It would be a lie to say that I am not eagerly awaiting the premiere of Poker Face Season 2. Luckily, the return of the Peacock original TV show starring Natasha Lyonne as a human lie detector on the run is not very far away. If you are also a fan of creator Rian Johnson’s inventive take on the mystery TV show, read on to learn about when it is set to come back, who is joining the cast this season, and more.
What Is The Poker Face Season 2 Premiere Date?
Fans with a Peacock subscription will be able to stream the premiere of Poker Face Season 2 when it drops on Thursday, May 8. I had a feeling it would appear on the upcoming 2025 TV premieres schedule, but I must admit that it is a relief to know for sure. Of course, I am still mystified as to when the official release date for Johnson’s next Knives Out sequel, Wake Up Dead Man, will appear on the upcoming 2025 movies schedule.
What Poker Face Season 2 Is About
Personally, I prefer not to know anything about Charlie Cale’s next mystery before I watch it, but I do have some idea of what to expect from Poker Face Season 2. According to NBC, Johnson and Lyonne looked to the best movies of the 1970s and filmmakers like Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson, and Peter Bogdanovich for inspiration while also keeping in mind that classic mystery TV shows like Columbo have always been the series’ backbone.
We also already know from the Poker Face Season 1 finale that, despite managing to clear her name in the investigation of her former boss’ murder, Charlie is back on the run after being threatened by another organized criminal named Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman). We also know from NBC.com’s post that the season will consist of 12 episodes this time, meaning Charlie will face even more situations that her uncanny ability to sense dishonesty will call for.
The Poker Face Season 2 Trailer Rounds Up The “Unusual Suspects”
Thankfully, the first promo for Poker Face Season 2 keeps story details light but is heavy on offering a sneak peek at who Charlie Cale will bump into on her journey this time around. Take a look for yourself:
Just by the quick glances at the roster, there is no question that Season 2 is introducing some very wild characters and even wilder circumstances for Charlie to deal with. It also appears that Beatrix Hasp’s henchmen are not ones to play around with.
Who Is In The Poker Face Season 2 Cast?
The premiere outing of his instant classic mystery show boasted a remarkable ensemble of legendary guest actors in the Poker Face Season 1 cast, including one of Rian Johnson’s most frequent collaborators, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The same can already be said about the Poker Face Season 2 cast.
Natasha Lyonne (Charlie Cale)
The only constant member of the Poker Face cast, Natasha Lyonne, is back in her Emmy-nominated role as Charlie Cale. Her previous Emmy nominations come from her stint in the Orange is the New Black cast and from writing, producing, and leading Russian Doll for Netflix. Also in 2025, the actor has an undisclosed role in the upcoming superhero movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Giancarlo Esposito
Poker Face has taught me that looks can be deceiving, but I cannot help but suspect that Giancarlo Esposito’s character this season is going to be a bad guy. Villainy is the actor’s strong suit, from his Emmy-nominated role as Gus Fring in the Breaking Bad cast to his introduction to the Star Wars saga as The Mandalorian’s Moff Gideon, and his more recent MCU induction as Sidewinder, who should have been Captain America: Brave New World’s big bad, if you ask me.
Katie Holmes
Another comic book movie veteran in the Season 2 cast is Katie Holmes, who was the original Rachel Dawes in Christopher Nolan’s 2005 live-action Batman movie, Batman Begins, but initially broke through in the Dawson’s Creek cast as Joey Potter. She was more recently seen in the 2023 drama, Rare Objects.
Kumail Nanjiani
Another Marvel movies veteran (having played Kingo in 2021’s Eternals cast) is Kumail Nanjiani, who is a perfect fit for the cast, having proved his mastery of both comedy and drama – most notably in the heartfelt rom-com, The Big Sick, for which he also co-wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay. The comedian also recently had a taste of acting in a mystery dramedy series, having starred in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 4 cast.
Gaby Hoffmann
While Gaby Hoffman has no comic book movie roles to her name, she does have something in common with Natasha Lyonne as a former child star who still acts today. You may recognize her younger self from classic ‘80s movies Field of Dreams, the John Candy movie favorite Uncle Buck, and the 1993 rom-com favorite Sleepless in Seattle, but she more recently starred in one of the best Amazon Prime TV shows, Transparent, and Netflix’s 2025 limited series, Zero Day.
