Poker Face is a brilliant exemple of what Hollywood should be doing. Instead of reboots and sequels that nobody ask for, give us new content that share the same spark that made the original so beloved to begin with. Poker Face isn't Columbo, it's not trying to be Columbo. It's creating it's own myth by harnessing the same thing that Columbo had. It scratches the same itch but in a different way.
I loved how even the title design was reminiscent of 70s cop shows. I am, sadly, old enough to remember many of them (the ones good enough to be syndicated, anyway). Poker Face is indeed a worthy successor to Columbo, which is not a phrase you would expect to hear in just one lifetime.
There is a bravery in that I think: just laying your influences on the table, and relying on your work being good enough to stand on its own, and not simply being seen as a homage or pastiche. And I think Poker Face absolutely did that. It *is* a homage to that era of mystery television, a throw back, but at the same time, modern and its own thing, not simply reliant on a hit of nostalgia. As you say, a worthy successor.
Natasha Lyonne is a being of pure charisma. It's a pleasure to watch her and the accompanying conveyor belt of fantastic guest stars in this show. Really looking forward to season 2!
Thank you so much. I had a lot of fun with this show, and making the video on it. There will likely be a couple of weeks until the next video as I’ve decided to shelve the one I’ve been working on for the last few weeks, but I will try to keep making content that will (hopefully) keep you entertained!
this video just randomly appeared in my recommended. Everything that has "Columbo" in the name is worth giving a watch, so I checked this out. not disappointed! this is a wonderful essay. I'm a big fan of Columbo and old cop shows, like Ellery Queen and Starsky and Hutch. My dad grew up with those, and he passed his passion onto me. Columbo is one of my all time favourites, and it's always nice when other shows take inspiration from it. I think I'll give Poker Face a shot!
It really is a very high quality show. If you haven’t watched it, you should, at a minimum, give the pilot a shot, because that really is a fantastic hour of television.
If you are a fan of Columbo, or that style of 70s televisual mystery in general, then you should at the very least check out the first episode of Poker Face. It really is an excellent hour of television.
@@profoundunderdog definitely a fan of that era of mystery shows! Columbo and Ellery Queen are two of my favorite shows. Found Poker Face, thought it was an older show that I somehow had never heard of. I see it's new though. Looking forward to it. Starting my binge session now!
Well, I looked. Did I like it? I binged the entire first season in two days, if that says anything. Lol Excellent show that I'm now recommending to everyone.
Poker face is a brilliant series of shows that I was glad to stumble upon.. I sensed it had some elements of older shows woven together and appreciate how this video pointed them out.. I was particularly moved ( and pleasantly surprised ) as you wound down to the end, linking the rise of profit over the objective of good entertainment and abandoning " the common man" for the rich and famous... Hinting at the unbalance of values in pop culture, and as Charlie so well said about her views on comparing wealth with having just enough ..... Thank you for the reminder about how PF puts value and focus on humanity over personal power and wealth... I do hope there will be more of PF...
Great analysis and such a wonderful show! One of my favorite aspects was the timelessness of it. How most episodes could fit in 1973 or 2023 equally. How smartphones were almost non existent, and everything was so grounded.
I fell in love with Natasha Lyonne when the first Russian Doll came out 5 years ago. Looking into her imdb i saw that I had seen her over the years but never as the main in something. Most og it under my radar. Never seen, Orange is the new Black. But after seeing her playing in the first season of the New York based Russian Doll, I have been on the lookout after her in whatever. So when Poker Face came out last year I watched it as soon as i could and did it in one setting, the whole 10 episodes, it was that much fun to see. She's adorable and it's a great show. Thank you for putting this together. I remember those heartfelt mysteries weekly like Murder She Wrote and Matlock as a child, and you are right, Poker Face is serving something that is kind of forgotten.
Fun fact William Shatner guest starred on an episode of The Fugitive he worked with a young African-American kid whose mother at the time was on tour in France he would later work with her on the series the young woman's name was nichelle Nichols
That's such a great story. Kyle Johnson would be the kid who found the dead body as they play baseball. That's an incredible catch, and a lovely coincidence for Trek fans. Shatner really hams it up in that episode, it is absolutely wild. If you enjoy Shatner going really OTT, that episode is well worth a watch. There are actually a bunch of really cool cameos in the Fugitive, and I included a very young Kurt Russell in my video a couple of times (he's Gerard's son), and pondered whether I should reference it or just leave it and see if anyone noticed.
Its a real superpower level of lie detection in Pokerface, however it is offset by the nieve trust of the character, her kindness and trust put her in danger so much. It makes the show tense, you know she'll be fine but it's unnerving. Then there's that season finale, so brutal and I won't spoil it but wow.....
This was really good. Loved all the points you made. Plus, as a fan of Poker Face, I feel you summed up the show and Charlie beautifully. But overall, great job on this.
I haven't seen the complete season yet, I watched half of it a few months ago, don't know why I didnt' finish (maybe I should). But there is this episode at the bbq restaurant, where at the beginning we know that the brother doesn't want to work there anymore. Then there is the flashback where Charlie befriends said brother, they do a movie night and decide to watch a bootleg copy of the movie Okja that Charlie has but hasn't watched yet (if you know you know). That was one of the funniest on screen moments I've seen in a long time! :D
This is a brilliant series that is at one a cat and mouse game between the lead character and the hitman after her and also as a female version of Columbo solving murders not related to the ongoing plot.
