Season One

**Season 1** of *Russian Doll TV Series* is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler, which premiered on February 1, 2019, on Netflix.

## Synopsis

*Russian Doll follows a woman named Nadia who is caught in a time loop as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York City. She dies repeatedly, always restarting at the same moment at the party, as she tries to figure out what is happening to her. She meets a man who is experiencing exactly the same thing in a different event.*

## Cast

### Main

* Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vulvokov (8/8)
	+ Brooke Timber as young Nadia
* Charlie Barnett as Alan Zaveri (8/8)
* Greta Lee as Maxine (7/8)
* Elizabeth Ashley as Ruth Brenner (6/8)
	+ Kate Jennings Grant as young Ruth
* Yul Vazquez as John Reyes (4/8)

### Recurring

* Rebecca Henderson as Lizzy (6/8)
* Jeremy Bobb as Mike Kershaw (5/8)
* Ritesh Rajan as Ferran(5/8)
* Dascha Polanco as Beatrice (4/8)
* Brendan Sexton III as Horse (4/8)
* Yoni Lotan as Ryan, a paramedic (4/8)
* Burt Young as Joe (2/8)

### Guest

* Waris Ahluwalia as War dog
* Chloë Sevigny as Lenora Vulvokov
* David Cale as Dr. Daniel
* Devin Ratray as a deli customer whom Nadia interrupts as he is purchasing a lottery ticket
* Stephen Adly Guirgis as Peter
* Tami Sagher as Shifra
* Jonathan Hadary as rabbi at the Tifereth Israel Synagogue
* Lillias White as Dr. Zaveri
* Charisma Glasper as Jordanna
* JD Samson as a Postmates delivery person
* Michelle Buteau as a woman who pepper sprays Alan
* Mirirai Sithole as Audrey
* Ken Beck as a paramedic (3/8)
* Max Knoblauch as a paramedic (3/8)
* Tatiana E. Rivera as Lucy (2/8)
* Jodi Lennon as ??? (2/8)
* Tawny Sorensen as Bartender (2/8)
* Alberto Bonilla as Professor (2/8)

## Gallery

### Videos

Russian Doll- Season 1 - Date Announcement -HD- - NetflixNatasha Lyonne Hates Talking About Herself - Animated Podcast Clip - NetflixNatasha Lyonne- 'Russian Doll' Is Years In The MakingAmy Poehler Attempts an Impression of Natasha Lyonne - Netflix Is A JokeRussian Doll- Season 1 - Official Trailer - NetflixRussian Doll- Season 1 - Official Trailer -2 -HD- - NetflixRussian Doll - Best Lines - NetflixRussian Doll - Every Sweet Birthday Baby - NetflixNatasha Lyonne Addresses Fans Demanding More Russian DollNatasha Lyonne On Her "Russian Doll" Character's Distinct Style - CONAN on TBSRussian Doll - Everything You Might Have Missed - Netflix
## Episodes

Nothing in This World Is EasyThe Great EscapeA Warm BodyAlan's RoutineSuperiority ComplexReflectionThe Way OutAriadne
## Trivia

* Its first season received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Lyonne.
* In June 2019, the series was renewed for a second season which is scheduled to premiere on April 20, 2022.

## Production

### Development

The series was created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland, all of whom also serve as executive producers. Headland wrote the first episode, and she and Lyonne also serve as writers for the series. Production companies involved with the series consist of Universal Television, Paper Kite Productions, Jax Media, and 3 Arts Entertainment. Alongside the initial series order announcement, it was confirmed that Lyonne would star in the series. Alongside the premiere announcement, it was confirmed that Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez, Elizabeth Ashley, and Charlie Barnett had joined the main cast and that Chloë Sevigny, Dascha Polanco, Brendan Sexton III, Rebecca Henderson, Jeremy Bobb, Ritesh Rajan, and Jocelyn Bioh would make guest appearances. Principal photography for season one began on February 22, 2018, in New York City.

