Poker Face season 1 recap (and season 2 updates)

Poker Face is prepping for a big return in 2025, so here's a quick reminder of how this quirky Peacock mystery series unfolded in season 1.

Created by Riann Johnson, Poker Face is basically a love letter to the TV mystery movies of the 1970s. The pilot introduced us to Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), a Vegas card shark with a sardonic attitude. She's enlisted by Sterling Frost Jr (Adrian Brody), son of a powerful mobster and casino boss who wants to use Charlie in a classic setup of being a "ringer" for a rich guy and bilk him in a card game. 

Charlie, you see, has a unique talent. For reasons she can't explain, she's a living lie detector. Somehow, some way, she always knows when someone is lying and will call them on it. That's a boon for a card player and why she was banned from playing before Sterling Jr. called on her. Meanwhile, one of Charlie's friends discovers that the client is into child porn. She makes the mistake of reporting it to Sterling, who orders underling Cliff (Benjamin Bratt) to kill the woman and her boyfriend in a staged murder-suicide. 

Charlie is able to figure out what's happened but knows going to the cops is futile as they're in Sterling's pocket. So, in the first showcase of her great cunning, Charlie tapes Sterling Jr. detailing his plans to bilk that whale and then sends the tape to the guy. Meaning not only has he split before the game but he'll spread the word so no major player will want to come to the Sterling casino.

Charlie and Cliff got a good laugh out of Junior's reaction to the news, until Sterling, knowing how upset his dad will be on the lost business, threw himself off a hotel balcony. Charlie barely escaped Cliff before getting a phone call from Sterling Sr. (Ron Pearlman), who was naturally quite upset over his son's death. That sends Charlie racing across the country in her Plymouth to stay a step ahead of Cliff.

Charlie's unique journey

Here's where the show moves into its unique episodic nature with each story showing Charlie in a new location. And as fate would have it, wherever she goes, Charlie stumbles onto a murder plot and is pushed to solve it.

The series has a "howdunnit" structure, with the first act showing us who the killer is and how and why they committed the deed. It then flashes back a bit to show how Charlie got involved and soon in a battle of wits with the killer while also avoiding Cliff. This is a great showcase for Lyonne, showing Charlie may not be an investigator but still pushed to do the right thing. 

The killers and characters are quite intriguing and often the deaths aren't for the reasons one might suspect. It helps there's a bevy of wonderful guest stars like Chloe Sevigny, S. Epatha Merkerson, Cherry Jones, Ellen Barkin, Tim Meadows, Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Judith Light, who won a well-deserved Emmy for her turn. The show balances the fun with Charlie trying to avoid Cliff, leading to a big finale.

What happened in the Poker Face season 1 finale?

The Poker Face season 1 finale had Charlie spending months in a hospital recovering from injuries after a battle with a killer. She was overseen by Cliff and as soon as Charlie was released, Cliff snatched her up to bring her to Sterling, both expecting Charlie to be killed. Instead, Sterling revealed that his son was working with his longtime rival Beatrix Hasp. He no longer blamed Charlie for Junior's death and even offered her a job.

Having spent the last year chasing Charlie across the country, Cliff was upset at his boss willing to cut her loose. So he cut his own deal with Hasp to kill Sterling and frame Charlie for it. Charlie raced off for a reunion with her estranged sister (Clea DuVall) before pulling off a nice trap that had Cliff arrested by the FBI for the murder of Charlie's friend. 

Cliff turned on Hasp to help his sentence and cleared Charlie's name. Before Charlie could enjoy her freedom, she got a call from Hasp (Rhea Pearlman), who offered a choice to work for her or die. Charlie's response was to hit the road once more. 

What's coming for Poker Face season 2?

Poker Face season 2 looks to follow the same formula of Charlie coming to a new town every week, stumbling onto a new mystery and trying to solve it. She also has to worry about Hasp tracking her down, as the woman seems more ruthless than Sterling. It's likely the show sticks to the "how it was done" format that made season 1 so fun.

We do have another fantastic bevy of guest stars including Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffmann, Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina, Kathrine Narducci, Cynthia Erivo, Margo Martindale, B. J. Novak, John Mulaney and more. There's no word yet on who they'll play but all should be sensational going against Lyonne.

We may get some touches as Johnson and the showrunners have hinted at ideas like Charlie going to another country and if her "lie detector" works if she can't understand a language. We may also get more insight into Charlie's past and what made her this way.

We don't have a release date yet for Poker Face season 2, but if it's half as fun and inventive as season 1, we're in for a blast of a show!

Poker Face season 1 is streaming on Peacock.