This video has definitely activated some of my latent brain cells. I watched this series with my girlfriend, who wasn't that into it. But I felt it was absolutely brilliant! And now I have a better idea of why
Thanks for this superbly thorough analysis of Poker Face and highlighting the absolutely valis parallels to Columbo and The Fugitive. On the other hand, I think there's a bit of Steve McQueen in the show's DNA and Natasha's performance as well; especially with her car bringing to mind "Bullitt" (albeit Columbo style!) or the racing episode "Future of the sport" being like Steve's "Le Mans". Thanks again and cheers from Iran.
I love Pokerface. And I love Natasha in it more than I’ve seen her in anything else. I love how all the characters are everyday people. Also, I think those ladies from Who’s The Boss and Law and Order as terrorist were so good, but literally the worst villains on the show. Throw them under the prison!😅 I think that was my favorite episode. Man, I hope this show is on for years.
I really got a Murder, She Wrote vibe. And Like that Show Jessica Fletcher would solve the mystery, after the crime has been done. Which if you think both Colombo and Murder, She Wrote are Baked in the Show. Charlie always had that Epiphany at the end and she calls out the killer. The Killer usually confesses the crime as Charlie calls out the details she sees and observes, like Jessica. It really does take me back to Cozy Mysteries.
Same. Though, I found it less Profound than, well... I get a little tired of the diatribe against capitalism. It seems to be the complaint du jour these days. 10 more minutes of thought and recollection of history might remind us that every economic system, by itself alone, is untenable. When capitalism is properly regulated and tempered with a little socialism, it's great for helping people flourish. When allowed to run amok, it festers with oligarchy and leaves big swaths of people in poverty.
@@profoundunderdog I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's by Daniel Cerone, the showrunner for Dexter. He also worked on The Mentalist. At the beginning of each episode you are shown the Killer and the victim and the rest of the episode is how they link them. And while that may sound dry and procedural it's actually typically very character driven. You end up really sympathizing a lot of times.
This has nothing to do with gender, to start off with. For me, as been commented on, Peter Falk is Columbo and there are no substitutes, regardless if male, or female. Peter Falk made the character his very own and it was truly Lightning in a Bottle. Every time it comes on tv, it is a MUST-Watch! I have never heard of Poker Face til now so I have no idea of how good it really is. Falk and the series can't be replicated or rebooted doing the original justice. Even if they had recast Falk with male actor, it certainly wouldn't been the same. Falk with his wonky eye and his demeanour, his well-known "Oh just one more thing..." and "Oh where did I put that", and who forgets all the time he brings up his wife, or his relations in cases... He has great charm and that is within Falk himself. That certainly can't be replicated no matter who it is. It may be nothing more than a replica or copy of the original.
I love this era of Natasha Lyone with Russian Doll and now Poker Face! The structure got just a little bit repetitive with her initially beginning to leave and then changing her mind, quickly inserting herself in the situation in an unnatural way, but everything else is very good.
My one major gripe with Poker Face is the fact that her lie detection is simply a superpower. And it is treated like one as well. I have nothing against superhuman intuition that is treated like it belongs to the character, like with Columbo, or how i internalize how charlie works, when they do not explicitly talk about it being an actually super human ability. It just seems to forced and distracting to me and takes away from the charm of her figuring out what exactly is going on due to her empathy and people skills. Aside from that she show is brilliant, with only the first an last episode kinda dragging, because they wanted to have an actual plotline, that fell kinda flat for me, when it was in focus, but charlie is such a great character to follow around. I cant wait to see more of her!
Part of what has killed off shows like this, and Columbo, etc, is people nowadays do not have the attention span, or the patience to follow these movies to the end. If it doesnt have a lot of CGI and gore and special effects, people get bored with it.
What about Elsbeth, the inverted mystery which just premiered on CBS and can also be seen on Paramount Plus? I hear it returns April 4 and is on Thursday nights. That shows seems like it will also be filling the "quirky detective solves inverted how catch em mysteries each week" void as well. Motive the Canadian series wasn't too bad either.
I hadn’t heard of Elsbeth, which looks like a spin off of The Good Wife, which I haven’t seen, but I doubt that will be a problem. And if it is, I guess I’ll have to watch that too lol. I’ve heard of Motive, I think someone else recommended it on here. It’s on my list to check out when I get the chance. Tbh, making these videos is eating into my “watching stuff” time a little bit, and my “to watch” list is ridiculous right now. lol. But I’m also happy to check out recommendations, there nothing like falling in love with a new show or film.
@@profoundunderdogSame for me. I plan to check out Poker Face myself. I know Monk did a lot of inverted mystery episodes with a few whodunit ones early on as well. I watched some early Good Wife, but I don't think it matters. Saw the beginning of episode 1 and all you really have to know is the main character moved to New York and now works with NYPD as some kind of consultant. So a cross between Columbo and Monk.
