Rian Johnson Says His Limited Series POKER FACE Has "Infinite Stories to Tell" and Natasha Lyonne Hopes It Continues
Rian Johnson is fresh off the release of his recent sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, cementing his place as a suspenseful mystery writer and director. Now he is coming out with a new limited series in the same genre titled Poker Face, which has an incredible ensemble cast led by Natasha Lyonne.
The series synopsis reads:
Poker Face is a 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s 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.
As of right now, we are only scheduled to see 10 episodes, but during a recent panel for the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, attended by Collider, 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 said:
"There are infinite stories to tell. As people watch more and more episodes and realize how distinct each one is ... there is endless possibility."
Johnson was not the only one in favor of stretching the series out into a full-length television show. When Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne, who was also in attendance at the panel, was asked how many seasons of the show she'd like to see, she enthusiastically replied "76!"
Most limited series are made that way because they have one story to tell in a short format, one-shot way. But there have been some over the past few years that did successfully continue, like HBO’s Big Little Lies, as well as The White Lotus. Both of those stories proved to have more to tell, and it’s fun to hear that if fans love this series, we may have the option for more!
The cast also includes Adrien Brody, Angel Desai, Audrey Corsa, Benjamin Bratt, Brandon Michael Hall, Charles Melton, Chelsea Frei, Cherry Jones, Chloë Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Colton Ryan, Danielle MacDonald, Dascha Polanco, Ellen Barkin, Hong Chau, Jasmine Aiyana Garvin, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, Leslie Silva, Lil Rel Howery, Luis Guzmán, Megan Suri, Niall Cunningham, Nicholas Cirillo, Nick Nolte, Reed Birney, Rhea Perlman, Ron Perlman, Rowan Blanchard, S. Epatha Merkerson, Shane Paul McGhie, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson and Tim Meadows.
The first four episodes of Poker Face are set to be released on Peacock on January 26, 2023, with the remaining episodes released on Thursdays.