Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne introduce us to the mystery-solving Charlie Cale in the new teaser for Poker Face.
Lyonne stars as Charlie, a woman with a unique “gift,” as Adrien Brody puts it in the preview: “Always knowing the truth.”
She corrects him: “I only know if something is a lie. The real trick of it is figuring out why.”
As “House of the Rising Sun” plays in the background, the Poker Face teaser shows off some of the oddballs Charlie meets as she travels the country in her Plymouth Barracuda. The case-of-the-week format will introduce new characters in each of the 10 episodes, some of which are played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, David Castañeda, Nick Nolte, Ron Perlman, Chloë Sevigny, Charles Melton, Jameela Jamil, Tim Meadows, Simon Helberg, S. Epatha Merkerson, Ellen Barkin, and Tim Blake Nelson.
In a joint statement, writer/creator Johnson and star/executive producer Lyonne explained how Poker Face came together:
Never underestimate the power of a good dinner conversation between friends. What started as a discussion over steak frites about detective shows and what made them such a reliable pleasure — the exploration of little worlds within each new setting, the guest stars playing killers and victims, and most importantly, a scrappy protagonist you were always ready to kick back with and see win — ultimately resulted in the creation of Charlie, the driving force behind Poker Face.
We invite you to follow Charlie on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional dog).
Now please leave the overthinking to Rian, who has masterfully crafted ten self-contained puzzles for Charlie to solve. Just jump in the back of her ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda and enjoy the ride.
Thanks,
Rian and Natasha
Poker Face streams January 26th on Peacock. Check out the teaser below.
Rian Johnson is gearing up for the release of another whodunit, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The film will screen in theaters from November 23rd to 29th and stream on Netflix beginning December 23rd. As part of the press tour, he confirmed that “yes,” Daniel Craig’s character Benoit Blanc is “obviously” queer. As for Lyonne, earlier this year she starred in Season 2 of Russian Doll, and in 2023 she’ll appear on The Eric Andre Show.
