“Poker Face” could only exist in 1973 or on a streaming service so desperate for original content that it was willing to take a risk on something that feels more like a passion project than a blockbuster.
Poker Face is Columbo meets The Fugitive (The TV series from the 60s, not the 90s movie). Unassuming main character “Charlie” flees across the country from the mob boss she angered. If she touches her bank account, they’ll find her. If she uses technology, they’ll find her. If she gets a legit job, they’ll find her. Law enforcement can not be trusted. Without money, home, job, or technology, she finds herself caught up in murder mysteries and compelled by her character to right wrongs as best she can.
This series absolutely gushes with Network TV Era vibes. Even the title sequence is going to have you flashing back in time to shows like M*A*S*H, Magnum P.I., and Murder She Wrote. The sets and environments are modern, of course, but carefully designed to be mostly free of anachronistic giveaways like smartphones and teslas, opting instead for radio broadcasts, artificial film grain, and decidedly 70s-era style choices for many character’s costumes.
Each episode features recognizable A-list Hollywood luminaries taking on the role of the scenery-chewing murderer or the lovable victim – just like the old Columbo specials. And like Columbo, Charlie doesn’t usually arrive on scene until the second (or even third) act – often chomping a cigar, wearing rumpled clothing, driving a worthless car, and acting like the overly open, slouchy best friend of the killer just to find out what really happened.
If there’s a weakness to the show it’s that it’s not what you think it is. It’s almost too easy for Charlie. Clues are handed over constantly and it’s rarely a question of “does Charlie know who did it,” but, “how will she prove it?” or rather, “how will a civilian bring justice to a criminal without getting on law enforcement’s radar herself?” That means the mystery serves only as an ethereal McGuffin while the true fun of the show is the interactions between Charlie and the other characters. In other words, this mystery show is not a mystery show. Unlike Columbo, where the focus is on his plodding genius and making sense of the prideful mistakes and red herrings of the murderer, Poker Face focuses on well-realized characters (including the victims!) who often experience their own little development arcs in the presence of Charlie’s fashionless optimism and implacable do-goodery. Combine that with her inexplicable power to detect lies and what you have is… wait… Is Poker Face a super hero show? *checks notes quizzically*
Let me try something…
Poker Face is a story of a girl with a super power – she can tell when somebody is lying. Given the choice to use her power for the benefit of evil people, she chooses to run. On her journey she manages to lay low and create something of a life for herself, but inevitably there is a crime committed and our hero applies her super power and righteous character to bring justice to those involved, even at the expense of her new secret identity.
Yes, even as critics try and fail to claim that the latest Disney/Marvel streaming series is “the cure to superhero fatigue” it turns out Rian Johnson had done it and put it on Peacock of all places. A superhero show so grounded it actually traveled back in time to the same era when Superboy fought oil spills, Batman stopped the Joker from patenting laughing fish, and Superman got into the boxing ring with Muhammad Ali. A superhero show so focused on character that there’s not a blip of special effects other than those used to add film grain, wobble the text on the screen a bit, or otherwise increase the sense that this series was shot on film 50 years ago.
Of course, nobody is watching Poker Face because it’s a superhero show. They are watching it as the character drama it really is. Unfortunately “Peacock” is possibly the worst place for it to stream to get the exposure it deserves. It’s also probably the only place such a show could ever exist. After all, superhero shows are supposed to be CGI punch-fests, and mysteries are supposed to be solved by handsome and morally flawless law enforcement characters, right? What streaming service would dare take a risk on a show that breaks both of those money making rules?
Poker Face is well worth a watch if you want to use your Peacock TV free trial and if you think back to the old network TV mystery shows with fondness. I was smiling through every episode and hope desperately to see another season. Be warned that the language is well beyond the rated R line, with f-bombs a plenty throughout. If that doesn’t bother you then put it on your to-watch list right away.