May 2025

How Columbo Influenced the Cinematographers of Poker Face

Much has been said about the visual and thematic similarities between the crime-drama series Poker Face — starring Natasha Lyonne as a casino worker who can always tell when a person is lying — and Columbo, the classic crime-drama series starring Peter Falk as a rumpled LAPD detective with an eagle eye and a mind like a steel trap. Besides the numerous think pieces and subreddit threads on the subject, AC ran a story on the filming of Poker Face in June 2023 — featuring series cinematographers Steve Yedlin, ASC, Jaron Presant, ASC, and Christine Ng — and the ASC produced an episode of its Clubhouse Conversations video series highlighting the cinematographers' work. Watch: Steve Yedlin, ASC, Jaron Presant, ASC and Christine Ng on Poker...more