In January 2023, Rian Johnson (Knives Out) introduced the world to Poker Face, a case-of-the-week television series starring Natasha Lyonne as the resident sleuth. Sure to fill the mystery-shaped hole in anyone’s heart, the story follows Charlie Cale (Lyonne) as she hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda, encountering an assortment of strange people and even stranger mysteries that she can’t help but crack. Inspired by case-of-the-week mystery TV shows like Columbo and The Rockford Files, Poker Face is an old-fashioned episodic series revolving around Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale, a woman with the innate ability to tell when someone is telling the truth. When Charlie’s ability gets her into trouble with a shady cowboy, played by Ron Perlman, she has no choice but to go on the run when he sends a hitman, played by Benjamin Bratt, to go after her. She packs up her whole life and takes her vintage car on a road trip across the United States to escape their clutches. Along the way, she befriends fellow travelers and locals alike and finds herself drawn to solve the crimes occurring in her vicinity. Here’s the official synopsis:
Poker Face is a mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.
Since it’s not available on a traditional network, You may possibly have some difficulty finding where to stream the show. Never fear, just read on to find out where to watch the first season of Poker Face.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on August 24.
Where Is Poker Face Streaming Online?
For Rian Johnson’s first foray into television, there was an aggressive bidding war between multiple entertainment platforms. Ultimately, it was NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, that came out on top. Poker Face is one of the latest additions to the streamer’s roster of critical darlings and hits like Bel Air, Dr. Death, and pop-cultural mainstays like The Office and Parks and Recreation.
When Did Poker Face Premiere?
Poker Face premiered on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The first four episodes were released when it premiered, with the following episodes released weekly from that point onward on Thursdays. The last episode of the season was released on March 9, 2023. There are 10 episodes in total in the first season.
Watch the Poker Face Trailer
In the series trailer, Lyonne’s Charlie interacts with a slimy casino owner played by Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, the first of many stars making an appearance on the show. His character asks Charlie what it’s like to be able to know when someone’s lying, to which she reacts with an enigmatic grin, hinting that her abilities may be more of a burden than a blessing. She replies that there’s nothing mystical about it. Her sixth sense comes naturally to her. As she says this, we see a flash of Chloë Sevigny‘s character, Ruby Ruin, and others played by Tim Meadows, Ellen Barkin, and more. It’s clear that along the way, the people Charlie will run into are deceptive and guided by their agendas. After she dodges bullets in the casino hallway, the trailer pivots to Ron Perlman and Benjamin Bratt. In the voiceover, Perlman’s menacing cowboy demands that Bratt’s hitman find Charlie and bring her back to him. Whether he means dead or alive remains to be seen. With people after her, Charlie goes on the run with her sweet ride, a Plymouth Barracuda, and a U-Haul carrier attached. When a stranger asks her how she can leave her life behind, she replies, “I’ve got wolves on my fender. I’ve gotta keep moving.”
When Is Poker Face Releasing on DVD and Blu-ray?
For those of you who’d like to add this thoroughly enjoyable mystery series to your home media collection, we have some good news. Poker Face Season 1 is getting Blu-ray and DVD releases on September 12, 2023. The physical media release is now available for pre-order so get yours soon!
Who’s Starring in Poker Face?
Besides Russian Doll‘s Natasha Lyonne starring as human lie detector Charlie Cale, Poker Face boasts a star-studded cast. Countless actors pop in to play the odd, mysterious strangers that Charlie encounters on her adventures out on the road.
Benjamin Bratt (Coco), Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory), and Ron Perlman (Pacific Rim) star in recurring roles. Other cast members include Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever), Colton Ryan (The Girl From Plainville), Adrien Brody, Academy Award nominee Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Charles Melton (Riverdale), Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney At Law), David Castañeda (The Umbrella Academy), Luis Guzman (Wednesday), Chloë Sevigny (Bones and All), Hong Chau (The Whale), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin’), Tim Meadows (The Goldbergs), Reed Birney, Rhea Perlman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Brandon Michael Hall, Chelsea Frei, Cherry Jones, Clea DuVall, Shane Paul McGhie, Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), Rowan Blanchard (Snowpiercer), and Ellen Barkin. You know, just to name a few.