I am a huge fan of Columbo. I also love Monk. I have also been enjoying Poker Face immensely and I love Natasha. I never really watched Murder She Wrote, but my mother and my aunt did and herein lies my only wee troublesome aspect of Poker Face. It makes sense that Columbo and Monk are solving murders every episode. One of them is a Homocide Lieutenant. and the other is a former Homocide Detective, now Consultant with the SFPD. It always bothered me that wherever Jessica went, someone was murdered. Like I said, I never really watched the show. I know she lived in Cabot Cove and some people were murdered there. Why anyone would be stupid enough to try and get away with murder under Jessica's nose never made any sense. Also, no matter where she went; visiting a friend. promoting a book, someone was murdered. It was just so ridiculous. I am not as bothered by the similar issue on Poker Face because everything else is so awesome, but I do find myself saying "wow, another murder just happened in the new city/town/workplace, where Charlie has landed." Charlie is so cool, and the whole show so well done. I just wish could get that little "Murder She Wrote" plot problem out of my head,
With the first few episodes of Poker Face, I thought I was going to feel that. “How are they going to explain her constantly coming across murderers?”. In some of these shows, like you say, it’s the police, or as in Monk, or other “detective” shows, they are called in by the police. And by the fourth episode or so, a big part of the fun became “how was Charlie involved in this scenario all along?”. It took a trope of the “hobbyist detective” genre that is often an issue, and the creative team turned it into a strength of the show, by making it it’s own little mystery, an intrinsic part of the “howcatchem” puzzle for the viewer. Just another way I thought this show was very clever and clearly had a lot of thought put into it.
There was a hint that the murders in Murder She Wrote may not have actually happened, or at least some of them. In one episode "The Petrified Florist" it turned out the whole mystery had been part of a dream. It's possible that as a murder mystery writer and hobbyist, some of the stories were just ideas cooked up in Jessica's head.
Charles Vanel in les Diaboliques. Pretty sure Peter Falk knew his portrayal of the friendly investigator with disarming manners. Hopefully someone else on this thread observed what Falk already knew.
The extent of the hubris involved in anyone thinking they can reboot Columbo blows my mind. If the actor chosen to play Columbo tries to imitate Falk, he’ll be labelled a pale imitation. If he does his own thing and changes the nature of the character, it won’t be Columbo. Bringing back Columbo with a different actor is 100% a lose-lose scenario.
The fun watching comes from listen carefully for a lie. Sadly sometimes she says „bullshit“ or „that’s a lie“. That I dislike. Everyone who watches carefully can spot the lie like „I don’t know where the paprika is.“ and she does not need to explicitly say it for the inattentive audience.
I LOVE Poker Face, even more than I love Russian Doll (which I love, at least Season One). My only issue with it - more of a technicality - is why Charlie's ability to detect lies is spelled out and explained to us so literally as some kind of superpower she was just born with. Do they think modern audiences would be confused and wonder why this non-trained amateur sleuth "Mary Sues" her way to sniffing out Adrian Brody's lies (or any of the other male character's lies) without trusting that, given that we KNOW who did it and why their statements are indeed lies, that someone else could have smelled a rat? My favorite quote from Colombo (paraphrasing) goes something like: "There are a lot of other guys in my line of work who are smarter than me, better educated. But I knew that if I just worked a LITTLE BIT harder than they did, that I would be able to figure things out that they couldn't." Colombo wasn't a great detective because he was born with a superpower, he spent years paying very careful attention to all sorts of details, learning how people acted, which hunches to trust in. Hard work, experience, and a willingness to constantly learn. No matter what else Charlie has to do to corner or survive the murderer, this one bit guarantees that she can never be held up to Colombo's standards. He earned all of his talents, she's heavily reliant on something she was born with. And it's not only something written into the show's DNA, but is front and center in the whole premise of the show. It is THE pitch. It slaps us in the face every time she says Bul-----.
I don't think it takes away from her at all, it's just a fun, interesting quirk of the show. Sometimes it's a bit of a miss as to what lie turns her on to suspicions, like the seatbelt thing in the stock car episode, but it also allows some more interesting setups as well, like in the first episode. What sets her apart from Columbo, who the writers wanted to be more of a force of nature who just comes in seemingly from nowhere to solve a case anywhere, is that she is part of the story. Like he said in the essay, often she has come to love either the victim, murderer or both. And I think that makes her more interesting in some ways. She's not there doing her job, she wants justice for the people she cares about.
I found Pokerface to be disappointing. It's just too formulaic from one episode to the next. Columbo is a homicide detective and is called in to investigate murders. In Pokerface she always gets to know the victim a day or two before the murder, then they get murdered and then she figures it out. Yet she doesn't seem at all worried that murder follows her like a curse. Everywhere she goes, a nice person who doesn't deserve it dies. There's no tension because she never feels threatened by the murderers and always "gets her man". Russian Doll was incredible throughout but by episode 4 of Pokerface I'm starting to wonder if I should still bother.
These are good movies but I hate them with a passion. They make people believe that good detectives and cops exist and they seek truth and justice. Nothing real about that.
Okay, so you have a really winsome characterization of the show and the history of television and in the last two minutes you come in and say "it's all turning to crap because of capitalism?" Nice buildup, but a facile conclusion.
I looked this guy up and he has over a million subs. I don’t think he has to worry about alternative revenue streams. Lol. I also don’t think I sound like him, but if I can pass for someone with over a million subs, my voice over must be ok. So, thanks, I guess.
1:39 Ryan Johnson, that smeghead, yeah that name alone means avoid at all costs, as it means he's just ripping off someone elses work that no ones seen in 40 plus years and claiming it as his own, as its what his group does, and Falk was a chess master, he chose the car, the outfit and everything about it, Ryan, couldnt choose his own shoes without falling over a flight of stairs and breaking somebody's elses franchise at the bottom of it if its great and it has his name on it, it means someone else is doing all the hard work and he's taking the credit for it, just like Josh Weadon and the buffy franchise
I mean you say capitalism but it's really greed. Greed is what fuels the bad side of capitalism. People are greedy; they let that greed steer them to do horrible things, no matter what economic system is in place. Some may incentivize greed more than others but in the end, greed is the true enemy. That and lust. And slot...
