Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home… a second season of Netflix hit Russian Doll is on the way!
Season 2 will be set four years after Nadia’s fateful 36th birthday party, when she was thrown into a Groundhog Day-like scenario in which she died repeatedly while trying to escape a time loop.
The new season will see Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) discover a time portal in New York that will force them to confront their past in a process that may be even more taxing – and even more of an existential journey – than the first season.
New-look images from Russian Doll season 2 have given fans a first look at Nadia and Alan’s comebacks, the latter with a new moustache, as well as a first glimpse at Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy in her as-yet-undisclosed role.
Speaking about the upcoming season, Lyonne teased to Entertainment Weekly: “It is deep, and deeply off-the-wall.”
The actress went on to describe Annie Murphy’s new character as “the heart of the show”.
She continued: “There’s some serious motherf**kers on that Russian Doll show — on a human level — and she’s definitely one of the good guys.”
Read on for all the details we have on Russian Doll season 2.
Russian Doll season 2 release date speculation
Russian Doll season 2
Netflix has confirmed that Russian Doll season 2 will land in spring 2022, but an official release date is yet to be confirmed.
Production on the second season of Russian Doll was originally due to commence last year, but hit a major setback when the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
Filming was officially delayed in March 2020, as revealed by Deadline, but the show is getting back on track and is expected to commence filming soon.
Russian Doll was officially renewed all the way back in June 2019, six months on from its premiere on Netflix, with Natasha Lyonne marking the occasion on social media with a video that homages the first season.
Co-creator Leslye Headland told RadioTimes.com back in February 2019 that the creative team originally pitched three seasons of Russian Doll to Netflix, so the story could well extend even further down the line.
Russian Doll season 2 cast
Natasha Lyonne will reprise the role of Nadia Vulvokov in the new episodes – hardly surprising given she earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance the first time round.
Fellow time-loop sufferer Alan, played by Chicago Fire’s Charlie Barnett, is also set to return, along with Nadia’s friends Maxine (Greta Lee) and Lizzy (Rebecca Henderson).
However, it’s yet to be confirmed whether we could see more from Nadia’s troubled mother, Lenora (Chloë Sevigny), or her dearly beloved family friend and guardian Ruth Brenner (Elizabeth Ashley).
However, we do know that Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy has joined the cast for season 2, although her role is being kept under wraps for the time being, while Carolyn Michelle Smith (House of Cards) will also have a recurring role.
And that news was followed by an announcement in April 2021 that revealed South African star Sharlto Copley (District 9) would also feature in the second run – with his role similarly unclear at this stage.
Russian Doll season 2 plot
Russian Doll will be set four years after Nadia’s 36th birthday party in the first season, which saw Nadia die repeatedly while trying to escape a time loop.
However, Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) won’t be in for an easier ride in season 2, with the pair set to face a fate even worse than endless death.
The new season will see the pair discover a time portal in New York that will force them to confront their past as they battle to find a way out.
The official plot synopsis reads: “Set four years after Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) escaped mortality’s time loop together, season 2 of Russian Doll will continue to explore existential thematics through an often humorous and sci-fi lens.”
Is there a trailer for Russian Doll season 2?
There’s no trailer for Russian Doll season two just yet, but Netflix did release this teaser video when the show was renewed that pokes fun at the time-loop premise.
We’ll keep this page updated with the latest clips and images from season two as they come in.
Russian Doll season 1 recap
*Warning: spoilers ahead for Russian Doll season one*
Nadia Vulvokov is an independent and embittered software engineer who dies at her 36th birthday party, before waking up and reliving the night all over again (which always begins with a shout of “sweet birthday baby!” from loyal friend Maxine).
Forced to solve the existential puzzle she’s presented with, Nadia initially thinks that she’s being haunted (or on a really bad trip), until she meets Alan, a man who died by suicide on the same night, and who is also reliving it.
Nadia soon realises that they’re stuck in a repetitive reality similar to that of a video game, where the original night they both died serves as a jumping-off point (see our more detailed explanation of the Russian Doll time loop).
Objects and people begin to disappear as the nights continue, she and Alan discover they have limited time to fix the broken aspect within themselves (for Nadia, it’s her guilt over her mother’s death, while for Alan, it’s the realisation that his girlfriend’s infidelity was partly driven by his own actions).
In the final episode of the series, the pair wake up on the original night — but in separate realities – and in each, the other person doesn’t remember the shared experience.
Using the personal knowledge of one another that they have developed over the numerous time-loops endured together, Alan and Nadia set out to save each other’s lives.
Russian Doll is available to stream on Netflix – check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or see what else is on with our TV guide.
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