Poker Face: Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne Explain One of the Best Cameos

By Jamie Jirak

Rian Johnson was just nominated for an Academy Award for writing Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, but the Netflix film isn't the only new murder mystery from the creative. Yesterday saw the debut of Poker Face, the new series inspired by shows like Columbo and Murder She Wrote that stars Natasha Lyonne as a woman with a very special talent who keeps finding herself having to solve some nasty crimes. The show's first four episodes are now available on Peacock and they feature an array of guest stars. The show's second episode, "The Night Shift," includes a rare TV appearance by John Ratzenberger who is best known for playing Cliff Clavin on Cheers and voicing many beloved Pixar characters. Recently, Johnson and Lyonne spoke with Yahoo! Entertainment about the iconic actor's episode. 

"He's an absolute legend," Johnson said of Ratzenberger. "He came out to Albuquerque and was so happy to be there. He would crack us up on set." Lyonne added, "John would say some weird thing where you think he's not listening, and then he'd go off on this whole mini-riff ... He's a funny, funny guy." 

Johnson spoke more about the show's many cameos and teased that Ratzenberger isn't the only Cheers alum who will be popping up in Poker Face. "It's about people coming onscreen that are gonna give you joy," he explained. "Rhea Perlman has a part later on, too, so we're slowly re-assembling the Cheers cast."

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Who Guest Stars in Poker Face?

Poker Face features big guest stars such as Adrien Brody, Angel Desai, Audrey Corsa, Benjamin Bratt, Brandon Michael Hall, Charles Melton, Chelsea Frei, Cherry Jones, Chloë Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Colton Ryan, Danielle MacDonald, Dascha Polanco, Ellen Barkin, Hong Chau, Jasmine Aiyana Garvin, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, Leslie Silva, Lil Rel Howery, Luis Guzmán, Megan Suri, Niall Cunningham, Nicholas Cirillo, Nick Nolte, Reed Birney, Rhea Perlman, Ron Perlman, Rowan Blanchard, S. Epatha Merkerson, Shane Paul McGhie, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tim Meadows.

Will Poker Face Get a Second Season?

Recently, Johnson was on hand for the Television Critics Association winter press tour, and he revealed Poker Face wasn't conceived to just be a limited series (via Collider). "There are infinite stories to tell. As people watch more and more episodes and realize how distinct each one is ... there is endless possibility," Johnson explained. Lyonne later joked that she wants Poker Face to run for 76 seasons. While the show hasn't been officially renewed, it's currently got a 100% critics score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so there's a good chance Peacock will let it continue. 

The first four episodes of Poker Face are now on Peacock, and the fifth episode drops on February 2nd. 

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