Poker Face Episode Guide
Here’s the full list of episodes for Poker Face Season 1:
Episode 1: “Dead Man’s Hand” – January 26, 2023
Director: Rian Johnson | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Charlie Peppers
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco, Benjamin Bratt
When a close friend meets an untimely end, Charlie Cale, a casino cocktail waitress with an uncanny knack for identifying lies, is determined to unravel these mysterious events, even if it endangers her own life.
Episode 2: “The Night Shift” – January 26, 2023
Director: Rian Johnson | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Alice Ju
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Hong Chau, Megan Suri, Colton Ryan, Brandon Micheal Hall
Wounded and on the run, Charlie is forced to make a pit stop in desolate New Mexico where she tries to clear the name of a trucker framed for the murder of a local.
Episode 3: “The Stall” – January 26, 2023
Director: Iain B. MacDonald | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Charlie Peppers
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Lil Rel Howery, Danielle Macdonald, Shane Paul McGhie, Larry Brown
Charlie takes a job at a family-run Texas BBQ joint and must use her skills of perception to sniff out the truth behind a shocking death.
Episode 4: “Rest in Metal” – January 26, 2023
Director: Tiffany Johnson | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Christine Boylan
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Nicholas Cirillo, John Darnielle, G.K. Umeh
Charlie goes on tour with has-been metal band Doxxxology, a motley crew of dejected rockers who’ve spent decades trying to write a new hit; Charlie suspects foul play when one musician winds up dead.
Episode 5: “Time of the Monkey” – February 2, 2023
Director: Lucky McKee | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Charlie Peppers
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson, Reed Birney, Simon Helberg
Working at a retirement home, Charlie makes friends with two rebellious old ladies who may have taken matters into their own hands.
Episode 6: “Exit Stage Death” – February 9, 2023
Director: Ben Sinclair | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Chris Downey
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Ellen Barkin, Tim Meadows, Audrey Corsa Jameela Jamil
Charlie’s waitress job at a dinner theater is interrupted by a tragic death on stage during a performance by two washed-up television stars; when she starts to investigate, deadly motivations come to light.
Episode 7: “The Future of the Sport” – February 16, 2023
Director: Iain B. MacDonald | Writers: Rian Johnson, Joe Lawson, Sarah Fischer
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Tim Blake Nelson, Charles Melton, Leslie Silva, Angel Desai
While working at a go-kart complex, Charlie becomes involved in a bitter feud between an aging race car driver and a hotheaded young upstart, whose rivalry has explosive consequences.
Episode 8: “The Orpheus Syndrome” – February 23, 2023
Director: Natasha Lyonne | Writers: Rian Johnson, Natasha Lyonne, Alice Ju
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Nick Nolte, Cherry Jones, Luis Guzmán, Rowan Blanchard
A special effects artist unearths a past project to find closure from the guilt of a fatal on-set accident; when old demons resurface, Charlie is left to unravel a new deadly plot.
Episode 9: “Escape from Shit Mountain” – March 2, 2023
Director: Rian Johnson | Writers: Rian Johnson, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Castañeda, Stephanie Hsu, Benjamin Bratt
Charlie finds herself stranded in a motel during a blizzard; in order to survive the night, Charlie must decipher the deadly tension between her questionable companions.
Episode 10: “The Hook” – March 9, 2023
Director: Rian Johnson | Writers: Rian Johnson, Wyatt Cain, Charlie Peppers
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Ron Perlman, Simon Helberg, Clea DuVall, Benjamin Bratt
Charlie faces her greatest challenge yet when she is caught in the crossfire of a deadly power play that puts her in the sights of two ruthless crime syndicates and the FBI.
Rian Johnson serves as the creator and one of the executive producers behind this project alongside Natasha Lyonne, Ram Bergman, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman, Nena Rodrigue, and Iain B. Macdonald. The Zuckermans served as showrunners, with Maya Rudolph and Danielle Renfrew Behrens as co-executive producers. The writing team for the season included Rian Johnson, Charlie Peppers (story editor), Alice Ju, Christine Boylan, Wyatt Cain, Sarah Fischer, Joe Lawson, Natasha Lyonne, Nora Zuckerman, and Lilla Zuckerman. Poker Face is produced by T-Street and MRC Television.
