As “Poker Face” launches Season 2 Thursday with three episodes on Peacock, Natasha Lyonne knows this scores as a significant career highlight.

Lyonne, at 46, can reflect on her start as a child on “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” and comebacks with the hit series “Orange is the New Black” and “Russian Doll.”

In the weekly comedic mysteries of “Poker Face” she’s Charlie, who has the ability to tell when people are lying. The series was created by “Knives Out” maestro Rian Johnson (also the writer-director-producer), while Lyonne is a co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer.

At a joint virtual press conference, the two discussed this new season with its many, many guest stars.

“On one hand, it has obviously a very ‘Colombo’ style structure to it,” Johnson, 51, began. “One of the tweaks though, is this flashback thing where Charlie is in flashbacks and we see her get to know either the victim or the killer and form a relationship with them.

“That’s what draws her into solving the crime. And that’s important because she’s not a cop” — she’s a casino worker on the run.

“It’s not her job to solve the crime. So, she needs an emotional way in, in every single episode. For us, opening up the season makes Charlie come to each episode trying to find her place in the world.

“It just also gives us more ammunition specifically for what makes each episode tick — whether it’s the killer or the killee.”

“It’s been a lonely journey between Season 1 and 2,” Lyonne said. “Like, the loneliness of the long distance runner or something. It’s a long time to not be in touch with any family or friends.”

As to what other fictional characters in television or film have inspired the character, Lyonne cited Elliot Gould’s classic gumshoe Philip Marlowe in the 1973 LA-set movie “The Long Goodbye.”

“When we first talked about doing this show together, that was the very first reference both of us went to,” Johnson revealed. “Just in terms of vibe, mostly.

“There’s obviously a lot of Colombo in Peter Falk — and in Natasha. But the reality is when you have somebody as talented, singular and iconic as Natasha Lyonne, that’s what makes a show like this work.

“She’s the sun at the center of this little solar system who can hold it all together gravity-wise.”

Johnson also noted that, “Part of the intention of the show is to bring back the pleasures of what I think of as TV-TV. The stuff I grew up with in front of the TV watching: ‘Quantum Leap,’ ‘The A Team,’ ‘Magnum, P.I.’ Episodic shows.”

Peacock streams 3 episodes of “Poker Face” May 8