NBC’s streaming service Peacock has gotten largely buried by its larger rivals, with Peacock having reportedly lost about $11 billion in revenue. But even so, that price has come with some pretty great shows. Indeed, one of the best entries in Peacock’s library is the mystery-comedy series “Poker Face,” developed by filmmaker Rian Johnson.
The episodic series starred Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a good-hearted drifter who has the innate ability to tell when someone is lying. She puts that talent to strong use because whatever part of the United States she visits, a murder seems to arrive with her. The show is primarily inspired by “Columbo,” with each “Poker Face” episode showing the murderer commit their crime, then halfway through, Charlie comes in to catch them. The suspense isn’t who did the crime, it’s how they’ll be caught.
Debuting in January 2023, “Poker Face” ultimately ran for two seasons and 22 episodes. Season 2 cemented “Poker Face” as great comfort food TV, but it also experimented with its storytelling structure. That’s all she wrote, though, because Peacock confirmed “Poker Face” Season 3 wasn’t moving forward there in November 2025. However, Johnson was reported to be pitching the series elsewhere, with the twist that Charlie would be recast with Peter Dinklage (of all people), should a “Poker Face” Season 3 happen.
Upon the cancellation of “Poker Face,” Deadline reported that while Season 2 was one of Peacock’s most watched shows, the ratings weren’t quite as good as Season 1’s. Plus, the show was expensive to produce. As a cross-country mystery series, almost every “Poker Face” episode takes place in a totally new location and features multiple famous guest stars. Every well-spent penny shows up onscreen in “Poker Face,” but Peacock apparently couldn’t (or wouldn’t) foot that bill a third time.
Poker Face Season 2 was meant to serve as a passable finale
In a December 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Natasha Lyonne — while singing the praises of the “Poker Face” crew — inadvertently underlined why it was reportedly such an expensive show:
“Extraordinary work (production designer Judy Rhee) does building a new world with each episode of (‘Poker Face’). 12 episodes over nine months. It’s an entirely new world each week for 10-day episodes (of filming). Our cinematographers are beyond belief.”
That said, Lyonne doesn’t seem bitter about the cancellation, nor is her leaving the part of Charlie a bitter (public) breakup. She confirmed that she is involved with trying to find “Poker Face” a new home and remains an executive producer on the project. Moreover, she doesn’t seem surprised that the series has, for now, concluded with Season 2.
“We weren’t shocked!” said Lyonne about the cancellation, adding that the Season 2 finale was made as a potential series finale. “I’m so grateful that Rian and I directed a finale last season called ‘The End of the Road’ — that should have been a little clue, folks.”
Indeed, “The End of the Road” ends with Charlie back on said road. In the last third of Season 2, Charlie moved into a New York City apartment, leading to a string of episodes set in the Big Apple and implying she might’ve settled down. In the finale, however, she becomes a fugitive from the FBI, and she’s last seen hitchhiking and catching a ride on a trailer truck. The only fitting ending for Charlie Cale’s story is an open one, which “Poker Face” Season 2 delivered.
“Poker Face” is streaming on Peacock.
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