There’s a wonderfully slouching, offhand charisma Natasha Lyonne brings to her performance in “Poker Face,” back for a second season on Peacock. You don’t see this kind of thing very much at the moment, but like Jerry Orbach in those old episodes of “Law & Order,” it’s the shrugging, easy-going cynicism of a New Yorker who has been around enough to see the world for what it is.

Never staying in one place for long, Lyonne’s Charlie Cale picks up odd jobs as she goes — at an apple orchard for a while, then moving on to a new gig minding the printer in an otherwise empty office, or picking up shifts as a lunch lady at a prep school — when inevitably she stumbles upon a crime. Usually murder. Her unfailing ability to detect lies, plus her innate curiosity, means she’s something of an amateur sleuth. That doesn’t make her many friends, so she heads off in her 1969 Plymouth Barracuda to somewhere new to start all over again.

The premise established in Season 1 has Charlie fleeing from the mob, which is another reason for her transient life on the road. But “Poker Face” doesn’t actually need a Big Bad to justify her meandering existence, and creator Rian Johnson and showrunner Tony Tost (the latter taking over from Lilla and Nora Zuckerman) resolve and dispatch with this lingering threat early in Season 2, allowing Charlie to simply go from one place to the next for no particular reason beyond her own restlessness and wanderlust. That’s premise enough.

Season 1 became increasingly grisly by the end, which I thought was a mistake. Tonally, that’s not why we’re watching “Poker Face,” which, at its best, plays around with the tropes that made a TV classic like “Columbo” so indelible. It’s a case-of-the-week format wherein we, the audience, know whodunit because we see the crime play out in the first 20 minutes of each episode. But instead of a police lieutenant with a cigar and a rumpled raincoat, the show is centered on a delightful drifter with shaggy red hair and a disposable vape.

Recently, Lyonne announced that she plans to direct and star in a movie that combines “ethical” artificial intelligence and traditional filmmaking techniques (which is disingenuous on its face; the ethical issues around AI are too big and systemic for any one person to combat them). Was I disappointed? Deeply. Did the news taint my feelings towards “Poker Face”? Somewhat, unfortunately. But it doesn’t change my appreciation for Lyonne’s talents and the way she can deliver an otherwise forgettable line. “Is it just me, or is there, ah, something of a petty tyrant workplace situation happening around here?” Charlie wonders, stumbling into yet another gig that will become more complicated than she anticipated. There’s no ruse she can’t crack, but she’s modest when someone expresses their gratitude: “Me? No, I just asked a few questions.”

Even the scenarios themselves are wonderfully detailed and colorful. Cynthia Erivo is the standout of the season, playing quadruplets who, as children, starred on a show called “Kid Cop.” Mom stole all their earnings and upon her death they learn there is a secret fifth sister they never knew about who has been left the full inheritance.

In another episode, Charlie rents out of her car to a low-budget movie and ends up playing an extra as a corpse in a coffin. Another episode explicitly makes fun of cops and their inadequacies. Another centers on a minor league baseball team, the Cheesemongers, who play at Velvety Canned Cheese Park, where a few players attempt a latter day version of the Black Sox scandal. Occasionally the show takes a slight detour, as when Charlie meets a group of con artists, who — after learning of her lie detecting abilities — realize she’s not there to bust them and reveal how their signature scam works. A strategic error. She may be unflappable, but her moral compass always wins out.

Sometimes the murder is premeditated. Sometimes it happens in the heat of the moment. These are desperate people making terrible decisions and the guest stars are a who’s-who of recognizable names, including Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, John Mulaney, Carol Kane, Margo Martindale, Sam Richardson, Melanie Lynskey and John Cho, plus Steve Buscemi, who provides his voice as another road warrior to whom Charlie occasionally talks on the CB radio.

There’s an intentional throwback quality to the show that’s so enjoyable. One episode uses music and filming techniques (like zooms) that harken back to '70s-era TV dramas, and you realize these tropes have gone out of style and entirely dropped away. It’s fun to see them revived again.

“Poker Face” isn’t going for anything deep. And yet it’s still filled with sardonic commentary all the same, including this doozy: Despite their size, muscle bros at the gym are really just a bunch of babies.

———

'POKER FACE' SEASON 2

3.5 stars (out of 4)

Rating: TV-MA

How to watch: Season 2 premieres on Peacock May 8

———

©2025 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.