Peacock has canceled on Poker Face after two celebrated seasons — but creator Rian Johnson isn’t ready to call game over just yet.
The Emmy-nominated mystery series, led by Natasha Lyonne as the lie-detecting Charlie Cale, won’t return to Peacock for a third season. Instead, Johnson and his team are shopping the series to other streamers, with hopes for a two-season pickup and a major shake-up in the works.
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Cyrano) is set to step into the role of Charlie Cale, taking over for Lyonne, who will remain on board as an executive producer. The transition was reportedly a creative decision made jointly by Johnson and Lyonne — one meant to evolve the Poker Face universe rather than end it.
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the Season 2 finale,” Johnson and Lyonne said in a joint 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.”
Debuting in 2023, Poker Face followed Charlie, a former casino worker whose uncanny ability to spot a lie sent her on the run across America — and straight into a new murder mystery every week. Each episode featured a fresh case and a rotating cast of guest stars, a signature element that became part of the show’s charm.
Across its two seasons, the series welcomed a stacked lineup that included Cynthia Erivo, Method Man, Giancarlo Esposito, S. Epatha Merkerson, Cherry Jones, Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Ellen Barkin, and Lil Rel Howery, among many others. The constant shuffle of actors from film, television, and theater helped give each mystery its own tone and texture — from darkly comedic to deeply emotional — while spotlighting a wide range of talent that made Poker Face one of the most eclectic and consistently engaging shows on television.
While the move shocked fans, Johnson’s long-term plan could take Poker Face in a new direction — one where each lead actor reimagines the role every few years, keeping the mystery format fresh. It’s a bold swing, but fitting for a franchise built on reinvention and truth-seeking.
CAA is currently fielding offers for the new iteration, which Johnson will continue to write and direct under his T-Street banner alongside Ram Bergman and MRC.