers who like semi-realistic drama with a sprinkling of black humor.

Charming! It's an anti-mystery show much like Columbo. The killer is revealed in each episode before Natasha shows up on the scene in her beat-up Plymouth. But she's not a cop. She's on the run from some very bad folks, accused of crimes she did not commit, much like the Fugitive and Thelma and Louise.

Each episode is stand alone, which is refreshing, but the chase allows for some pretty interesting reoccurring characters. And the episodic crimes and characters are all fresh and believable.

Charlie, our main protagonist, has a gift for sniffing out lies and liars and liars sometimes kill people. They'd better hope they don't cross her path.