Rian Johnson seems to have the mystery genre on lock with the Knives Out franchise, and is now bringing the clues to television in the upcoming series, Poker Face, on Peacock. However, Johnson recently revealed that the 10-episode limited series was not originally envisioned as such.
During a recent panel for the Television Critics Association's winter press tour - which had Collider's own Carly Lane in attendance - Johnson said that the world of Poker Face was not conceived as a limited series. When asked about the potential for additional plotlines beyond the show's limited run, Johnson added, "There are infinite stories to tell. As people watch more and more episodes and realize how distinct each one is ... there is endless possibility." It seemed that Johnson was not the only one in favor of stretching the series out into a full-length television show, as Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne, who was also in attendance at the panel, replied "76!" when asked how many seasons of the show she'd like to see.
While most limited series are, as the name suggests, limited to a single run of episodes, there have been cases of successful shows being picked up for additional seasons. This most recently occurred with HBO's smash hit limited series The White Lotus. While originally conceived as a limited series by creator Mike White, the success and subsequent awards run of the show prompted him to helm a second season. So while it remains to be seen how serious Johnson was about extending Poker Face into additional seasons, the precedent for doing so among successful shows is there.
It is known that the series will be a mystery-comedy and follow a "case-of-the-week" type format, similar to 1970s detective show Columbo. However, plot details on Poker Face remain a closely guarded secret. According to a synopsis from Peacock, Lyonne plays Charlie, "who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve." Beyond Lyonne, Poker Face will also guest star Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco, David Castañeda, Lil Rel Howery, Luis Guzmán, Hong Chau and Chloë Sevigny, among many other big names.
Poker Face was first announced in March 2021 with Lyonne set to star. In addition to her on-screen chops, Lyonne, known for her roles on Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll, also executive produced the show alongside Johnson, Ram Bergman, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman, Nena Rodrigue and Iain B. Macdonald through T-Street Productions, Animal Pictures and MRC. Lyonne and Johnson also directed and co-wrote a number of the episodes.
Peacock is set to drop the first four episodes of Poker Face on Jan. 26, and the remaining six will debut every subsequent Thursday. A new trailer for the series can be seen below: