The second season of Poker Face, one of the best shows currently on TV, has been made available to watch via Sky and NOW.
Created by Rian Johnson (Glass Onion, Knives Out), the crime comedy stars Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying.
When this gift causes Cale to get on the wrong side of a villainous casino owner, she hits the road in an effort to lay low.
At every stop on her travels, however, she “encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she cannot help but solve”.
Inspired by the classic series Columbo, Poker Face employs a case-of-the-week format, with each episode seeing Cale stumbling into a criminal plot.
Like the aforementioned Peter Falk-starring show, Poker Face also shows the central crime and its perpetrator at the beginning of each episode, with the story then focusing on Cale’s efforts to solve the mystery.
Thanks to its endlessly clever plotlines, its sharp writing and Lyonne’s effortlessly charming and charismatic lead turn, Poker Face’s first season garnered a near-perfect 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
And now its second season has premiered to similarly rave reviews.
In a statement about the new batch of episodes, Johnson and Lyonne said: “Charlie Cale is back on the run, and in Season 2 we’ve taken her journey to the next level one murder mystery at a time.
“From minor league baseball to big box retail, from funeral homes to alligator farms and even a grade school talent show, Charlie navigates her crime-solving existential road-trip with deadpan wit, human empathy, and her signature uncanny lie-detecting ability.”
Thanks to its case of the week format, where each episode is like its own “mini-movie”, Poker Face always attracts an impressive line-up of guest stars.
Regarding season two’s special appearances, Johnson and Lyonne added: “We still can’t believe we got to work with rockstars like Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, John Mulaney, and Awkwafina (and many many more, the list is kinda dizzying) who all dove into the game with joy and came ready to play.”
You can read a sample of some of the positive reviews for Poker Face season two below:
The Daily Beast: “Old-school television is rarely as fresh and funny—and cinematic—as this episodic thriller.”
Daily Telegraph (UK): “But even though there’s always a murder and a new small-town sign to tell you you’re somewhere new each week, the format that TV jettisoned a few decades back feels, ironically, fresh and exciting.”
Empire: “If the impressive highs of Season 2 are anything to go by, Poker Face could easily go on for ten more seasons and just get better each time. (No lies detected.)”
RogerEbert.com: “Each episode of Rian Johnson‘s reverse-detective show follows (more or less) a distinct and delicious formula; season 2 continues that tradition, while finding a few corners in which to shake up Charlie’s world.”
TheWrap: “As long as the mysteries at the core of each episode remain as clever and engaging as they are here and Lyonne’s as magnetic and compelling as she is, this is a show that can run until its wheels fall off.”
The first four episodes of Poker Face season two are currently available to stream on NOW. The rest of the 12-episode season will drop on the service weekly on Thursdays.
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