Human Lie Detector Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) returns for a second season of being on the run from Bad Guys. No matter where she goes, Charlie stumbles onto a murder and feels compelled to solve it. Having the ability to know when people are lying is a Big Advantage!
Season 2 offers 12 episodes on Peacock, with new episodes dropping every Thursday, featuring a variety of guest stars. The first episode kicks off with a wonderful installment directed by Rian Johnson and written by Laura Deeley. “The Game Is a Foot” features Cynthia Erivo playing five sisters, one of whom killed their mother (Jasmine Guy). The five sisters starred in a TV series–Kid Cop: Nights–as child actresses. But their mother stole their residuals which amounted to millions of dollars. The sisters are struggling economically, especially Amber–the caretaker of the fatally ill mother.
Cynthia Erivo plays all five sisters with their unique personalities. I really liked the assortment of different hairstyles and accents each sister had. And, of course, Natasha Lyonne detects the lies that swirl around the death of the mother. If you’re looking for a contemporary Columbo-like mystery program with a satisfying blend of humor and cleverness, I highly recommend Poker Face. GRADE: A
I watched the first episode when it streamed for free seemingly ages ago. It was OK but overdirected and not as clever as it thought it was. Lyonne was typically fine and fun. Like all streaming shows it honestly wasn’t any better, perhaps even weaker, than the better 20+ episode series from back in the day. I’ll definitely catch up with the show if my library ever gets the Blu-rays but I’ll never pay to watch any TV series, ever.
I honestly wish they’d packaged this as part of a NBC Mystery Movie type series like “Columbo” was and rotate it with two or three other breezy mystery shows.
Bryon, Back in the Day, NBC had a lock on audiences with their NBC MYSTERY MOVIE night. Right now, Hallmark has their Mystery Channel that is a pale imitation.
We’re catching up with the first series now, and really enjoying the variety of different stories and settings. The one frustrating thing is the way she – often unnecessarily – puts herself in jeopardy before getting her confession. The episodes may not always be totally believable, but they’re always entertaining. And Lyonne is always fun to watch.
Columbo, yes, but the other echo is from The Fugitive, as she has to keep a step ahead of Benjamin Bratt in series one. I also like that the episodes vary in length depending on the plot, instead of having to fit into a cookie cutter time slot.
Jeff, in Season 2, Natasha Lyonne gets to direct a couple episodes. And, like in Columbo, the Guest of the Week is always the killer.
Of course. Adrien Brody, Chloe Sevigny, Ellen Barkin. It also let’s them do different types of stories.
Jeff, variety is the spice of life!
Hesitant to add another streaming service with really only one series worth watching. But I did like Season One.
Patti, I know what you mean. We have several streaming services, but usually there is only one or two programs we want to watch. That’s the case with Peacock: we watch POKER FACE and that’s about it.