Peacock on January 25 will launch a new mystery series that is a throwback to the 1970's and 80's mystery-of-the-week series genre, according to series star Benjamin Bratt.

The 10-episode series, Poker Face, stars Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a casino worker with an innate ability to tell when people are lying who uses her skill to solve crimes while on the run from the casino’s head of security, played by Bratt. 

Bratt, who has starred in such shows as Law & Order and more recently DMZ, as well as such films as Clear and Present Danger and Doctor Strange, says he was drawn to Poker Face after reading the script from series executive producer and creator Rian Johnson (Knives Out).

“He created this series with a nostalgic nod to the murder mystery of the week that was very popular in the 1970s,” said Bratt. “Poker Face is less of a whodunit and more of a how-to-catch them.”

The series features guest appearances from such stars as Adrien Brody, Stephanie Hsu, David Castaneda, Ellen Barkin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tim Meadows, Luis Guzman and Chloe Sevigny.

Poker Face is executive produced by Johnson, Lyonne, Ram Bergman, Nora Zuckerman, Kikka Zuckerman, Nena Rodrigue and Iain B. Macdonald. 

Click below to hear more of the interview (6 minutes) with Benjamin Bratt in a new Content Spotlight podcast. ■

Natasha Lyonne will host the season finale of Saturday Night Live on NBC May 21. It is her first time hosting.

Lyonne is the co-creator, star and director of Russian Doll on Netflix. Season two premiered last month. She will star in and executive produce Peacock’s forthcoming Poker Face.

Japanese Breakfast is the musical guest May 21, the band’s first time on SNL.      

On May 14, Selena Gomez hosts and Post Malone provides the music. Gomez is in the cast of Only Murders in the Building.

Besides airing on NBC, Saturday Night Live streams on Peacock.

Saturday Night Live is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels. ■

The second season of oddball comedy-drama Russian Doll begins on Netflix April 20. Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler created the show, which premiered in 2019. 

Lyonne plays Nadia, who dies at her birthday party and relives the night she died over and over and over. 

Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee and Yul Vazquez are also in the cast. 

Netflix announced the premiere date with a trailer on YouTube.

Lyonne was nominated for a best actress in a comedy Golden Globe in 2019. The show was up for a best comedy Emmy that same year. 

Universal Television, Poehler's Paper Kite Productions, JAX Media and 3 Arts Entertainment produce Russian Doll.

All episodes are directed by Jamie Babbit, Headland and Lyonne.

Russian Doll is often compared to Groundhog Day. When the second season was announced in 2019, Lyonne said, “Same show, just weirder.” ■

Amazon Studios has signed a first look television deal with actresses/producers Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne.

As part of the deal, the Emmy award nominated actresses will create original series for Amazon Studios under the Animal Pictures banner, according to Amazon officials. 

“Maya and Natasha are proven talents in front of and behind the camera, and we are so excited to tap into this powerful creative brain trust and be in business with these fiercely funny and phenomenally smart women,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios in a statement.