Rian Johnson explains the Stephen Sondheim nods throughout Season 2 of ‘Poker Face.’

Rian Johnson is a Stephen Sondheim fan through and through. Look no further than Glass Onion. The second Benoit Blanc film not only drew heavily on whodunnit The Last of Sheila, which Sondheim co-wrote with Anthony Perkins, but also featured a cameo from Sondheim himself, playing Among Us alongside Blanc (Daniel Craig), Angela Lansbury, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne. Johnson’s love for Sondheim continues in Poker Face Season 2, episode 3, “Whack-a-Mole,” written by Wyatt Cain. The episode features a running gag about FBI agents Luca (Simon Helberg) and Daniel’s (John Mulaney) appreciation for Sondheim. “Who’s like us? Damn few,” they say in a nod to Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.

But the Sondheim connections don’t stop there! Episode 3 star Richard Kind has appeared in Sondheim shows like Road Show (formerly titled Bounce) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also starred in Documentary Now!’s spoof of the documentary Original Cast Album: Company. You know who else starred in that parody? Mulaney, playing the episode’s Sondheim stand-in. How deep does the Johnson-Sondheim connection go?

A recent discussion highlighted Johnson’s insights on the Sondheim references in “Whack-a-Mole” and Glass Onion, as well as the urgent need for Charlie Cale (Lyonne) to have a real human connection with each murder victim. “Besides just being inspired by him constantly, I’ll sneak him in anywhere I can, in terms of a reference,” Johnson shared about Sondheim.

The first three episodes of Poker Face Season 2 are now streaming on Peacock, with a new episode airing every Thursday.