My, my, Poker Face sure has packed in the guest stars. In an expanse of captivating tales and riveting performances from essentially every scene and character, each episode of the Peacock TV series, starring Natasha Lyonne and helmed by Rian Johnson, moves into a new realm with a different cast of characters while still keeping true to the through line and the central story around Lyonne’s Charlie Cale.
While really only three members of the cast are recurring—Lyonne, who is in every episode, along with Benjamin Bratt’s Cliff LeGrand (what a name) and Ron Perlman as Sterling Frost, Sr., the guest stars in the show exceed two dozen. Basically, a different guest star for each time Lyonne’s Charlie spots a lie and exclaims, “Bullshit.”
We’ll touch on the ones with bigger roles here while naming off each of the countless guest stars from season one of Poker Face. No major spoilers coming, but there will be a bit about each actor and character.
Episode 1: “Dead Man’s Hand”
The pilot episode introduces us to Charlie as someone who is content in her existence and has this uncanny, almost nebulous ability to know exactly when someone is lying. It’s funny to see lying at the heart of this tale in the same way that lying was to Knives Out — namely, that Ana de Armas’s character had to puke every time she told a lie.
Adrien Brody plays the son of a casino mogul, Sterling Frost, Jr.. who now runs the casino where Charlie works at. A frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson and star of The Pianist as well as others, such as Predators and Blonde.
Dascha Polanco plays Charlie’s coworker, Natalie, who stumbles upon a scandalous crime and snaps a photo to show to her bosses, played by Brody and Bratt. Polcano was the costar of Lyonne from Netflix’s Orange is the New Black.
Noah Segan is a multi-time collaborator of Johnson’s. He plays Sheriff Parker, the man in charge of the town and perhaps under the direction of the Frost family.
Also appearing in the episode is Benjamin Bratt. He plays Cliff LeGrant, who is the head of security at the casino and is tasked with the mission of tracking down Charlie. Bratt is well known for several roles throughout the decades, including Traffic and the show DMZ.
Episode 2: “The Night Shift”
Hong Chau plays a truck driver named Marge, who stays under the radar of anyone and anything that could detect her real identity and also befriends Charlie. She was Oscar-nominated for The Whale and a part in The Menu.
Brandon Michael Hall plays a former Marine Corps member, Damian, who finds joy in making social media videos about his secret sandwich creations while working at a small-town Subway sandwich shop. He previously starred in Search Party, God Friended Me, and The Mayor.
John Ratzenberger is Abe, the owner of an auto shop. He stays true to his word and helps Charlie in a bind. Everybody knows Ratzenberger’s name as Cliff from the classic sitcom Cheers.
The nephew of Abe is played by Colton Ryan. They work at the auto shop as well and give off a creepy vibe just about everywhere he turns. He previously starred in the Hulu miniseries The Girl From Plainville.
Also on the cast was Megan Suri. She plays a goth-style youngster who runs the convenience store in town and is good friends with Damian, and also the subject of Jed’s obsession. Starred in Never Have I Ever.
Lastly, there is Dana, the can’t-be-bothered and over-it-all waitress at the diner where Marge and Charlie bonded and things came together. She is played by Chelsea Frei, who was featured in The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Moodys.
Episode 3: “The Stall”
Lil Rel Howery stars as the Co-owner of a famous Texas BBQ joint and host of an extremely popular radio show, Howery plays Taffy, who leans all the way into their southern charm with a capitalistic heart. He broke out in the movie Get Out and also starred as the friendly sidekick in Free Guy.
The other half of the ownership team, Taffy’s brother George is played by Larry Brown. He loves his job as the pitmaster until Charlie shares a movie with him that turns him into a sympathizer of animals.
Danielle MacDonald stars as George’s wife and perhaps the star of the episode, Mandy. She runs the BBQ joint and is a mover behind the scenes as well. MacDonald was the star of Dumplin’ and was great in Bird Box and The Tourist.
Lastly, one of the cohosts of Taffy’s radio show and station is Austin. Portrayed by Shane Paul McGhie, he shows off a range of talents in a short amount of time.