Your thesis should be at the beginning as well. I disagree with it. The trait that is the downfall of man is pride e.g. greed. That is innate in mankind. It is revealed in any system in any time. “Capitalism” as the sin with empathy as the solution is a bad argument imo because the solution is not another system but another fundamental human trait: empathy. The argument would be: The sin is greed. The solution is empathy. I could agree with that with some further development. The other argument would be: the sin is capitalism. The solution is socialism. I of course would emphatically and enthusiastically disagree with that.
But it isn’t simply greed. It is the circumstances that create that greed. I don’t believe that any trait is “innate”. We are the products of our world. We reflect the world around us in a myriad of ways. I also don’t think you can separate your economics from your world view. If you believe in empathy, in kindness, in fairness, in helping others, your economics should reflect that, or you don’t really believe in those things. And it’s at the end because it’s the conclusion, the sum of all the points I made. It’s fine that you disagree with it however. Thank you for watching the video.
@@profoundunderdog I'm glad I found your video about this! I didn't notice along the way that it was always some outcome of capitalism causing the murders, but it's pretty obvious once you point it out. Take the BBQ one for example. They clearly loved what they were doing and the community loved them. If that family didn't have the pressures of survival on the back of the business they would do it just for the love of smoking meat and serving people good food.
You were doing fine until the end with your attempt to blame unhappiness with an economic system instead of the real culprit...people. We have chosen to be ruled by a desire for money and desire for influence over others. That is not a problem with the "system". That is a problem with ourselves, and claiming otherwise is just denying responsibility for our own unhappiness.
"comradeship with those in the same position as you" - actually empathy means comradeship with everyone, especially people unlike you. this is what socialists get fundamentally wrong
The person needed for that role. Needs to be more ethnic. Not Anglo features. A similar voice tone.Roughly the same height. Also needs to be a man. No offense ladies.
Disappointed by the what turned out to be an utterly preposterous tv series. A character can tell when someone is lying? Made it 40 minutes through the first episode. Stopped when I we realized that the rest of the episode would show the detective solving the crimes we already knew had been committed.
I've gotta say you're right... I hardly remember Colombo from my childhood but I watched only 2 eps of Poker Face & I'm sure your premise is right. A nice update of a classic! but set in today's world seemingly without the wokenes corrupting most reboots we're subjected to nowadays. Thanks for turning me on to it. I'll keep watching.
Do NOT repeat, Do NOT reboot Columbo. Pokerface is brilliant and love the similarities without trying hard to act like its Columbo
I'd just like to see more good detective shows
Agreed.
I agree tban73, perfection just can't be repeated.
Poker Face is a brilliant exemple of what Hollywood should be doing. Instead of reboots and sequels that nobody ask for, give us new content that share the same spark that made the original so beloved to begin with. Poker Face isn't Columbo, it's not trying to be Columbo. It's creating it's own myth by harnessing the same thing that Columbo had. It scratches the same itch but in a different way.
We loved 'Poker Face'. Some episodes are better than others, but overall it's very entertaining. Natasha Lyonne is perfect in her role.
I loved how even the title design was reminiscent of 70s cop shows. I am, sadly, old enough to remember many of them (the ones good enough to be syndicated, anyway). Poker Face is indeed a worthy successor to Columbo, which is not a phrase you would expect to hear in just one lifetime.
There is a bravery in that I think: just laying your influences on the table, and relying on your work being good enough to stand on its own, and not simply being seen as a homage or pastiche. And I think Poker Face absolutely did that. It *is* a homage to that era of mystery television, a throw back, but at the same time, modern and its own thing, not simply reliant on a hit of nostalgia.
As you say, a worthy successor.
Natasha Lyonne is a being of pure charisma. It's a pleasure to watch her and the accompanying conveyor belt of fantastic guest stars in this show. Really looking forward to season 2!
Well written video essay with a thought provoking analysis, looking forward to the next one!
Thank you so much.
I had a lot of fun with this show, and making the video on it.
There will likely be a couple of weeks until the next video as I’ve decided to shelve the one I’ve been working on for the last few weeks, but I will try to keep making content that will (hopefully) keep you entertained!
Agreed, right on the money!
this video just randomly appeared in my recommended. Everything that has "Columbo" in the name is worth giving a watch, so I checked this out.
not disappointed! this is a wonderful essay.
I'm a big fan of Columbo and old cop shows, like Ellery Queen and Starsky and Hutch. My dad grew up with those, and he passed his passion onto me.
Columbo is one of my all time favourites, and it's always nice when other shows take inspiration from it.
I think I'll give Poker Face a shot!
A spiritual successor to Columbo worked on by Rian Johnson? Sign me up!
It really is a very high quality show.
If you haven’t watched it, you should, at a minimum, give the pilot a shot, because that really is a fantastic hour of television.
I've never heard of this show, Pokerface. Anything that is an homage to Columbo is definitely worth a look
If you are a fan of Columbo, or that style of 70s televisual mystery in general, then you should at the very least check out the first episode of Poker Face. It really is an excellent hour of television.
