← Binge

Poker Face (2023)

2023 · Comedy,Crime,Drama · crime-detective-puzzle, crime-procedural

Poker Face poster

Poker Face is a light-footed, witty anthology crime series created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out) and anchored entirely by Natasha Lyonne's raspy, charismatic performance as Charlie Cale — a woman with an involuntary ability to detect lies who finds herself solving a new murder every episode while on the run across America. The show self-consciously revives the Columbo inverted-mystery format: the audience sees the crime committed first, then watches Charlie stumble into orbit around the guilty parties and unmask them through instinct and dogged questioning. Each episode functions as a standalone mini-movie with a rotating cast of guest stars. Tone is warm, funny, and breezy rather than dark or prestige-grim, making it ideal for viewers who want the pleasure of a clever puzzle without emotional punishment.

From the reviewers

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.
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.
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.
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.
Each episode has her stopping somewhere and due to circumstances spending a few days there. Also a crime is committed, most often a murder. Like the old 'Columbo' we witness the crime relatively early and we see how she uses her inquisitiveness to sort out what really happened.

Explore all 293 prestige TV dramas on Binge →

The Curator's Index

Binge.

Curated Prestige Streaming

Opening up shop.

← Sightlines · the film atlas
Binge.

Curated Prestige Streaming

Find shows to watch based on real reviewer language. No collaborative filtering, no popularity boost. Your taste is the only algorithm here.

The collection

— shows

Browse the library. Filter by sub-genre, register, era, or popularity tier. Click a show to see its full characterization.

—