Peacock's new series "Poker Face" is getting rave reviews, but there seem to be only two problems. First, "Poker Face" is not the only one. Yes, "Poker Face," starring Natasha Lyonne, suffers from such namespace pollution that an Internet search for "poker face review" brings up the Russell Crowe film of the same name from 2022.

Secondly, being a Peacock film, it is not a "Poker Face" film, but rather a "Poker Face" film. We at Tom's Guide love Peacock and have named it one of the best streaming services, but so far it has not been a must-see TV destination; Girls5Eva was good, but it has moved to Netflix, and We Are Lady Parts is one of the lesser-known hits.

The good news, however, is that critics absolutely love Lyonne's Poker Face. The series currently holds a rare score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (open in new tab) (though the site is experiencing a bug at the time of publication). And if Lyonne in "Russian Doll" wasn't enough, "Poker Face" is the work of Rian Johnson, director and creator of "Knives Out," who is also a favorite from "The Glass Onion."

However, even after knowing all that, some may still wonder if they should watch "Poker Face." So let's break it down.

Poker Face is a new drama series with about an hour-long episode that debuted today (Thursday, January 26) on Peacock with four episodes. In it, we meet Charlie Cale (Lyonne), a woman with a natural ability to go through the motions. According to Johnson (opens in new tab), Cale is inspired by Detective Columbo, who is a face on TV detective Mount Rushmore.

Poker Face begins with Cale working at a casino. However, one thing leads his boss, Sterling Frost Jr. (Adrien Brody), and employee Cliff Legrand (Benjamin Bratt) to make Cale go on the run.

Poker Face then becomes a weekly mystery series. Alone, making a living and meeting many new people, Cale's life becomes an episodic mystery drama.

Along the way, she encounters a number of strange characters played by prominent guest stars. Among them are Ellen Barkin ("Diner"), S. Epatha Merkerson ("Law & Order"), Hong Chau ("Whale"), Lil Rel Howery ("Get Out"), and John Darnielle ("Mountain Goats"). Each new character is connected to a new crime in a new town, making "Poker Face" a road trip full of questions.

As noted above, "Poker Face" has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (though the site is currently experiencing technical difficulties). And that score is based on sheer rave reviews.

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone magazine (open in new tab) praised "Poker Face," and in his review, he wrote that Lyonne's "utterly charming and triumphant performance is as much about the various kinds of wood that she, alone, can use to discern the lies of, say, Lil Rel He praised her as "as good as tasting and interacting with great guest stars like Hong Chau and Ellen Barkin. He also exclaims, "What a relief and a delight to see a television show that actually wants to be a television show and knows how to make it work at such a high level." Johnson and Lyon say they want to make "Poker Face" for as long as possible. I hope they get the chance. This is great."

At the BBC, Caryn James wrote that "'Poker Face' is sly, easy, escapist fun," and Cale said, "[Lyonne] may be the most likable and least acerbic character I have ever played."

Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab) declared, "Natasha Lyonne is like the last pack of cigarettes in a vape pen world. And if you think the early episodes are good, Franich says, "Of the six episodes released to critics, my favorite is the one after showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman start riffing.

Thursday is my favorite night to catch up on lagging television. This is because Peacock released four episodes of Poker Face. Lyonne and Johnson have proven to be masters of their craft as of late, and while I didn't need critical elation to want to see it, they are pushing me to start watching it sooner rather than saving it for the next weekend.

My overall assessment of "Poker Face" is that it is a cozy, highly watchable modern noir and, so far, the perfect escapist film. Let's hope this film is a hit and Peacock orders more. It may indeed need to be a hit. I'm keeping Peacock for WWE live events, but I know it's far from a popular priority for many; I hope Peacock's $4.99/month fee doesn't deter anyone from checking out Poker Face.