Episode 4: “Rest in Metal”
Chloë Sevigny plays a former rock star who had one huge hit but has struggled to make it happen again since, Ruby Ruin, who now works at a big-box hardware store but gets the band back together for a small tour to try and recapture the magic each year. She previously starred in another Lyonne show, Russian Doll.
Nicholas Cirillo plays the young drummer, Gavin, who Ruby hires to tour with them. He’s on the wild side but has a true fondness for the music and Ruby.
The lead guitarist in the band, Doxxxology, is John Darnielle. His character is constantly noodling around trying to write their next hit. Darnielle is the singer-songwriter of The Mountain Goats, a folk rock band.
Chuck Cooper is the band’s tour bus driver and roadie who adds comedic appeal but ultimately loses his job and ends up in an even better gig.
Episode 5: “Time of the Monkey”
Judith Light plays Irene, one half of a strong female duo who believe they run the retirement home where they now reside, doing everything from growing pot to ignoring the orderlies. She recently starred in The Menu and American Horror Story, a very recognizable face from several appearances, including the show Who’s the Boss?
Spearheading the other half of the duo, Joyce, is S. Epatha Merkerson. She has a keen eye towards reality and is the one keeping the whole thing together. Merkerson previously starred in Law & Order and Chicago Med.
Another resident of the retirement home is Betty, who also has a penchant for the raunchy side. K Callan plays this resident brown noser. She had a part in Knives Out as well as Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Reed Birney plays Ben, an old man who checks into the retirement home under the guise of forgiveness. He was immediately noticed by Irene and Joyce as someone to keep an eye on. Birney is a stage star who also appeared in The Humans, The Americans, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Succession.
Simon Helberg guest stars in a bit part as the “nephew” of Ben, who turns out to be playing a bigger part than it seems. Helberg is most well-known for his role in The Big Bang Theory.
Episode 6: “Exit Stage Death”
Ellen Barkin plays a longtime television actress, Kathleen, who is reliving her glory days and is trying to lure in the partner of an old film. Barkin was a star for decades, recently she was at the head of the show Animal Kingdom.
Said partner, Michael, is portrayed by Tim Meadows. From their buddy-cop film success together, and one-time lover of Kathleen, he is now married to a younger woman and is now filthy rich thanks to a smart online investment. Meadows is of Saturday Night Live fame for 10 seasons and had a long-running role in The Goldbergs.
Jameela Jamil plays Michael’s wife, Ava. She eventually convinces Michael to team up with Kathleen one last time for a one-night-only performance on stage, called The Ghosts of Pensacola, even though it ends up being in her worst interests. Jamil grew in prominence on The Good Place and more recently Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Behind the scenes is the stage manager, Phil, played by Chris McKinney. He helps get the entire production together but ends up in a precarious position as things tragically go wrong on stage.
Episode 7: “The Future of the Sport”
Tim Blake Nelson plays an older race car driver, Keith, who can feel time is about to pass him by, and suffers from anxiety during a race gone wrong. Nelson is a recognizable face once again, he had strong roles in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Watchmen, and recently, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
The young, up-and-comer on the race circuit, Davis, is played by Charles Melton. He causes Keith to crash during a race. Starred in Riverdale.
Playing the wife of Keith, Donna, is Leslie Silva. She finds herself in the middle of her husband and her daughter, all while wanting her own racing career.
The daughter of Keith and Donna is Katy, portrayed by Jasmine Aiyanna Garvin. She is taken aback by Keith’s rejection of retirement. She tries to prove herself to her dad, but it backfires terribly.
Finally, Angel Desai plays Charlie’s coworker at the go-kart track and arcade. She is also Davis’s mother.
Still to come
There are still a number of actors attached to the show who have yet to appear including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, David Castañeda, Nick Nolte, Cherry Jones, Luis Guzman, Rhea Perlman, Clea DuVall, Rowan Blanchard, and Tim Russ.
Poker Face is currently available to stream on Peacock, with a new episode being added weekly. A second season has already been greenlit.
