With each passing, more viewers fell in love with Natasha Lyonne’s 2019 bizarre time-loop comedy Russian Doll. The Netflix original follows Nadia (Lyonne), a hard-partying New Yorker whose 36th birthday ends fatally, plunging her into a Groundhog Day-style scenario in which she must die repeatedly to unravel the riddle of what killed her in the first place.
Nadia meets Alan (Charlie Barnett) halfway through the season, who is also locked in a similar circle. Together, they form a time-bending odd couple attempting to untangle themselves, resulting in a highly successful sitcom that received widespread critical acclaim and Emmy nominations.
While many praised the series for being completely self-contained in its first season, co-creators Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland revealed upon the series’s release that they were interested in developing a multi-season arc. Then, in June 2019, several months after the show’s February 2019 launch, it was officially renewed for a second season.
Given how long it’s been since the program premiered on Netflix—and given how vague the show’s finale was, to begin with—you’re undoubtedly interested in the comedy’s future. Here’s an overview of what we know about Russian Doll Season 2.
What Will Season 2 of Russian Doll Be About?
There were virtually no details regarding what Season 2 would include until February 2022—three freaking years after the conclusion of Season 1. Now, as the show prepares for its Season 2 launch, Lyonne is finally providing some insight into what viewers might expect.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the new episodes begin four years after the events of Season 1’s finale, when her character Nadia and Alan managed to break free from the time loop. That is not to say, however, that it will follow a linear narrative. Indeed, she referred to the season as an “It’s a wild trip,” he added. It is profound and profoundly off-the-wall.”
While it may sound ambiguous, it has been confirmed that, rather than a time loop, time travel will be a feature of the tale this time around. According to EW, “the couple uncover a destiny worse than perpetual death as they are forced to sift through their pasts via an unforeseen time vortex hidden in one of Manhattan’s most iconic locations.”
According to the first teaser trailer, one of New York City’s best institutions, the subway, is going to transform into a time machine for poor, unsuspecting Nadia.
Apart from that, in a postmortem on the first season’s enigmatic ending, Lyonne implied that several versions of the characters could exist, depending on their success in leaving their loops: “This begs the issue of how many incarnations [of the characters] exist in total. That was undoubtedly considered.
In this video game context, it raises the question of whether they have entered a whole new situation at that point, having completed that round.” Perhaps that will have a role in the upcoming season as well. Wherever it goes, we’re looking forward to finding out what crazy adventure Nadia and Alan have planned for us next.
When Will Season 2 of Russian Doll Be Released?
Russian Doll will make its Season 2 debut on Wednesday, April 20. (Thus, 4/20 is appropriate for everyone who celebrates.) In early March, Netflix finally announced the show’s return.
For viewers who tuned in at the show’s first winter 2019 launch, it may seem like an eternity since we first saw Nadia’s startled reflection in the bathroom mirror (over and over again). It was ultimately postponed owing to the epidemic, but after a lengthy wait, it’s finally time to be excited because we’re about to embark on a multiverse adventure with Nadia.
Who in the Cast Will Be Back for Russian Doll Season 2?
The first season’s finale, in which Nadia and Alan (Charlie Barnett) eventually break free of their time loop and stage a small parade in lower Manhattan, may have felt like a fitting conclusion to their stories. However, Headland stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that regardless of the show’s direction, Nadia will always play a role.
“When the pitch was first made, Nadia was a constant presence across all three [planned seasons]. However, it was not in a traditional manner, if that makes sense. She was constantly present since we all knew Lyonne would be the show’s beating heart and soul. She would be present, whether she was being haunted or haunting the tale.”
For a time, though, it was uncertain whether Nadia’s friends and partner-in-time-loop-traveling would also return. According to Lyonne’s cast photographs, it appears as though nearly everyone is returning—which makes sense given their significance to Nadia.
