The ‘Poker Face’ Phenomenon: Why We’re Hooked on the New Murder Mysteries
In Episode 4 of Poker Face, Peacock’s wry and dastardly murder mystery series, the members of a has-been heavy metal band are so desperate for a new hit that they’d kill for one. In this case, they off their journeyman drummer in an electrifying way and take the ready-made smash he’s penned to a Wisconsin podcast studio to record it. Waiting outside the door is Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), temporary merch salesperson for the band. Charlie’s unique talent, as fans of the show well know, is she’s a so-called human lie detector who calls “bulls–t” to people’s faces and solves crimes (no worries; she figures this one out as well).
Staring at Charlie and waiting impatiently for her own scheduled spot in that booth is a woman who says she’s there to record the next episode of her Murder Girl podcast. It’s a fun moment that looks like a nod to another popular TV whodunit series, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Charlie smiles at the woman, tugs on her cap and says, “Nice work if you can get it.”
Charlie would know. There’s a resurgence of murder mysteries with dark humor, and Poker Face is, well, the face of them. The series, which has been renewed for a second season, centers on her nomadic journey. Fleeing from a hitman, she went on the road in her muscle car and ended up unravelling a new murder each week. In the March 9 finale, Charlie outwits her pursuer, seemingly for good, but realizes she loves the chase. Cue more catching killers along America’s highways and byways — all to our amazement and amusement.
Peacock
Lyonne has said her character’s roots are in film noir, Philip Marlowe stories, and Columbo, Peter Falk’s humorously plodding TV detective. “Charlie prizes integrity above all else,” says Lyonne, “a trait I admire a great deal, and a character, therefore, that I think is timeless and genderless in a way I really enjoy.”
The slew of new sleuths owe a lot to iconic detectives, but the shows add plenty of fresh twists—like suspects from all walks of life and writing that leans toward social satire.
That Poker Face excels in this mix is no surprise. It was created by Rian Johnson, the mind behind the hit Knives Out movies on Netflix, which are valentines to the tradition updated with current social concerns. Both the 2019 Knives Out film and sequel Glass Onion (2022) have a go at the entitled rich. The central detective is the contemplative Benoit Blanc (James Bond himself, Daniel Craig), the first name among the all-star casts.
The Afterparty (Apple TV+)
Plenty of A-listers are part of the genre’s resurgence. Hollywood powerhouses Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, as married detectives Nick and Audrey Spitz, reignite the chemistry of Netflix’s 2019 film Murder Mystery with a sequel that drops on March 31. The hit almost didn’t get made, says its screenwriter, James Vanderbilt. “For years, people said, ‘Nobody wants murder mysteries. That’s dusty.’ Our movie came out in 2019, Knives Out a few months later; they both worked. It’s awesome to see.”
Vanderbilt was spot-on in his assessment of the trend. But something popular needs tweaks to stand out. Apple TV+ comedy The Afterparty delivers. Episode 1 uses the classic locked-room format (the host of a high school reunion bash is killed at his soirée), but each installment flashes back to a different suspect’s movements that evening, told in a genre made for that person. A tough guy’s story plays out as an action movie, for example.
Season 2 drops April 28 with a homicide during a wedding and Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) again investigating. A Black female in law enforcement, she was—shocker—underestimated in the first series. Not anymore.
Poker Face, Streaming Now, Peacock
This is an abbreviated version of the It’s Murder! cover story for TV Insider’s April issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the April issue, currently on newsstands or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
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