Cynthia Erivo
According to a sneak peek from Entertainment Weekly, it appears that Cynthia Erivo is playing a set of triplets in her guest star appearance on Poker Face Season 2. The Academy Award-nominated English actor and singer was last seen playing Elphaba in 2024's Wicked, which is based on the Wizard of Oz-inspired musical, and has a follow-up, Wicked: For Good, due in 2025.
B.J. Novak
B.J. Novak, who is best known from his role as Ryan in NBC’s The Office cast, also has an undisclosed role in the Poker Face Season 2 cast. The actor is also known from the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds and his 2022 dramedy, Vengeance, which he also wrote and directed.
Margo Martindale
I could see Margo Martindale playing someone Charlie could trust, but I would not be surprised if she turned out to be a murder suspect instead. All three of her Emmy wins have been for shady roles – namely KGB handler Claudia on The Americans and the main antagonist of Justified Season 2 – and she recently played an amateur criminal in Amazon’s true crime series, The Sticky. She also has another big true crime drama about JonBenét Ramsey in the works.
John Mulaney
John Mulaney is one of the top comedians of his time, having headlined many of the Netflix stand-up specials, but his most notable acting gigs are primarily voice roles (such as Chip in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers and in Spider-Ham in the awesome Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That seems to be changing, however, with his recent guest spots on shows like The Bear, his upcoming Cold War-era film Lunik Heist, and his upcoming guest role on Poker Face. The former SNL writer also recently premiered his weekly live talk show, Everybody’s Live, on Netflix.
Ego Nwodim
Another SNL alum appearing is current Saturday Night Live Season 50 cast member Ego Nwodim. The comedian is also known for appearing in Good Burger 2, Netflix's animated reboot of Good Times, and the Peacock original comedy, Mr. Throwback.
Sam Richardson
Emmy winner Sam Richardson (for his guest spot on Ted Lasso) is best known for his comedic roles, such as Richard Splett on Veep or appearances on Netflix’s acclaimed sketch comedy TV show, I Think You Should Leave. However, he has also dipped into genres like horror (with the horror-comedy movie Werewolves Within), action and sci-fi (with Amazon Prime's action-packed time travel movie, The Tomorrow War), and crime with Apple TV+’s The Afterparty. He is also set to star in a movie based on Mattel's toy car brand Matchbox.
Awkwafina
Following Lyonne’s guest role and directorial work on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, she is reuniting with its star, Awkwafina, who is making a guest appearance on her show. The Golden Globe-winning actor, musician, and comedian is a fellow MCU veteran in the Poker Face Season 2 cast, having played Katy in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings cast and is also set to appear in Black Mirror Season 7 and reprise Ms. Tarantula in The Bad Guys 2.
Corey Hawkins
Also technically part of the MCU from his early small role in Iron Man 3 is Corey Hawkins, who eventually broke through in 2015’s acclaimed music biopic, Straight Outta Compton, as Dr. Dre. He is also known from films like Kong: Skull Island and BlacKkKlansman, and TV shows like The Walking Dead and 24: Legacy.
Simon Rex
Simon Rex was best known as an MTV VJ and for parody flicks like the Scary Movie franchise before his award-winning performance in Sean Baker’s acclaimed A24 movie, 2021’s Red Rocket, changed the trajectory of his career. He has since shown up in the Bupkis cast, director Zoë Kravitz's Blink Twice, and Netflix’s Mo, among other noteworthy roles.
Cliff “Method Man” Smith
Another Bupkis cast member in the Poker Face cast is Cliff Smith, who is better known as Method Man. Some of the rapper’s best-known acting credits include HBO’s The Wire, How High, 2004’s Garden State, 2016’s Keanu, and Power Book II: Ghost on Starz.
Sherry Cola
Following her Joy Ride co-star Stephanie Hsu’s hilarious guest performance in Season 1, Sherry Cola is crossing Poker Face off her bucket list. She also gave acclaimed performances in Shortcomings and Netflix's Nobody Wants This and her upcoming projects include You're Dating a Narcissist! and an action-comedy called Bride Hard.