## Music

The song "Gotta Get Up" by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson was used as the "reset" song each time the character Nadia dies and is resurrected. Lyonne explained to *The New York Times* that in choosing the song she was struck by the "buoyant doomsday quality" of Nilsson's life. Other contenders for the reset song included "Not Tonight" by Lil' Kim, "Crazy Feeling" by Lou Reed and "No Fun" by The Stooges. Though Netflix finally obtained the usage rights to Nilsson's song, the cost of using it so many times took up a significant portion of the music budget. His estate also limited how many times the song could be used. According to music supervisor Brienne Rose, the production was able to "find a balance between the maximum number of uses and what the budget would allow." The "reset" song utilized for the character Alan was Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4 In G Major".

## Release

On January 9, 2019, Netflix released the first trailer for the series. On January 23, 2019, the series held its official premiere at the Metrograph theater in New York City, New York. Those in attendance included series writer Jocelyn Bioh, Taylor Schilling, Natasha Lyonne, Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Chloë Sevigny, Greta Lee, Dascha Polanco, Rosie O'Donnell, Danielle Brooks, Laura Prepon, and David Harbour.

## Reception

### Critical response

The series has received widespread critical acclaim. On the review aggregation website *Rotten Tomatoes*, the first season holds a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.5/10, based on 98 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Russian Doll may be stuck in a time loop, but this endlessly inventive series never repeats itself as it teeters on a seesaw of shifting tones – from fatally funny to mournfully sad – that is balanced with exhilarating moxie by an astonishing Natasha Lyonne."

*Metacritic*, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season score of 88 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."

Alicia Lutes of *IGN* gave the first season a 10/10. Praising the series, she adds that it is "an inventive, unpredictable ride that will easily stand as one of the best shows of the year."

In a positive review, *Rolling Stone* very own Alan Sepinwall awarded the series 4+1⁄2 stars out of 5 and praised it saying, "That blend of tones, and the controlled mania of Lyonne's brilliant performance, makes Russian Doll feel like something wholly new, even as it cops to its many influences."

James Poniewozik of *The New York Times* was similarly approving saying, "Russian Doll is lean and snappily paced; it even managed the rare feat, in the era of streaming-TV bloat, of making me wish for a bit more."

Haleigh Foutch from *Collider* was equally enthusiastic giving the series a rating of 5 out of 5 stars and applauding it saying, "It's pure binge-watching magic; a show that's not only expertly designed to compel viewers to the next episode but invests just as much in the integrity of story and character."

Judy Berman from *Time* described the series as "cerebral yet propulsive" and praised its many layers calling it, "2019's best new show to date."

## External links

* Russian Doll on Wikipedia
* Watch Russian Doll on Netflix

## References

1. ↑ ‘Russian Doll’: Premiere Date & First-Look Photos For Netflix’s Natasha Lyonne Comedy - Deadline
2. ↑ er: Natasha Lyonne Relives Death On An Endless Loop In Netflix Comedy - Deadline
3. ↑ ‘Russian Doll’ Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix - Variety
4. ↑ ‘Russian Doll’: Netflix Sets Season 2 Premiere - Deadline
5. ↑ Netflix Greenlights Comedy From Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland & Amy Poehler - Deadline
6. ↑ Natasha Lyonne to Star in Netflix Comedy From Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland - Hollywood Reporter
7. ↑ Amy Poehler Heads to Netflix With a Natasha Lyonne Comedy - TV Guide
8. ↑ This Is That Song From ‘Russian Doll’ - NY Times
9. ↑ Natasha Lyonne, David Harbour At Netflix 'Russian Doll' Premiere - Patch.com
10. ↑ GRETA LEE WORE A BALENCIAGA THROWBACK FROM THE NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE DAYS - Fashionista
11. ↑ Russian Doll Season 1 Ratings - Rotten Tomatoes
12. ↑ Russian Doll: Season 1 - Metacritic
13. ↑ Netflix's Russian Doll: Season 1 Review - IGN
14. ↑ ‘Russian Doll’ Review: Natasha Lyonne Is a Revelation - Rolling Stone
15. ↑ ‘Russian Doll’: Repetitive Death Syndrome - NY Times
16. ↑ 'Russian Doll' Review: Netflix's Comedy Is a Wickedly Clever Fable of Morality & Mortality - Collider
17. ↑ Netflix's Russian Doll Is 2019's Best Show So Far - Time