Everything You Need To Know About Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne’s New Mystery Series

If Rian Johnson asked me to watch anything in this world that he made, I would do it. Filmed a video of his pet running around? I’m there. But there is something special about Johnson’s take on the murder mystery genre, and he’s doing it again with a new series starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cage, a “human lie detector” who keeps finding herself caught up in murder cases.

And if Johnson wants to bring Lyonne’s energy to a murder show, we’ll take it. It’ll be a new generation’s Columbo, and that’s great for everyone involved! (I mean, have you seen Lyonne? Her energy is unmatched!) Point is: This is an exciting and new adventure for Johnson! And with the release of a new trailer, it’s time to get into what Poker Face is and what we can expect from this series.

Rian Johnson knows how to get a cast together

One of the many delightful things about Knives Out and Glass Onion is the cast that Johnson assembles. We had Chris Evans as the son of Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson and the grandson of Christopher Plummer, and that’s not even the whole cast. It’s brilliant what Johnson can do with an ensemble. Apply that logic to a television show, and you know that the cast is absolutely stacked.

And look, the show is headlined by Lyonne, so that’s amazing enough already, but then there’s the full list of guest stars: 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.   

When does Rian Johnson not pop off?

So what is Poker Face about?

As is the case with all Johnson projects, the official breakdown of the series as a whole is still under wraps, but we do know that it is a murder mystery series in which each episode brings a new case for Charlie (Lyonne) to figure out. In an official press release for the series, Johnson and Lyonne had this to say:

Never underestimate the power of a good dinner conversation between friends. What started as a discussion over steak frites about detective shows and what made them such a reliable pleasure—the exploration of little worlds within each new setting, the guest stars playing killers and victims, and most importantly, a scrappy protagonist you were always ready to kick back with and see win—ultimately resulted in the creation of Charlie, the driving force behind POKER FACE. 

We invite you to follow Charlie on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional dog). 

Now please leave the overthinking to Rian, who has masterfully crafted ten self-contained puzzles for Charlie to solve. Just jump in the back of her ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda and enjoy the ride. 

Thanks, 
Rian and Natasha 

Natasha Lyonne’s energy and murders? We’re in.

The latest trailer for Poker Face gives us a look at the characters we’ll meet along the way and how Charlie is going to interact with them:

Poker Face is coming soon

After all of this, you’re probably wondering when you’ll get to watch this series, right? The 10-episode season begins airing January 26 on Peacock—and what a way to kick off the year! We’ll get to spend it with Natasha Lyonne solving some murders that she cooked up with Rian Johnson? That sounds perfect to me!

(featured image: Peacock)