[Poker Face, Season 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐︎

There’s nothing I don’t like about this series - the acting, the cinematography, the Columbo-style mystery format with a Jester-esque character, the sympathetic take on the transient underclass in America. The guest stars are given a chance to shine in roles they absolutely relish, which works perfectly for a show where the twists and drama are character driven more than plot driven. If you liked Knives Out, you’ll like this show.

Am I going to rush to the next (and final) season? Not really. It feels like a show you can pick up on when you need a quiet comfort show, and I think that’s why it didn’t get renewed. It many ways, in feel, execution, and style, it’s a homage to a different era. Monk, a more recent long-running murder-of-the-week show, worked for many seasons as comfort show too, but in a way it was as much an extended riff on Monk’s mental illness and trauma as it was a mystery-of-the-week. People came to watch Tony Sholub play weird but lovable Adrien Monk, who is a mess in a funny way. Poker Face doesn’t have that, which makes it better material in my opinion, but also means it lacks a look-at-this-mess hook. Even the overarching motivating plot, which I won’t spoil here, isn’t presented as a source of major threat in every episode, other than providing some tension and plot devices to make the murder solving more interesting. I’ll watch Natasha Lyon in anything; Benjamin Bratt is magnetic as Cliff LeGrand, and as I said, the guest stars in each episode are each worth double the price of admission. But these days? I don’t know if that matters as much. The greater viewing public wants spectacle that announces and demands our attention; Poker Face isn’t that.

It also could have ended after one season, very easily, with everyone getting their just endings, including Charlie. (Spoilers: she seems condemned to constantly clean up after messes she inadvertently makes.) A chance for all the actors and writers to shine, and maybe do it again with a different ensemble. The network execs want income streams, though, and a one-season show isn’t that.

I think Rian Johnson can get this show picked up for a miniseries or a relatively low budget movie, easily. A continuation of the series? I’m not sure. But if it does, I’ll give it a shot too. 📺🔪