‘Poker Face’ Canceled at Peacock; Rian Johnson Will Seek New Home for Series — With Peter Dinklage Starring
Peacock has canceled Poker Face after two seasons, but series creator Rian Johnson is looking to take the show to another outlet — and with a new lead actor.
News of the cancellation comes about four months after Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne, concluded its second season. The second season didn’t perform quite as well as the first installment in 2023, based on available ratings data, though it was among Peacock’s most watched original shows and reviews remained heavily positive. It was also a fairly expensive show, however, and not produced in-house at NBCUniversal; Johnson’s T-Street produces the series with independent studio MRC Television.
Johnson and MRC will shop Poker Face to other outlets — but with a twist. Lyonne will no longer play the lead role of Charlie Cale, who’s blessed/cursed with the ability to instantly tell if people are lying (Lyonne will continue as an executive producer on the series). As first reported by Deadline, Emmy winner Peter Dinklage has signed on to play Charlie.
Going forward, the idea is to have a new lead actor as Charlie every two seasons — all predicated, obviously, on another outlet picking up the Columbo-inspired crime procedural.
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” Johnson and Lyonne said 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.”
Tony Tost served as showrunner for season two of Poker Face, taking over from Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. It’s unclear at the moment whether Tost will return or a new showrunner will come aboard should the show find a home. Johnson and Ram Bergman executive produce for T-Street; Tost, the Zuckerman sisters, Lyonne, Chris Provenzano, Adam Arkin and Nena Rodrigue executive produced season two.
Dinklage recently guest starred in The Lowdown at FX. The former Game of Thrones star’s recent credits also include Roofman and Dexter: Resurrection, and he provides the voice for Dr. Dillamond in Wicked: For Good. Dinklage is repped by CAA.
Lyonne is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment.
