The second season of Poker Face is finally here, and you’ll certainly want to jump into those first three episodes. Of course, the question is whether this series is something to watch with the kids around.
Poker Face is more like Columbo in the sense that it’s not a “whodunit” but a “howdunit.” Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale is on the run, and she seems to end up in places where there have been murders. However, the murderer is getting away with it, until Charlie shows up.
Charlie has the ability to tell when someone is lying to her. She just has this sixth sense about it, and it leads to her figuring out what really happened in town, even if that wasn’t what she really wanted to do!
Poker Face age rating: Explaining the TV-MA age rating
I’ll admit that I wouldn’t have made this TV-MA, but I can understand why it is. However, in parts of Canada, it’s 13+ or TV-14, and in the United Kingdom, it’s 15+. This gives you an idea of what to expect, but let’s break down what makes up that age rating.
Sex & nudity: While there are certainly mentions of sex now and then, it isn’t visually shown on the screen. The worst of the visual is when several penises are shown on a screen in the series premiere. After that, nothing is visual; at least, not up to the first three episodes of Poker Face season 2.
Violence & gore: There are some scenes on the more violent side. In fact, in the series premiere, we see someone fall out of a window, and there are multiple scenes of murders, whether it’s off a building, in an explosion, or from a stab or gunshot wound.
A lot of the violence is done off-screen, though. We don’t end up seeing many of the bodies after people have been killed, which is likely why it’s considered okay for teens.
Language: This is where the show gets you! Lyonne is not one to mince her words, and she regularly drops the F-bomb as Charlie throughout Poker Face. If you’ve seen anything like Russian Doll that she’s in, you’ll know what to expect from her!
She’s not the only one to swear, either. Multiple characters use harsh language, with the F-bomb being the harshest of the words used.
Alcohol & drugs: Charlie likes to drink and smoke. A lot! This is seen in the majority of episodes, including right at the start when we meet her at her trailer. Some of the characters are implied alcoholics due to the amount that they drink — usually functioning ones, which makes it a topic of conversation with children.
Overall verdict: Who is Poker Face appropriate for?
This is one of those shows that while it has a TV-MA rating in the United States, it could work for some older teenagers. There is a lot of harsh language, but that this point, I do think they hear more of it on the playground at school.
The violence may be a little too much for some, but it’s not gory or gratuitous. The focus is on solving the murders, and following how Charlie figures out what we already know, as well as the reasons for the murder. This is something I’d be comfortable watching with a 16-18-year-old, but it’s not exactly aimed at them.
Poker Face season 2 airs Thursdays on Peacock.