Poker Face, the exceptional Emmy-nominated Peacock series led by Natasha Lyonne, was officially renewed for a second season almost six months ago with few concrete details. Lyonne and show creator Rian Johnson have big plans for their perfectly set-up next run of episodes, but we will not see any of it until at least 2024. Below is everything we hope to see for another perfect round of murder mysteries.
More Great Guest Stars
In line with its Columbo-style case-of-the-week format, Poker Face wisely took advantage of its episodic semi-anthology approach to showcase a diverse slate of guests, with equal amounts of fresh faces and old character actors. Stars and memorable supporting cast members such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lil Rel Howery, Hong Chau, Chloë Sevigny, and Tim Blake Nelson make recognizable appearances as amusing folks on Charlie’s escape through the United States. It’s a guarantee that such a core element of the show’s DNA will not disappear from Season 2.
Better, More Powerful Villain(s)
Technically, Charlie’s pursuer as she travels from town to town is a lackey (Benjamin Bratt, the only real recurring actor of Poker Face) of Sterlin Frost, Sr. (Ron Perlman), who seeks vengeance from afar while Charlie solves unrelated mysteries. If there is a problem with this ticking clock, it’s that the audience feels the presence of Frost, Sr. in only about ten collective minutes of the entire first season. A new villain, played by Rhea Perlman (so far only off-screen), is hinted at in the first season finale, so the promise of a greater driving force for Charlie hopefully exists only one season away.
Charlie’s Backstory
Another revelation of the last episode of Poker Face is that Charlie has a past to explore in future seasons. Clea DuVall (a co-star of Lyonne in the indie satirical comedy But I’m a Cheerleader) plays the estranged sister of Charlie in an emotionally affecting moment where we get to see just how Charlie has distanced herself from traditional life. A great clue into Charlie’s backstory comes up first in the penultimate episode, but that is the extent of her depth as of yet. While deviating from the formula certainly comes with a risk, more of Charlie’s psyche on display will only benefit this fantastic show in the second batch of episodes.
More of the Same Format
Let’s be honest: if one of the best shows of 2023 continued on the identical path for its next series, audiences would heartily eat it up. Poker Face has already afforded its central hero plenty of charismatic screentime to make a standout show, so leaving everything the same in Season 2 would be more than satisfactory.
Still, delving into Charlie’s drive for the show yielded some of its most dramatically successful moments, so seeing how Lyonne and Johnson develop that seed will be the ultimate thrill of the second season. While we will see more details very soon, we can keep crossing our fingers for a 2024 release of Peacock’s best new show.
Poker Face is streaming now on Peacock.