@@profoundunderdog definitely a fan of that era of mystery shows!
Columbo and Ellery Queen are two of my favorite shows.
Found Poker Face, thought it was an older show that I somehow had never heard of. I see it's new though. Looking forward to it.
Starting my binge session now!
Well, I looked. Did I like it?
I binged the entire first season in two days, if that says anything. Lol
Excellent show that I'm now recommending to everyone.
If I played even a small part in spreading the word about this excellent show, that’s really nice to hear. I’m really glad you liked it.
Poker face is a brilliant series of shows that I was glad to stumble upon.. I sensed it had some elements of older shows woven together and appreciate how this video pointed them out.. I was particularly moved ( and pleasantly surprised ) as you wound down to the end, linking the rise of profit over the objective of good entertainment and abandoning " the common man" for the rich and famous... Hinting at the unbalance of values in pop culture, and as Charlie so well said about her views on comparing wealth with having just enough .....
Thank you for the reminder about how PF puts value and focus on humanity over personal power and wealth... I do hope there will be more of PF...
Great analysis and such a wonderful show!
One of my favorite aspects was the timelessness of it. How most episodes could fit in 1973 or 2023 equally. How smartphones were almost non existent, and everything was so grounded.
this got me to watch poker face and it exceeds expectations you set here. this show rules, thanks for sharing it through your video!!!
A genuine pleasure, and it makes me happy if my video led to others discovering this show!
Kurt Russell playing that kid in the car, love it
I fell in love with Natasha Lyonne when the first Russian Doll came out 5 years ago. Looking into her imdb i saw that I had seen her over the years but never as the main in something. Most og it under my radar. Never seen, Orange is the new Black. But after seeing her playing in the first season of the New York based Russian Doll, I have been on the lookout after her in whatever. So when Poker Face came out last year I watched it as soon as i could and did it in one setting, the whole 10 episodes, it was that much fun to see. She's adorable and it's a great show. Thank you for putting this together. I remember those heartfelt mysteries weekly like Murder She Wrote and Matlock as a child, and you are right, Poker Face is serving something that is kind of forgotten.
Fun fact William Shatner guest starred on an episode of The Fugitive he worked with a young African-American kid whose mother at the time was on tour in France he would later work with her on the series the young woman's name was nichelle Nichols
That's such a great story. Kyle Johnson would be the kid who found the dead body as they play baseball. That's an incredible catch, and a lovely coincidence for Trek fans. Shatner really hams it up in that episode, it is absolutely wild. If you enjoy Shatner going really OTT, that episode is well worth a watch.
There are actually a bunch of really cool cameos in the Fugitive, and I included a very young Kurt Russell in my video a couple of times (he's Gerard's son), and pondered whether I should reference it or just leave it and see if anyone noticed.
Its a real superpower level of lie detection in Pokerface, however it is offset by the nieve trust of the character, her kindness and trust put her in danger so much. It makes the show tense, you know she'll be fine but it's unnerving. Then there's that season finale, so brutal and I won't spoil it but wow.....
Peter Falk is Columbo and the only possibility. No one else can fit his raincoat
Wonderful quote she gives when asked what it's like, being rich. Wonderful video too.
It is a great quote!
And thank you so much!
This was really good. Loved all the points you made. Plus, as a fan of Poker Face, I feel you summed up the show and Charlie beautifully. But overall, great job on this.
Thank you so much, Josh.
I really enjoyed this show, and it was great fun making this video, so I'm really glad you liked it.
Just binged watched the first season I absolutely enjoyed it the show totally reminds me of Colombo I can't wait for season 2 ❤❤
I haven't seen the complete season yet, I watched half of it a few months ago, don't know why I didnt' finish (maybe I should). But there is this episode at the bbq restaurant, where at the beginning we know that the brother doesn't want to work there anymore. Then there is the flashback where Charlie befriends said brother, they do a movie night and decide to watch a bootleg copy of the movie Okja that Charlie has but hasn't watched yet (if you know you know). That was one of the funniest on screen moments I've seen in a long time! :D
This is good stuff!
I don't know why you only got 712 likes, but you deserve a million for this candid, eloquent, honest appraisal. Well done!
That really is too kind. Thank you very much. Maybe a million likes one day lol.
I love columbo so much. I thought poker face was excellent. I cut my hair like her in a fan obsessed way. Can't wait for season 2
TRES Cool Shag!
Yeah, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this going in, but every minute longer i was happy I watched. Thanks for the video, happy to be a new sub!
Thank you so much, and thank you for subbing.
This is a brilliant series that is at one a cat and mouse game between the lead character and the hitman after her and also as a female version of Columbo solving murders not related to the ongoing plot.
Natasha is awesome.
I'll take it video as an recommendation and give Poker Face a try, thank you good sir!
Beautiful analysis of a beautiful show.
Recently got heavily into columbo now I've been binge watchd everything and I've been looking for something to replace that void
This video has definitely activated some of my latent brain cells. I watched this series with my girlfriend, who wasn't that into it. But I felt it was absolutely brilliant! And now I have a better idea of why
this is one of the best video essays I've seen in a really long time. you've singlehandedly made me hate video essays a LOT less, thank you :)
That really is very kind to say, thank you very much!
I loved Poker Face!! Great video!!
Really enjoyed this video, great work.
Thank you very much, my friend.
Very good. Thank you.
No! Thank you!
Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson - what a duo ! And Nolte ! ... so many more... they were so good and Natasha outshone them all
Really enjoyed this video! Thanks!
Thanks for this superbly thorough analysis of Poker Face and highlighting the absolutely valis parallels to Columbo and The Fugitive. On the other hand, I think there's a bit of Steve McQueen in the show's DNA and Natasha's performance as well; especially with her car bringing to mind "Bullitt" (albeit Columbo style!) or the racing episode "Future of the sport" being like Steve's "Le Mans".
Thanks again and cheers from Iran.
I love Pokerface. And I love Natasha in it more than I’ve seen her in anything else. I love how all the characters are everyday people. Also, I think those ladies from Who’s The Boss and Law and Order as terrorist were so good, but literally the worst villains on the show. Throw them under the prison!😅 I think that was my favorite episode. Man, I hope this show is on for years.
Duh! Columbo! I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of. There's definitely some Knight Rider in there, too.
I really got a Murder, She Wrote vibe. And Like that Show Jessica Fletcher would solve the mystery, after the crime has been done. Which if you think both Colombo and Murder, She Wrote are Baked in the Show. Charlie always had that Epiphany at the end and she calls out the killer. The Killer usually confesses the crime as Charlie calls out the details she sees and observes, like Jessica. It really does take me back to Cozy Mysteries.
AMAAAAAZING video. That ending thesis caught me off-guard! Profound.
Thank you so much.
I’m really glad you enjoyed the video.
Same. Though, I found it less Profound than, well... I get a little tired of the diatribe against capitalism. It seems to be the complaint du jour these days. 10 more minutes of thought and recollection of history might remind us that every economic system, by itself alone, is untenable.
When capitalism is properly regulated and tempered with a little socialism, it's great for helping people flourish. When allowed to run amok, it festers with oligarchy and leaves big swaths of people in poverty.
Thank for this video.
I will definitely seek out Poker Face.
Terrific analysis! Thank you!
Excellent video.
Thank you very much!
Nicely done!
Thank you very much!
I enjoy this show
I wouldn’t be at all opposed if Charlie went rambling to some killer, and mentioned that she had a grandfather who was in the LAPD.
Yesss
NO BODY CAN REPLACE COLUMBO. LEAVE IT ALONE.
There was also a Canadian show called Motive if you're a fan of this style of mystery (or lack of).
I’m a sucker for all kinds of mystery shows and movies, so I’ll check it out.
Thank you!
@@profoundunderdog I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's by Daniel Cerone, the showrunner for Dexter. He also worked on The Mentalist. At the beginning of each episode you are shown the Killer and the victim and the rest of the episode is how they link them. And while that may sound dry and procedural it's actually typically very character driven. You end up really sympathizing a lot of times.
This has nothing to do with gender, to start off with. For me, as been commented on, Peter Falk is Columbo and there are no substitutes, regardless if male, or female. Peter Falk made the character his very own and it was truly Lightning in a Bottle.
Every time it comes on tv, it is a MUST-Watch! I have never heard of Poker Face til now so I have no idea of how good it really is. Falk and the series can't be replicated or rebooted doing the original justice.
Even if they had recast Falk with male actor, it certainly wouldn't been the same. Falk with his wonky eye and his demeanour, his well-known "Oh just one more thing..." and "Oh where did I put that", and who forgets all the time he brings up his wife, or his relations in cases... He has great charm and that is within Falk himself. That certainly can't be replicated no matter who it is.
It may be nothing more than a replica or copy of the original.
I love this era of Natasha Lyone with Russian Doll and now Poker Face! The structure got just a little bit repetitive with her initially beginning to leave and then changing her mind, quickly inserting herself in the situation in an unnatural way, but everything else is very good.
My one major gripe with Poker Face is the fact that her lie detection is simply a superpower. And it is treated like one as well.
I have nothing against superhuman intuition that is treated like it belongs to the character, like with Columbo, or how i internalize how charlie works, when they do not explicitly talk about it being an actually super human ability.
It just seems to forced and distracting to me and takes away from the charm of her figuring out what exactly is going on due to her empathy and people skills.
Aside from that she show is brilliant, with only the first an last episode kinda dragging, because they wanted to have an actual plotline, that fell kinda flat for me, when it was in focus, but charlie is such a great character to follow around. I cant wait to see more of her!
this is a great video, i love it
Thank you so much!
Part of what has killed off shows like this, and Columbo, etc, is people nowadays do not have the attention span, or the patience to follow these movies to the end.
If it doesnt have a lot of CGI and gore and special effects, people get bored with it.
08:20 Aw... little Kurt Russel 😍
I think I included two clips of him, and wondered if anyone would notice.
I think you’re the first to spot him! Good eye!
What about Elsbeth, the inverted mystery which just premiered on CBS and can also be seen on Paramount Plus? I hear it returns April 4 and is on Thursday nights. That shows seems like it will also be filling the "quirky detective solves inverted how catch em mysteries each week" void as well. Motive the Canadian series wasn't too bad either.
I haven’t heard of this. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@profoundunderdog Cool, Havn't heard of which one. Motive or Elsbeth?
I hadn’t heard of Elsbeth, which looks like a spin off of The Good Wife, which I haven’t seen, but I doubt that will be a problem. And if it is, I guess I’ll have to watch that too lol.
I’ve heard of Motive, I think someone else recommended it on here. It’s on my list to check out when I get the chance.
