Personal Review: Poker Face – “The Return of Guest Star Television”

I’m not the first person that wants to sing the praises of Poker Face, the new Peacock mystery drama created by Rian Johnson and staring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a snoop on the run who can sniff out a lie. If you have seen it, then you know that the show is a giant throw back to 70’s episodic television, specifically in the vein of Columbo and The Fugitive. The show is great fun; the humor is pitch perfect with the tone, there is a nice bit of bait and switch with some misdirection which gives the feeling that making this show is just as enjoyable as watching it. But one aspect that has been lightly touched on in other reviews, which I find the most enjoyable, is that Poker Face is a return to guest star classic episodic television. The structure of the show is perfect to let these actors shine, as the first half is just focused on the crime, sans Lyonne who doesn’t show up until the second half. This structure give these actors a free pallet to play in developing their characters, motivations, and ultimately, their crimes. These guest starts are accomplished actors in their own right; Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco in the pilot, followed in other episodes by Hong Chau, John Ratzenberger, Chloë Sevigny, Ellen Barkin, Tim Meadows, Simon Helberg, and Jameela Jamil. But the most delicious and fascinatedly ruthless were Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson as two elderly hippie radicals in a nursing home, who I do hope they find a way to work back into the show. But that there is the joy and delightful frustration of this classic episodic television format – odds are we won’t ever see those characters again. But looking ahead, I know that Poker Face is about to serve up about a dozen great character actors in the final four episodes of the first season.