Kevin Corrigan
Even if you did not know his name, you have probably seen Kevin Corrigan in some classic movies, like Martin Scorsese’s Best Picture Oscar winner The Departed or Tony Scott’s True Romance, or in a TV show like Netflix’s The Get Down or the sitcom Grounded for LIfe, on which he starred for years. The actor also previously worked with Lyonne in 1998’s Slums of Beverly Hills.
John Cho
The role that made John Cho a household name was one half of the titular duo from the Harold and Kumar movies. However, he has since found success in more earnest roles, such as Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ modern Star Trek movies and a father desperately looking for his teenage daughter in Searching.
Davionte “GaTa” Ganter
Davionte Ganter, better known as “GaTa,” is best known as the hype man for Lil Dicky and even stars on the humorous rapper’s FX dramedy, Dave, as a fictionalized version of himself. You may have also seen him acting in movies like Hulu's Self Reliance and the hit rom-com Anyone But You, as well as other TV shows like Apple TV+’s Loot and Peacock’s Bel-Air.
Patti Harrison
One of Sam Richardson’s fellow I Think You Should Leave co-stars, Patti Harrison, is also set to appear on Poker Face Season 2. The transgender female actor and comedian is known for movies like 2018’s A Simple Favor (her feature film debut) and her Independent Spirit Award-nominated role in 2021’s Together Together and series like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Great North.
Haley Joel Osment
Simon Rex’s Blink Twice co-star, Haley Joel Osment, is also appearing this season, following a series of memorable guest star appearances on shows like The Boys and Silicon Valley. Of course, the former child star’s best-known performance remains his Oscar-nominated role in the classic horror movie, 1999’s The Sixth Sense, as Cole Sear.
Justin Theroux
Justin Theroux has tried his hand at every kind of genre you can think of, from crime thrillers like American Psycho and Mulholland Dr., to comedies like Zoolander, to supernatural dramas like HBO’s The Leftovers, and a mix of everything in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Taylor Schilling
Poker Face Season 2 will also mark a reunion for Lyonne and her Orange is the New Black co-star, Taylor Schilling, who appears to be playing an FBI agent based on recently released stills. The Emmy nominee is also known for the Nicholas Sparks-inspired 2012 romance The Lucky One, star and director Ben Affleck’s Argo, and the 2018 indie comedy, Family.
Melanie Lynskey
Lyonne will also be reuniting with her But I’m a Cheerleader co-star, Melanie Lynskey, on Season 2. The New Zealand-born actor made her debut in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures and went on to play Rose on Two and a Half Men and earn two Emmy nominations for Yellowjackets and one for The Last of Us.
Tony Tost Is The New Showrunner
Serving as the showrunner for Poker Face Season 2 is Tony Tost, who shared the news of his involvement with “one of [his] favorite shows” with an Instagram post shared on the first day of filming. He has previously written for TV series like Longmire and USA’s Damnation, which he also created, and made his directorial debut with Americana, which is due in August 2025. Tost is filling in for previous showrunners, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.
Natasha Lyonne Directed A Poker Face Season 2 Episode
Natasha Lyonne is wearing multiple hats for Poker Face, including leading the cast, executive producing, and even helming an episode, as Deadline reported in 2024. She previously lent her unique directorial style to one of the best episodes of Poker Face Season 1, “The Orpheus Syndrome,” which has me excited to see what she brings to this next episode.
In addition to the aforementioned Awkwafina is Nora from Queens episode, Lyonne has also directed episodes of Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll. She has a few Netflix specials under her belt, too – namely Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine and Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees.
How To Watch Poker Face Season 1
You can revisit (or discover) Charlie Cale’s journey so far by streaming the first season of Poker Face on Peacock. I personally believe that the mystery makes the platform one of the best streaming services to subscribe to. That being said, you can also purchase Season 1 on Blu-ray, as well.
How to watch Poker Face
We are bound to see more updates regarding Poker Face Season 2 before it premieres later this spring, and you can trust that I am not lying when I say I will be here to report them as they are revealed.