Tbh, making these videos is eating into my “watching stuff” time a little bit, and my “to watch” list is ridiculous right now. lol.
But I’m also happy to check out recommendations, there nothing like falling in love with a new show or film.
@@profoundunderdogSame for me. I plan to check out Poker Face myself. I know Monk did a lot of inverted mystery episodes with a few whodunit ones early on as well. I watched some early Good Wife, but I don't think it matters. Saw the beginning of episode 1 and all you really have to know is the main character moved to New York and now works with NYPD as some kind of consultant. So a cross between Columbo and Monk.
This sounds good, I will definitely check it out!
I am a huge fan of Columbo. I also love Monk. I have also been enjoying Poker Face immensely and I love Natasha. I never really watched Murder She Wrote, but my mother and my aunt did and herein lies my only wee troublesome aspect of Poker Face. It makes sense that Columbo and Monk are solving murders every episode. One of them is a Homocide Lieutenant. and the other is a former Homocide Detective, now Consultant with the SFPD. It always bothered me that wherever Jessica went, someone was murdered. Like I said, I never really watched the show. I know she lived in Cabot Cove and some people were murdered there. Why anyone would be stupid enough to try and get away with murder under Jessica's nose never made any sense. Also, no matter where she went; visiting a friend. promoting a book, someone was murdered. It was just so ridiculous. I am not as bothered by the similar issue on Poker Face because everything else is so awesome, but I do find myself saying "wow, another murder just happened in the new city/town/workplace, where Charlie has landed." Charlie is so cool, and the whole show so well done. I just wish could get that little "Murder She Wrote" plot problem out of my head,
With the first few episodes of Poker Face, I thought I was going to feel that. “How are they going to explain her constantly coming across murderers?”. In some of these shows, like you say, it’s the police, or as in Monk, or other “detective” shows, they are called in by the police.
And by the fourth episode or so, a big part of the fun became “how was Charlie involved in this scenario all along?”.
It took a trope of the “hobbyist detective” genre that is often an issue, and the creative team turned it into a strength of the show, by making it it’s own little mystery, an intrinsic part of the “howcatchem” puzzle for the viewer.
Just another way I thought this show was very clever and clearly had a lot of thought put into it.
There was a hint that the murders in Murder She Wrote may not have actually happened, or at least some of them. In one episode "The Petrified Florist" it turned out the whole mystery had been part of a dream.
It's possible that as a murder mystery writer and hobbyist, some of the stories were just ideas cooked up in Jessica's head.
Or Jessica Fletcher was a serial killer putting the blame on other people.
To be fair Jessica was often in the big city among people she didn't know so it can make sense that they didn't always realise what she could do.
Murder She Wrote was just a tv show dude
3:49 Is that Tuvok?
It is indeed the fantastic Tim Russ.
cRUSH ON HER ,,SHE IS AWESOME
You sound like Phil Mason, but what you're saying is reasonable. Subscribed.
Charles Vanel in les Diaboliques. Pretty sure Peter Falk knew his portrayal of the friendly investigator with disarming manners.
Hopefully someone else on this thread observed what Falk already knew.
Toby Jones should play Colombo.
I gotta imagine most of the dislikes on this are from salty capitalists.
The extent of the hubris involved in anyone thinking they can reboot Columbo blows my mind. If the actor chosen to play Columbo tries to imitate Falk, he’ll be labelled a pale imitation. If he does his own thing and changes the nature of the character, it won’t be Columbo. Bringing back Columbo with a different actor is 100% a lose-lose scenario.
....and Donald Pleasance, and Patrick McGoohan, and Patrick McGoohan, and Patrick McGoohan.....
Leave columbo alone there is only one peter falk
The fun watching comes from listen carefully for a lie. Sadly sometimes she says „bullshit“ or „that’s a lie“.
That I dislike. Everyone who watches carefully can spot the lie like „I don’t know where the paprika is.“ and she does not need to explicitly say it for the inattentive audience.
Sam Rockwell.
Something you can't emmulate
I LOVE Poker Face, even more than I love Russian Doll (which I love, at least Season One).
My only issue with it - more of a technicality - is why Charlie's ability to detect lies is spelled out and explained to us so literally as some kind of superpower she was just born with. Do they think modern audiences would be confused and wonder why this non-trained amateur sleuth "Mary Sues" her way to sniffing out Adrian Brody's lies (or any of the other male character's lies) without trusting that, given that we KNOW who did it and why their statements are indeed lies, that someone else could have smelled a rat?
My favorite quote from Colombo (paraphrasing) goes something like: "There are a lot of other guys in my line of work who are smarter than me, better educated. But I knew that if I just worked a LITTLE BIT harder than they did, that I would be able to figure things out that they couldn't." Colombo wasn't a great detective because he was born with a superpower, he spent years paying very careful attention to all sorts of details, learning how people acted, which hunches to trust in. Hard work, experience, and a willingness to constantly learn. No matter what else Charlie has to do to corner or survive the murderer, this one bit guarantees that she can never be held up to Colombo's standards. He earned all of his talents, she's heavily reliant on something she was born with. And it's not only something written into the show's DNA, but is front and center in the whole premise of the show. It is THE pitch. It slaps us in the face every time she says Bul-----.
