Early reviews for Rian Johnson's newest mystery story, Poker Face, are heaping praise on the project. Johnson is best known for his directorial work on films like Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Knives Out, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The popular filmmaker also has television experience, including directing the Breaking Bad season 5 episode, "Ozymandias." Following the Glass Onion's success, his next project is the similarly-themed mystery-comedy show Poker Face, which stars Russian Doll's Natasha Lyonne in the leading role. Poker Face will premiere with four episodes on January 26 on Peacock.
High praise for Rian Johnson's new TV show is a promising early sign for the upcoming streaming series. Early reviews hail Poker Face as one of the best Peacock original series to date while propping up the performance of lead actor Natasha Lyonne. The show has also been described as clever, deft, and highly addicting. Check out several spoiler-free samples of what reviewers say about the highly anticipated Poker Face series below.
Ferdosa, ScreenRant
"Poker Face will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Johnson and Lyonne. They are a dynamic duo, and they genuinely understand what it is to have fun with a tried and true genre. Even more impressive is the ability to create fascinating worlds with interesting characters. Peacock has a winner on its hands with Poker Face."
Daniel D'Addario, Variety
"Surely one of the strongest series yet to launch on Peacock, this streaming drama feels like the best sort of vintage, comfortably spread-out TV. This elegant set of mystery stories allows an established star the time and space to crack a new sort of case, that of how to evolve a familiar persona and bring fans along for the ride."
Linda Holmes, NPR
"From the start, it's no secret that the new series Poker Face is a throwback to an earlier era of television — to Columbo, especially. The opening titles even recall the yellow Columbo font. And while it might not be instantly obvious that Natasha Lyonne is the Peter Falk of her generation, by the end of a couple of episodes, you will believe."
Cayrn James, BBC
"Columbo is its main touchstone, and like its inspiration, Poker Face is sly, easy, escapist fun. But as he did in the character-driven whodunnit films Knives Out and Glass Onion, Johnson has designed this show with a shrewd sense of how to give nostalgia an update. His throwback to murder-of-the-week shows works perfectly well today, although the shambolic hero played by Peter Falk is now a croaky-voiced heroine with wild hair and a mobile phone."
Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
"The deeper you get into Poker Face’s 10-episode-long season, the more recognizable some of its plotting patterns become, and watching too many episodes back to back can lead to it feeling a bit more formulaic than Johnson intended. But because Lyonne and every single one of Poker Face’s featured players are clearly having so much fun playing these outsize roles to the back of the room, it’s hard not to get swept up in the madness of the show and feel like it might be the kind of thing that’ll make people consider signing up for Peacock."
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone
"That said, because shows like Poker Face have become so rare — or, at least, ones like it that are also executed this well — there is a risk of wildly overpraising it. Like any episodic drama, some episodes are stronger than others, particularly in the Lyonne-free opening sequences."
Ben Travers, Indie Wire
"All this star power (with Lyonne leading the way) is enough to guarantee “Poker Face” will be, at least, an enjoyable diversion. But as the once-sharp dialogue dulls, the playful spirit fades, and the episodes overall regress to serviceable puzzle-solving, it’s hard to shake the feeling that “Poker Face” isn’t as good as it could’ve been."
Daniel Cooper, Engadget
"Tonally, Poker Face is breezy, despite its rough-around-the-edges world, and there’s often one killer joke in every episode. As much as some episodes might draw from a darker palette, none are even close to being described as “heavy.” It’s not afraid to be a little silly, either, but I’d spoil the fun in explaining how or why it is, so you’ll have to discover that bit for yourself."
Dave Nemetz, TV Line
"Johnson, fresh off the Netflix hit film Glass Onion, directs the premiere, and his camera dances with nimble pans and zooms. The scripts are a hard-boiled throwback spiked with terse threats and dry humor, but Charlie plays the snarky, skeptical fly in the ointment, almost like a modern-day time traveler who finds herself in a ’70s crime drama."
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly
"Charlie always works whatever gig requires the least ID. So the flashbacks are also social expansions, revealing criminals and victims from an entry-level perspective. For all Poker Face's pop history, you could define it by absences. Here's a detective with no home, no gun, no phone, no supporting cast, a past to escape, and a doomed future. Hell of a hand, I'm all in."
What Is Poker Face Actually About?
Poker Face's apparent brilliance is another big win for Rian Johnson in his growing personal backlog of engaging mystery tales. Johnson has been regarded as an established storyteller who brings out a unique vision to the films and shows he produces. Natasha Lyonne has also become a television star due to her Emmy-nominated performances on the dark comedy series Russian Doll. Johnson also praised the Netflix show last year, which led to the eventual collaboration between him and Lyonne. Based on early reviews, Poker Face appears to be a throwback project, with Johnson's show following Lyonne's Charlie.
Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, who has the power to tell if someone is lying. While undergoing her trip, she utilizes her unique skills to solve case-by-case mysteries that come her way. She isn't dissimilar to Knives Out's Benoit Blanc, who Johnson also brought to life with a fun flair. Particularly, both Blanc and Charlie share their interest in investigating cases, using their talents. Furthermore, the synopsis for the Poker Face premiere episode reveals that Charlie is a casino cocktail waitress who is determined to find answers to any mysterious event - even if it endangers her life. That seems to be the weekly theme, with new characters popping in to keep things fresh.
Poker Face Proves Rian Johnson Is The New Mystery Master
The incredibly positive reviews for Poker Face establish, yet again, that Johnson is the new mystery master. Though there were concerns that Poker Face would be a Knives Out rehash, the reviews don't express many concerns about the series being too similar to Johnson's movies. That's another positive sign, as the new series has been described as a fresh throwback. Johnson's rumored future with Star Wars may still be on the back burner, but with the back-to-back releases of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Poker Face, it is clear that the director has carved out his own storytelling lane. It looks like Poker Face will only extend Rian Johnson's run of success.
Source: Various (See reviews above)