Charlie is back … and as sharp and quirky as ever

Like most good things in life, good TV shows make us wait.
They have shorter seasons, further apart. And they’re worth it.
Which is to say that “Poker Face,” one of TV’s best shows, is finally back.
The first, brilliant season ended in March of 2023. The second returns to Peacock with three terrific episodes on May 8, then has one a week for seven more Thursdays. It again ripples with sharp wit and quick twists, reflecting the two people in charge:
— Rian Johnson is the gifted writer-director of “Looper” and the “Knives Out” trilogy. (The first two each drew Oscar nominations for best script; the third arrives later this year.)
— Natasha Lyonne is the actress from two big streaming series — “Orange is the New Black” and “Russian Doll” — plus lots of individual films.
Johnson created this with Lyonne in mind: She plays Charlie, a sunny soul who can always tell when someone is lying. Her bosses at a Las Vegas casino liked that at first, then didn’t, because … well, they lied a lot.
By the end of the first season, a Mob boss — played by Rhea Perlman, who doesn’t get many Mob-boss roles — vowed to have people find and kill her.
That last part strains credibility: Why would someone on the lam have a distinctive blue muscle-car and a distinctive red hairstyle, both of them visible from the space station?
But have patience, because this will pass. Charlie has a friend in the FBI (Simon Helberg, who was Howard in “The Big Bang Theory”); she also makes new friends easily.
Johnson may not be as involved this season, but he is the producer, keeping the same clever touches. He also directed the first episode.
Lyonne directed the second and other skilled actors join in. Adam Arkin is a producer and directed several episodes; Maya Rudolph is one of the producers … just as Lyonne is a producer for Rudolph’s superb “Loot.”
And good actors keep joining. Cynthia Erivo has multiple roles in this season’s first episode; the third has Helberg, Perlman, Richard Kind and John Mulaney.
That third one may be the best, filled with surprises. It’s also the only one that breaks from the “Poker Face” formula.
The others start with a no-Charlie stretch that’s long (13 to 19 minutes) and lethal. Then we back up and see Charlie, usually before the crime.
We’re always glad to see her, and not just because she has the best hairstyle since “Klute,” “Ghost” and Farrah. She has an infectious spirit, plus the ability to catch everyone (including killers) off-guard.
That knack has always been helpful, from Miss Marple to Columbo to Elsbeth. Fans of such shows can see other familiar touches.
One of the best “Elsbeth” episodes had David Alan Grier obsessively maintaining his family’s funeral-home tradition. Now the season’s second “Poker Face” has Giancarlo Esposito obsessively maintaining his family’s funeral-home tradition, with Katie Holmes as his perplexed wife.
And yes, Grier shows up in this series, too. He’s in the ninth episode, as an impediment … which is a David Alan Grier specialty.
By then Charlie, who roamed small-town America, is borrowing a Manhattan apartment owned by an unseen phone buddy.
This is not her natural turf, but she still has work to do. New York, it turns out, has some liars.