Poker Face (2023)

Watchseries; 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.

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.

Poker Face watchseries. 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.

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.

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. Give this a chance and you'll be hooked by the end of the first episode.