Poker Face Combines the Superpowers of Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson

Poker Face Combines the Superpowers of Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson

“If you could have one superpower, what would it be?” It’s a question we ask and have been asked a billion times. And while the most common answers are things like “super strength” or “flight” or “invisibility,” the upcoming show Poker Face throws a new one into the mix: what if you could tell, without a doubt, if a person is lying?

Created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out, The Last Jedi) and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, American Pie), Poker Face is a new show coming to Peacock starting on January 26. It’s not presented as a superhero show by any means — it’s much more in tune with something like Columbo or Kojak — but there’s no denying that the main character, Charlie (played by Lyonne), has a superpower. And she uses it to solve a new murder each and every week. Johnson wrote and directed several episodes of the show, which features a dynamite roster of talent. Check out the latest trailer.

As we said, though Charlie has a very cool, unexplained power, the show is in no way presented as such. It’s got a very distinct, 1970s vibe. Like something you’d find on TV when you were a kid on a Saturday afternoon. However, with Johnson’s obvious ability to tell a cool, twisty-turny story, and this cast, expectations couldn’t be higher for this very cool-looking show.

And, thanks to the press release, we have this wild list of that cast, most of whom only appear in a single episode. Check this out, in alphabetical order: Adrien Brody, Angel Desai, Audrey Corsa, Benjamin Bratt, Brandon Michael Hall, Charles Melton, Chelsea Frei, Cherry Jones, Chloë Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Colton Ryan, Danielle MacDonald, Dascha Polanco, Ellen Barkin, Hong Chau, Jasmine Aiyana Garvin, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, Leslie Silva, Lil Rel Howery, Luis Guzmán, Megan Suri, Niall Cunningham, Nicholas Cirillo, Nick Nolte, Reed Birney, Rhea Perlman, Ron Perlman, Rowan Blanchard, S. Epatha Merkerson, Shane Paul McGhie, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tim Meadows.

Poker Face debuts on Peacock January 26 with its first four episodes. The next six will then follow that.

Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.


Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.