Rian Johnson‘s “Poker Face” has emerged as one of the most enjoyable new TV series of the last year as he returns to the murder-mystery genre with this episodic, case-of-the-week format that clearly delights those on-screen as much as it does those watching it.
The comedy show follows Natasha Lyonne as Charlie, who has an uncanny ability to determine if somebody is lying. She goes on the run from the casino she used to work at after a suspicious death occurs and then, on her travels, she meets a vast array of colorful characters as she solves a new murder each week on her road trip.
Each week presents new actors having the time of their lives and one of those people is the Oscar-winning Adrien Brody, who features as Sterling Frost Jr, the casino manager who is also the son of Ron Perlman‘s ruthless Sterling Frost Snr. As the junior, Brody has the time of his life hamming it up with sliminess, swaggering overconfidence, and a sense of desperation to prove himself. As one of the show’s many enjoyable guest stars, Brody appears in only one episode — the pilot episode, titled “Dead Man’s Hand.” He does also appear in a voice-only role in the season finale (“The Hook”), but that is an uncredited appearance. So it’s a one-and-done for Brody but, as usual, he is a joy to watch, as critics have noted.
Kambole Campbell (Polygon) explained: “It feels like a breath of fresh air that ‘Poker Face’ fills a niche of one-and-dones, and has a lot of fun doing so as it rotates through an astounding guest list. Adrien Brody is fueled by a ‘Succession’-esque mix of overconfidence and desperation in the premiere as the failson heir to a casino.”
Richard Roeper (Chicago Sun-Times) observed: “Adrien Brody is in prime slickster form as Sterling Frost Jr., who operates the casino under the still-formidable shadow of his retired father.”
Brian Tallerico (The Playlist) wrote: “She can’t always figure out why they’re lying, but she knows a lie, which has made her an enemy of the gambling powers that be, represented by a casino boss played perfectly by Adrien Brody in the premiere. Despite his casino magnate father wanting Charlie away from the tables, Brody convinces Charlie that they can scam one of the whales at the establishment with a rigged game.”
The positive reception to Brody’s short but sharp role in “Poker Face” means that we currently predict him to earn a Best Comedy Guest Actor nomination alongside Lelie Odom Jr. (“Abbott Elementary”), Pedro Pascal (“Saturday Night Live”), Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Steve Martin and Martin Short (“Saturday Night Live”), and Nathan Lane (“Only Murders in the Building”).
There are several reasons why Brody has made this predicted line-up, not least because of that overwhelmingly positive critical reception. In fact, “Poker Face” season one sits on a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. That is higher than all but one of the seasons that Brody’s competitors in this category are in. Season 48 of “Saturday Night Live,” which Pascal and Martin and Short are in the mix for, sits on a middling 70%. Meanwhile, Season two of Lane’s “Only Murders in the Building” is on 98% and the fifth and final season of Kirby’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” received 94%. Only Odom Jr’s second season of “Abbott Elementary” earned a higher RT score than “Poker Face,” with an impressive, perfect 100%. Listen to the critics on this one, “Poker Face” show is very well-liked.
And speaking of the show being well-liked… We currently predict that the series will also be nominated for Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actress for Lyonne, Best Comedy Guest Actress for Judith Light, and another Best Comedy Guest Actress award for Cherry Jones. Plus, Nick Nolte is also on the precipice for a Comedy Guest Actor bid. If Emmy voters like the show as much as we think they will, Brody will, for sure, get swept along for the ride similar to many previous nominees in this category, such as several of last year’s nominees: Sam Richardson and James Lance (both “Ted Lasso”), Christopher McDonald for “Hacks,” and, the winner, Lane for “Only Murders in the Building.” Fred Willard (in 2020 for “Modern Family”), Rufus Sewell (in 2019 for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), and Hugh Laurie (in 2017 for “Veep”) have all also been beneficiaries of this phenomenon.
But let’s talk about Brody himself for a second. Brody won the Best Actor Oscar for “The Pianist” in 2003, is a four-time SAG nominee, a Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee, and a three-time Emmy nominee. Those Emmy nominations were for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for “Houdini” in 2015 (he lost to Richard Jenkins for “Olive Kitteridge”), Best Narrator for “Breakthrough” in 2016 (he lost to Keith David for “Jackie Robinson”), and Best Drama Guest Actor for “Succession” last year (he lost to Colman Domingo for “Euphoria”). He’s a tried and tested awards winner who has proven that awards bodies like him and are willing to vote for him, so that will continue here. Plus, he has the support of the Emmys — and that support is recent while it is also support in a guest-acting category, demonstrating that voters are willing to nominate Brody for his guest-acting work.
Also, that bid for “Succession” last year really does help. Emmy voters LOVE “Succession” and Brody’s involvement there will only benefit him. The Emmys are willing to nominate guest actors for appearing in different shows, too: Harriet Walter earned guest acting bids for both comedy (“Ted Lasso” in 2022) and drama (“Succession” in 2020 and 2022); Cherry Jones won back-to-back Drama Guest Actor awards for two different shows (“The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2019 and “Succession” in 2020); and Bradley Whitford was nominated twice for Comedy Guest Actor for “Transparent” in 2015 and 2016 (winning in 2015) and then soon after earned Drama Guest Actor win in 2019 for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Brody could follow suit by earning two guest-acting bids for two different shows — the Emmys respect that.
And, last but not least, Brody is an Oscar-winning movie star. Emmy voters love to nominate those kinds of performers in guest acting categories. F. Murray Abraham (for Drama Guest Actor in 2015 and 2018 for “Homeland”), Morgan Freeman (for Comedy Guest Actor in 2021 for “The Kominsky Method”), and Daniel Kaluuya (for Comedy Guest Actor in 2021 for “Saturday Night Live”) are all Oscar-winning actors who have recently been nominated for their guest-acting performances. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin (in 2005 and 2006 for “Will & Grace” and in 2021 for “Saturday Night Live”), Adam Driver (in 2020 for “Saturday Night Live”), and Dev Patel (in 2020 for “Modern Love”) are all Oscar nominees who recently earned Comedy Guest Actor nominations. So, there you have it. There are a ton of reasons why Brody is in our predicted line-up for Comedy Guest — and, most certainly, while he will stay there.
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