It appears as though we’ll be seeing more of Alan (Charlie Barnett), Maxine (Greta Lee), and Lizzy (Rebecca Henderson). While it was unclear for a moment if we would see more of Chloe Sevigny in her role as Nadia’s mother, official images indicated that she will feature as well.
Is There a Trailer for Russian Doll Season 2?
A few weeks before the season’s premiere, Netflix released a full-length trailer for Season 2, providing fans with their first glimpse of what the next edition would be about. After stumbling onto a subway vehicle that resembles “some sort of ’80s flashmob” and includes advertisements for Sophie’s Choice, Nadia believes she has been transported physically back in time.
We see her reuniting with Alan and tell him, “The universe has discovered something worse than death: I broke time.” It appears as though the two-time travelers, er, “time prisoners,” as Nadia refers to them, are compelled to complete some unfinished business by traveling from the present to the 1980s to the early 1900s. It appears to be dizzying and crazy, but even more so than Season 1.
If one trailer isn’t enough, a teaser was released when Netflix confirmed the premiere date. It’s another sneak peek at Nadia’s next journey, with her boarding the subway, falling asleep, and ending up in some sort of time-traveling train car that whisks her away to some strange locales rather than her intended goal in the Lower East Side.
It’s all quite surreal, and she adds at one point, “When the universe fucks with you, let it,” so brace yourselves for what is sure to be an extremely frustrating second season.
What Time Does Netflix Release New Shows?
At 3:00 a.m. ET/midnight PT, Netflix publishes new episodes.
| Pacific Standard Time | 12:00 AM (GMT-7) |
| Mountain Standard Time | 01:00 AM (GMT-6) |
| Central Standard Time | 02:00 AM (GMT-5) |
| Eastern Daylight Time | 03:00 AM (GMT-4) |
| Brasilia Standard Time | 04:00 AM (GMT-3) |
| GMT | 07:00 AM (GMT) |
| British Summer Time | 08:00 AM (GMT +1) |
| Central European Summer Time | 09:00 AM (GMT+2) |
| Eastern European Summer Time | 10:00 AM (GMT+3) |
| India Standard Time | 13:15 PM (GMT+5:30) |
| Philippine Time (PHT) | 15:00 (GMT+8:00) |
| Japan Standard Time | 16:00 PM (GMT+9) |
| Australian Eastern Time | 18:00 PM (GMT+10) |
| New Zealand Standard Time | 19:00 PM (GMT+11) |
What Is the Future of Russian Doll?
At the time of writing, there is no word on Russian Doll’s future. If the second season garners the same level of enthusiasm as the first, there will undoubtedly be a need for more.
Are There Any New Cast Members in Russian Doll Season 2?
The lengthy wait for more Russian Dolls appears to be paying off, judging by the new additions to the cast. Variety revealed in early March 2021 that Schitt’s Creek breakout star Annie Murphy (a.k.a. Alexis Rose) will appear in Season 2. Although details about her character are scant, given her outrageous Emmy-winning performance on the sitcom, the more tense comedy of her new AMC series Kevin Can F**k Himself, and Russian Doll’s approach, her role should be enjoyable.
We do know that she is supposed to portray someone who is really “one of the good guys” in Nadia’s chaotic environment. According to Lyonne, she is an “ally” her character will encounter and a “central component and the heart of the season” who assists her in coming to terms with “the fact of mortality.”
Along with Murphy, Carolyn Michelle Smith (Colony, House of Cards) was added to the cast in mid-March 2021, Deadline reported. Additionally, it is unknown who she will portray, but she has been tapped to recur in the upcoming season. Sharlto Copley (Chappie, District 9) is another South African actor cast in an unknown but recurring role.
Ephraim Sykes (Hamilton) is another newcomer. He’s set to appear as a guest star, and Netflix, of course, is keeping its lips locked to avoid revealing any character information. With the season cloaked in secrecy, we can only hope they’ll be portraying some colorful characters.