In lieu of Ray Milland, Jack Cassidy, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh et al, we have Adrien Brody, Benjamin Bratt, Chloe Sevigny, Ron Perlman, Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and many other familiar faces from the small and large screen. The star power of the supporting cast is also a pleasing hark back to Columbo’s classic era. Each instalment is therefore a stand-alone entity that can be enjoyed for what it is, rather than it being a mere stepping stone towards some sort of dramatic finale.

Each episode is also a self-contained mystery, albeit it set against a wider story arc of Cale being on the run from a rogue casino boss. The most obvious aspect of Poker Face that Columbo fans will associate with is that the show follows the ‘inverted mystery’ format, with viewers shown the crime upfront, which will then be unravelled by Charlie Cale over the course of the episode. But under close inspection, what aspects of Poker Face will Columbo fans find familiar, and is it a show worthy of celebration? I’ll attempt to answer that today… The Columbo influence on Poker Face Hand-in-hand with the extensive coverage the series has received have come references to Columbo by the dozen – perhaps little wonder when Johnson (the series creator and sometimes writer/director) and Lyonne are such self-confessed Columbo nuts.Ĭritics are in general agreement that Poker Face has been heavily influenced by Columbo, while its central character (Lyonne’s Charlie Cale) has many traits in common with the good Lieutenant. Charlie Cale has a lot in common with Lieutenant Columbo Unless you’ve been living under the proverbial rock, it’s probable that you’ve seen, heard or read something this week about the new Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face.

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