Peacock just axed one of its best crime shows, but creator Rian Johnson has a wild way to try and save it. Could it work?
Peacock may not have the same record of surprise cancellations as Netflix or Hulu, but the streamer has sadly canceled some good series, perhaps too early. That was the case with the delightful Based On a True Story, which was canceled after its second season and on a cliffhanger to boot.
Now, an even bigger Peacock crime hit has been axed as Deadline reports the network will not renew Poker Face for a third season. Debuting in 2023, the series comes from Rian Johnson, the writer/director of the Knives Out movies, and meant to be a love letter to the TV crime shows of the 1970s, like Columbo.
The series starred Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a card shark with the uncanny ability to always know when someone is lying. After running afoul of a mobster, Charlie goes on the run, only to stumble onto a murder plot wherever she ends up and use her skills to solve it.
The series was notable for its formula, where the audience saw who the killer was and how they did it. It then became how Charlie entered the story and uncovered the truth. There was also a fantastic bevy of guest stars in every episode, with Judith Light winning an Emmy for her performance in season 1.
The show was a success, with Lyonne nominated for an Emmy herself. Sadly, it’s not enough to save it as Deadline reported the cancellation. The reasons seem to be that, despite the high viewing numbers, the series’s large budget (due to the guest cast and shooting on location across the U.S.) played a major factor in its cancellation.
But while Poker Face may be finished at Peacock, Johnson has a truly wild way to keep it going!
How will Johnson intend to continue Poker Face?
The same Deadline article reveals that while Poker Face is done at Peacock, Johnson is shopping it to other streamers for a two-season commitment. The catch? Lyonne is stepping back, and instead, Charlie will be played by Emmy Award winner Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame.
Lyonne and Johnson shared a joint statement on how Lyonne was making the decision to step down as Charlie but continue as producer with Johnson.
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale. We love our Poker Face and this is the perfect way to keep it rolling. Give us a beat and we may just see Charlie Cale again down that open highway.”
Wilder is that the article claims Johnson’s long-range hope is “for the franchise to evolve with a new actor to play the lead character every two years.” It’s true some shows have shifted the leads for various reasons. The Crown changed its casts twice to reflect how it tracked the lives of the Royal Family from World War II to the 2020s. The long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who has thrived by the alien time-traveler “regenerating” into a new actor every few years.
However, gender-flipping Charlie changes so much for the character. It makes it more confusing if this will follow the season 2 finale, where Charlie was now on the run from the FBI as well as criminals, or if it does a “blank slate” with a “new” Charlie sent on this trip. Perhaps Johnson is going to make this Charlie a regular investigator to fit Dinklage’s persona.
It’s a crazy idea to be sure and many fans may not accept it. To many, Lyonne embodied Charlie perfectly and any other actress in the role would have been seen as a lesser choice. Completely altering the character in such a radical way could ruin it.
It’s still in the early stages, as it’s unclear if another steamer would take this series on with or without Lyonne. What is sadly known for sure is that, as far as Peacock is concerned, Poker Face just folded its cards.
Poker Face is available to stream on Peacock.
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