In the TV series Poker Face on the streaming service Peacock, Natasha Lyonne plays cocktail waitress Charlie Cale, who can tell when people lie to her. In the first episode, casino boss Sterling Frost Jr. (Adrien Brody) aims to exploit Charlie's talent. Instead, Charlie catches Junior in a lie, leading him to panic and jump to his death. In the aftermath, Frost Sr. (Ron Perlman) vows to hunt Charlie down, setting his righthand man Cliff Legrand (Benjamin Bratt) on her trail.
Driving across several states, falling into odd jobs, and making friends who die suspiciously, Charlie takes it upon herself to solve their murders. Using the inverted detective story structure Columbo popularized, Poker Face leads with the commission of the murder, then backtracks, showing how Charlie came to befriend the victim. The plots are distinct and memorable episode to episode, as are the guest star performances. While set in the present, Poker Face's credits font is another nod to 1970s Columbo.
Not a Peacock subscriber, I heard enough to know I'd love this show and bought Season 1 on Blu-ray. My favorite episodes are the third, fourth, and fifth: "The Stall," "Rest in Metal," and "Time of the Monkey."
Not a Peacock subscriber, I heard enough to know I'd love this show and bought Season 1 on Blu-ray. My favorite episodes are the third, fourth, and fifth: "The Stall," "Rest in Metal," and "Time of the Monkey."
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