Peacock has decided not to move forward with more seasons of Poker Face, but creator Rian Johnson isn’t ready to fold just yet. Johnson and producing partner MRC Television are preparing to shop the mystery drama elsewhere—this time with a revamped lead and a new creative direction.
Though Poker Face remained one of Peacock’s stronger original performers and continued to draw warm critical responses, its second season didn’t quite match the ratings momentum of its 2023 debut. The show was also an expensive venture and, crucially, was not produced under NBCUniversal’s internal banner. These became factors that contributed to the streamer’s decision to let the series go.
In what marks the biggest shift, Natasha Lyonne, who played human lie-detector Charlie Cale, will no longer headline the series, though she’ll stay on as an executive producer. Emmy winner Peter Dinklage has already signed on to portray the next iteration of Charlie, an idea that Johnson and Lyonne say has been in the works since they wrapped season two.
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” the duo shared in a statement. “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.”
If a new home is secured, the plan is to introduce a fresh lead actor as Charlie every two seasons, a rotating approach that riffs on the show’s Columbo-inspired structure.
Season two was overseen by showrunner Tony Tost, who stepped in for Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. It remains unclear whether Tost will continue or if another showrunner might take the reins should the series land at a new outlet. Johnson and Ram Bergman executive produced for T-Street alongside Tost, the Zuckerman sisters, Lyonne, Chris Provenzano, Adam Arkin and Nena Rodrigue.
Meanwhile, Dinklage, known globally for Game of Thrones, has kept busy with recent appearances in The Lowdown (FX), Roofman, and Dexter: Resurrection, and also voices Dr Dillamond in Wicked: For Good.
