Poker Face

In a world of streaming services lush with crime shows of all qualities, we have become accustomed to the usual case-per-episode theme that follows a typical troubled detective. They’re a brilliant sleuth with an eye for detail and skeletons in their closet that will someday find their way out of the woodwork. It’s predictable in its mystery, but we enjoy it nonetheless, because there’s satisfaction in watching someone assemble a puzzle. Even if we’ve already seen it put together a hundred times over.

Poker Face, the newest mystery-of-the-week series from Peacock, takes all of this and makes it fresher, stranger, and funnier. It follows Charlie Cale, a former poker player who doubles as a human lie detector. After being blacklisted from the poker scene for her ability, she’s perfectly content with waiting tables at a casino in an easygoing day-to-day rhythm. It’s only when her friend turns up dead that her routine is interrupted by the resulting haze of lies and suspicions. Cue the descent into the world of amateur detective work! Unfortunately, not every crime can be solved and wrapped up with a neat little bow; some end in you fleeing town from the shady characters on your tail.

As much as Poker Face is about the mysteries, it’s also about finding a fleeting sense of community wherever you go. Charlie briefly gets to trade secrets and banter with all sorts of people along the way. Her true gift isn’t really her ability to detect lies—it’s how seamlessly she can slide into a new place and connect with those present. It forms a quiet intimacy that only further drives you into characters’ world.

The icing on the cake for this series is the absolutely excellent cinematography and storytelling that accompanies the characters. The director switches with every episode, so there’s always an element of unpredictability with how the crime will unfold and how it is structured. There’s only thing guaranteed: the quality of the mystery, and laughter.