# Russian Doll (2019)

> A cynical New York party-goer relives the night of her 36th birthday over and over, each death pulling her deeper into a surreal loop.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/72307

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 15
- Episode runtime: 26 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama, fantasy
- Created by: Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez, Chloë Sevigny, Elizabeth Ashley, David Cale, Fady Kerko
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7520794/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: darkly comic, surreal, philosophical, cynical, bittersweet

## What critics say

Reviewers admire Natasha Lyonne's performance and the show's layered, philosophical take on a time loop, though some find its tone abrasive and its comparisons to Groundhog Day unfair.

## Synopsis

Russian Doll (2019-2022) is a Netflix dark comedy dramedy created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland. Natasha Lyonne plays Nadia Vulvokov, a sharp-tongued New Yorker who keeps dying and waking back at the start of her own 36th birthday party, the same night recurring in a surreal loop. Her engine is the desperate attempt to understand why it keeps happening while she confronts her own mortality, and each episode is built around a fresh death, a new attempt at escape, and a slow, painful unpacking of her troubled past. Charlie Barnett plays Alan Zaveri, a fellow partygoer caught in the same loop, and Greta Lee plays Maxine, a friend whose own bruised life sits beside Nadia's. Chloë Sevigny appears as Lenora Vulvokov, while Elizabeth Ashley and Yul Vazquez fill out the supporting cast. The series runs for two seasons and fifteen episodes of roughly half an hour each, following one continuing mystery rather than standalone cases. Set in present-day Manhattan, its surreal tone mixes gallows humor, raw emotion and philosophical questions about meaning and identity. Fans of Groundhog Day, Dark and Atlanta will find resonance in its blend of absurd comedy and existential weight.

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