Im not lying when I say that Rian Johnsons mystery series Poker Face was one of the best new shows of 2023. The series stars Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black, Russian Doll) as Charlie Cale, a woman with an innate ability to detect lies.
This skill comes in handy as she crisscrosses the country, stumbling into various whodunnits along the way. Although in the case of Poker Face, its more of a whydunnit. Each episode opens with a murder, then introduces Charlie who susses out the crime based on who is lying.
In season one, Charlie encountered shady race car drivers, hippy seniors, and a one-hit wonder metal band while running from casino boss Sterling Frost Sr. (Ron Perlman) and his head of security Cliff (Benjamin Bratt). Along the way, she stumbles into various cases of the week, exploring subcultures and criminals in her travels.
Poker Face debuted to critical acclaim, and it was no surprise when the series was quickly renewed for a second season. Its been over a year since the series was renewed, but in that time the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought production to a standstill.
Unfortunately for us, we may be waiting awhile for the further adventures of Charlie Cale. In an interview with Deadline in June, Johnson said of the release date, Thats something thats really up in the air. I mean, a lot of it has to do with what happens in terms of the writers strike, and theres so much thats unknown at the moment. Also, right now my priority is getting the next Benoit Blanc movie going.
Lyonne spoke with Variety at the at the Critics Choice Awards, where she joked that she was recruiting future guest stars, saying Its all cooking and its fucking hot. Its gonna be a hot season, Theres some big ideas and Ive been going around all of this award circuit with contracts and so Ive been getting people to sign up for episodes. Its been really helpful Billie Eilish. Ill try to get her to sign one later tonight. You know, I hear Jodie Foster is gonna be here tonight. So Ill try to get a signature, some sort of a blood oath or you know, spitting in a palm and a handshake still holds in this town.
In the meantime, you can catch Lyonne voicing Nurse Tup in Amazons The Second Best Hospital in The Galaxy, which she also produced. Lyonne also directed theNetflix specialJacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees.
(featured image: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock)
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Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word Jewess and wishes more people used it to describe her.
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