I don't think it takes away from her at all, it's just a fun, interesting quirk of the show. Sometimes it's a bit of a miss as to what lie turns her on to suspicions, like the seatbelt thing in the stock car episode, but it also allows some more interesting setups as well, like in the first episode. What sets her apart from Columbo, who the writers wanted to be more of a force of nature who just comes in seemingly from nowhere to solve a case anywhere, is that she is part of the story. Like he said in the essay, often she has come to love either the victim, murderer or both. And I think that makes her more interesting in some ways. She's not there doing her job, she wants justice for the people she cares about.
"Luminaries and television royalties". Kind of an extreme exaggeration in the description of the actors and actresses in Poker Face.
I found Pokerface to be disappointing. It's just too formulaic from one episode to the next. Columbo is a homicide detective and is called in to investigate murders. In Pokerface she always gets to know the victim a day or two before the murder, then they get murdered and then she figures it out. Yet she doesn't seem at all worried that murder follows her like a curse. Everywhere she goes, a nice person who doesn't deserve it dies. There's no tension because she never feels threatened by the murderers and always "gets her man". Russian Doll was incredible throughout but by episode 4 of Pokerface I'm starting to wonder if I should still bother.
Never threatened? You and I watched a very different show.
These are good movies but I hate them with a passion. They make people believe that good detectives and cops exist and they seek truth and justice. Nothing real about that.
Okay, so you have a really winsome characterization of the show and the history of television and in the last two minutes you come in and say "it's all turning to crap because of capitalism?" Nice buildup, but a facile conclusion.
What an horrible idea.
Sounds like Thunderf00t.
Trying desperately to find an alternative revenue stream to constant lying about Elon Musk.
I looked this guy up and he has over a million subs. I don’t think he has to worry about alternative revenue streams. Lol.
I also don’t think I sound like him, but if I can pass for someone with over a million subs, my voice over must be ok. So, thanks, I guess.
1:39 Ryan Johnson, that smeghead, yeah that name alone means avoid at all costs, as it means he's just ripping off someone elses work that no ones seen in 40 plus years and claiming it as his own, as its what his group does, and Falk was a chess master, he chose the car, the outfit and everything about it, Ryan, couldnt choose his own shoes without falling over a flight of stairs and breaking somebody's elses franchise at the bottom of it
if its great and it has his name on it, it means someone else is doing all the hard work and he's taking the credit for it, just like Josh Weadon and the buffy franchise
Capitalism is the villain? I had to sit through 17 minutes of rather enjoyable analysis for that tired old wheeze?
I’m glad you enjoyed the rest at least.
I mean you say capitalism but it's really greed. Greed is what fuels the bad side of capitalism. People are greedy; they let that greed steer them to do horrible things, no matter what economic system is in place. Some may incentivize greed more than others but in the end, greed is the true enemy. That and lust. And slot...
Your thesis should be at the beginning as well. I disagree with it. The trait that is the downfall of man is pride e.g. greed. That is innate in mankind. It is revealed in any system in any time. “Capitalism” as the sin with empathy as the solution is a bad argument imo because the solution is not another system but another fundamental human trait: empathy. The argument would be: The sin is greed. The solution is empathy. I could agree with that with some further development. The other argument would be: the sin is capitalism. The solution is socialism. I of course would emphatically and enthusiastically disagree with that.
But it isn’t simply greed.
It is the circumstances that create that greed.
I don’t believe that any trait is “innate”. We are the products of our world. We reflect the world around us in a myriad of ways.
I also don’t think you can separate your economics from your world view. If you believe in empathy, in kindness, in fairness, in helping others, your economics should reflect that, or you don’t really believe in those things.
And it’s at the end because it’s the conclusion, the sum of all the points I made.
It’s fine that you disagree with it however. Thank you for watching the video.
@@profoundunderdog I'm glad I found your video about this! I didn't notice along the way that it was always some outcome of capitalism causing the murders, but it's pretty obvious once you point it out. Take the BBQ one for example. They clearly loved what they were doing and the community loved them. If that family didn't have the pressures of survival on the back of the business they would do it just for the love of smoking meat and serving people good food.
You were doing fine until the end with your attempt to blame unhappiness with an economic system instead of the real culprit...people. We have chosen to be ruled by a desire for money and desire for influence over others. That is not a problem with the "system". That is a problem with ourselves, and claiming otherwise is just denying responsibility for our own unhappiness.
"comradeship with those in the same position as you" - actually empathy means comradeship with everyone, especially people unlike you. this is what socialists get fundamentally wrong
“An homage.” Sorry mate. Bye.
Both are correct and which you use is dependent on how you pronounce “homage”.
@@profoundunderdog Gotta love the sarcasm there, I guess he's entitled to his opinion, Columbo was a good show, Pokerface is too
What a garbage..... how dare they compare to Colombo
The person needed for that role. Needs to be more ethnic. Not Anglo features. A similar voice tone.Roughly the same height. Also needs to be a man. No offense ladies.
Disappointed by the what turned out to be an utterly preposterous tv series. A character can tell when someone is lying? Made it 40 minutes through the first episode. Stopped when I we realized that the rest of the episode would show the detective solving the crimes we already knew had been committed.
I've gotta say you're right... I hardly remember Colombo from my childhood but I watched only 2 eps of Poker Face & I'm sure your premise is right. A nice update of a classic! but set in today's world seemingly without the wokenes corrupting most reboots we're subjected to nowadays. Thanks for turning me on to it. I'll keep watching.
All this homage television feels weak to me. It's an offensive sort of nostalgia.