Netflix has unveiled the trailer for Season 2 of “Russian Doll,” which is slated to premiere on April 20 more than three years after its critically-acclaimed first season.
Created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland, the mind-bending dramedy ended its last season with Nadia (Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) escaping a time loop that restarted each time they suddenly died.
Season 2 picks up four years later, but it’s a subway ride rather than a cocaine-laced cigarette that seems to send Nadia catapulting into a new dimension. After a stranger asks her, “Is that your train?” she woozily awakens inside a subway car that feels plucked from another decade. Spotting a “Sophie’s Choice” poster and a Travis Bickle lookalike, she wonders whether she’s woken up in the middle of an “’80’s flash mob.”
With her history of bad luck and madcap metaphysical experiences, it’s only a matter of time before Nadia realizes what’s going on. “The universe finally found something worse than death,” she tells a mustachioed Alan. “I broke time.”
Figuring that they have “unfinished business,” the duo embarks on an adventure across time and train tunnels. An old story about a family who lost its gold twice on a train might have something to do with it. “Inexplicable things happening is my entire modus operandi,” says Nadia.
The series’ trademark kaleidoscopic visuals and psychedelic montages are back, as are various characters from the first season: Maxine (Greta Lee) and Lizzy (Rebecca Henderson), who once threw Nadia her infamous birthday party among them. Annie Murphy of “Schitt’s Creek,” seen here sporting a gloriously ’80s look, is a newcomer to the cast.
The trailer ends with a man in a bar asking Nadia if she’s a time-traveler. “I prefer the term ‘time prisoner,’” she replies before downing a shot.
In 2019, the show’s first season was nominated for 13 Emmys and won three, for its costume design, cinematography and production design.
“Russian Doll” is executive produced by Lyonne, who also serves as showrunner. It’s also executive produced by Alex Buono and Amy Poehler of Paper Kite Productions, Leslye Headland, Lilly Burns and Tony Hernandez of Jax Media, Dave Becky (3 Arts), Kate Arend (Paper Kite Productions), Regina Corrado and Allison Silverman. The series is also produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
