Peacock’s Poker Face is a mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has the ability to determine when someone is lying. Charlie hits the road in her Plymouth Barracuda, and at every stop, encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes that she can’t help but solve.
Adam Arkin served as executive producer and director on Episodes 6 and 7 of Season 2. The first season premiered on Peacock back in January of 2023 and received four Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Natasha Lyonne. The streamer received its first Emmy win for Judith Light's Outstanding Guest Actress Performance in a Comedy Series.
"Getting to come aboard Poker Face was an exciting opportunity, not only because of the formidable talents of the people involved and the critical acclaim the show had received in its debut season, but also because of the unique challenges baked into the format of the show," says Arkin. "Because its central character, Charlie, is on the run from the mob and the authorities, every episode is essentially a standalone project - new locations, new supporting cast and new production design, art direction and visual references for the directors of photography, as well as the post production team. It was, in many ways, the equivalent of having to do a pilot every two weeks."
Arkin says that while the scope can be daunting, the show provided each director, along with its crew and cast, with a chance to come up with a look and tone for each installment, while still living in the overall Poker Face style.
"The first episode that I was fortunate enough to direct, 'Sloppy Joseph' (206), had a visual directive baked into the material," he explains. "Writer Kate Thulin included in the stage directions that the worlds of the kids and the adults be two separate realms. That when we were living in the children’s world, we weren’t seeing much of the adults beyond a hand, a shoulder or brief body wipe. And vice versa — when we were in the adult narrative, our eye level would exclude the child characters. The bridge between these two worlds would, of course, be Charlie, as her detective work required her to operate and interact in both."
Given the guide for the visual approach, multiple ways of adding to the concept were then discussed.
"In meetings with our brilliant production designer, Judy Rhee, our wonderful set decorator, Cathy Marshall, and our inspired prop master, Duke Scoppa, we explored ways that the two worlds could be further delineated," says Arkin. "The plan embraced was to let the children’s world be vibrant and detailed in color, using artwork and decor that felt playful and varied. In contrast, we let those elements drop off when we were in the adult world, allowing for a more sparse, sterile feel. While some of this was achieved through set and shot-design choices, there were many elements that were enhanced, or even created in post, with attention being paid to color timing, visual effects, and editorial choices."
The episode gets off to a strong start with a “gold star” montage that quickly establishes the children’s universe. DP Tari Segal had the idea of using precision motion control for a lot of the extreme close-ups and rapid camera moves.
"It created an energy and specificity to the work that would have been hard to duplicate without it," says Arkin. "The efforts of all departments really came together in a way that brought the sequence to life in a way that people really seemed to enjoy. I’ll also add that I had hoped all of this could be achieved in a manner that didn’t draw an inordinate amount of attention to itself. It was important that it be done in a way that never felt gimmicky or self-conscious. I’d like to think we were successful in that."