Poker Face is miraculous in its not-miraculousness. At its heart, it is a guest star—increasingly guest starS—of the week procedural. Columbo is its most obvious ancestor. Both are “howcatchem” with small episode orders (although with just two seasons, Poker Face has made around a third as many episodes as Columbo did over the course of 10 seasons), centered on a rumpled, unconventional investigator. However, there’s plenty in the series to evoke the likes of celeb-cast-forward offerings like Love Boat, Fantasy Island, or Hotel. Every episode follows nearly the same structure. And yet, each installment feels like an unmissable treat.

A considerable part of the credit goes to its lead, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne). She seemingly has the ability to generate genuine chemistry with anyone. Dressed like a roadie with her classic car and her “take the day as it comes” attitude, she feels like a prototypical American loner. Given her ability to spot a lie the moment it’s spoken, it makes sense she’d want to stick to herself. However, deep down, Cale seems to love people. She connects quickly and builds authentic relationships rapidly. As a result, there’s no ugly superiority or cynicism hanging on her. That makes her deeply likable and someone so easy to cheer for as a person. The show takes great pains to make her more than just a mystery-solving delivery system.

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It also gives Poker Face Season 2 a bittersweet flavor as she connects with victim and murderer alike. The series wisely never lets its murderers off the hook by handwaving their turn to villainy as acceptable tragedy. On the other hand, it never reduces any of them to just their sins. The plot moves just slowly enough for viewers to see many of the killers’ humanity. It takes its time to show how a decent person can turn rotten.

Much thanks to that goes to the casting. Unlike most of the shows mentioned above, Poker Face Season 2 isn’t lining its bench with the lineups from Battle of the Network Stars. The guests are recognizable, certainly, but also deeply talented. The reason audiences can appreciate why Cale would feel empathy for funeral director Fred Finch (Giancarlo Esposito) isn’t just in Lyonne’s performance. Esposito invests the character with sadness and humming anxiety. This isn’t Shakespearean tragedy, of course, but the show knows “the seeds of their downfall are already taking root in their souls” playbook well. You get that Agent Daniel Clyde-Otis (John Mulaney) is a dick from jump AND you understand how he was once a good friend to Agent Luca Clark (Simon Helberg, back and still so wonderful in the part).

That goes for so many of the numerous actors who move in and out of Cale’s life and Poker Face Season 2’s action. Gabby Hoffman. David Krumholtz. Cynthia Erivo. Simon Rex. Katie Holmes. Sam Richardson. With rare exceptions—take Kumail Nanjiani, cop/local celebrity gator owner as a sad for instance—none of them feel like cartoon characters or plot devices, existing only to be the killer or the killed. As good as the season is at keeping its focus on Cale, it remains remarkably generous to its single-episode players.

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Widening out some, Poker Face Season 2 appreciates the rootless people among us. There’s, of course, Cale, as noted above. However, the season is shot through with appreciation for vagabonds of all types, from on-location film crews to minor league baseball squads to a con artist team chasing a get-rich-quick scheme. While clearly intricately plotted and tightly directed, placing wanders at the center of most of the narratives gives the show a loose, easygoing feeling. It’s nearly as much fun to hang out in these little-seen worlds as it is to watch Lyonne catch yet another killer in one lie too many. The audience wants to keep tagging along with her, but there are moments of “wait, can’t we just stay with them a little longer?”

In the end, that might be what makes Poker Face Season 2 feel so special despite following a well-trod formula. Lyonne is endlessly compelling. Each location she randomly visits next feels alive with possibility and incident. They weren’t frozen in amber waiting for her arrival, and they keep going after she heads out of town. She’s special, and so is everyone else. That makes it a remarkably upbeat and optimistic feeling show despite the bodies that seem to follow her wherever she goes. At a time when so much news seems to be about the breakdowns in connection and communication, an ever-present belief that the map is dotted by groups of people as ready as ever to welcome someone new into their community animates Poker Face Season 2. It’s difficult to resist getting swept up by that. And, honestly, why would you try?

Poker Face Season 2 is calling BS on Peacock.

Poker Face Season 2 Trailer: