When it comes to some of the biggest shows on Netflix, several pop up in my mind. Stranger Things is one, and The Witcher is another, but one that you might not think of as quite so often is Russian Doll, the Natasha Lyonne-led comedy that came out in 2019.
The series, which was actually one of Netflix’s best-reviewed shows in that year, captured the hearts of viewers thanks to an entertaining storyline and great acting from both Lyonne and the rest of the cast. But, for some time, we’ve been waiting for an update on Russian Doll Season 2. If you’ve been looking around to see what's happening with the next season of this awesome show, check out these quick things that we know.
Natasha Lyonne Is Expected To Return
While there hasn’t been an official update yet on whether Lyonne is going to officially return as Nadia for the second season, it’s expected that she'll be back, given her involvement with the show. Lyonne is a co-creator and executive producer for Russian Doll, and was the star of Season 1, so it would be pretty surprising if she didn’t come back for Season 2.
But, keep in mind that we don’t have an official cast list for Season 2 - just various casting announcements for people who have signed on for it (as will be talked about in a second). No one can deny that Russian Doll is definitely one of Lyonne’s best performances so far of her career, so I hope we get to see her as Nadia once again real soon.
Russian Doll Season 2 Will Have Plenty Of New Faces, Including Annie Murphy, Carolyn Michelle Smith, And More
After the finale of the first season of Russian Doll, it’s hard to figure out exactly where the story is going to go from there, but thankfully, even if we have no idea what is going to happen to Nadia next, we have an idea of the people she'll meet, thanks to some pretty awesome casting news.
As we previously reported by CinemaBlend when Netflix announced the news on Twitter, it was revealed that Annie Murphy has joined the cast of Russian Doll Season 2.
Murphy has been making headlines lately for her breakout role as part of the Schitt’s Creek cast, as well as her own starring series on AMC, called Kevin Can F**k Himself. So, it’s exciting to see her join the cast of another awesome Netflix series. She spoke to Parade about it in an interview in September of 2021, and Murphy admitted she had the time of her life shooting the show:
I can say I had the most wonderful time shooting it. I got to shoot in the subway and I got to drive a sports car down the streets of SoHo and shoot in a brownstone on the Upper West Side. It was just such an awesome experience.
Some more casting news from Deadline reported that Caroyln Michelle Smith, known for her roles in House of Cards, Luke Cage, and many other series, was cast in a recurring role for Russian Doll Season 2. Another report from Deadline noted that Sharlto Copley, known for roles in District 9 and Powers, signed on for the second season of Russian Doll, as well.
With this fun casting news, I can only wonder what this cast is going to be up to on the show.
Natasha Lyonne Posted About Filming On Her Instagram
While we did say we’re not 100% sure if Lyonne is going to be back to star as Nadia for Russian Doll Season 2, she is deeply involved in the second season.
Back in June of 2021, Lyonne posted to her Instagram account a picture of her and some of her co-workers for Russian Doll, with the caption, “Operation code name Black Gumball, complete. Closer everyday now. To the edit! #RD2 @russiandollnetflix ♥️♥️”
The picture also featured Charlie Barnett, one of her co-stars from the first season, as well two members from her crew, and was followed by several other pictures of her and others on set. Whether this means she was acting on Russian Doll or just worked behind the scenes is unconfirmed, but it’s great to see her working alongside everyone and excited for the show to (hopefully) come out soon.
Russian Doll Season 2 Will Have Eight Episodes
Some shows tend to cut episode counts in half in later seasons, but thankfully, Russian Doll Season 2 is aiming to have the same amount of episodes as the first, according to Variety, which will be eight.
According To Charlie Barnett, Russian Doll Season 2 Will Be “Very Different”
One of the main stars (besides Nataha Lyonne) in Russian Doll Season 1 was Charlie Barnett, who played Alan Zaveri, a man who was also stuck in the infuriating time loop that Nadia was stuck in.
Thankfully, Barnett has a bit of a scoop on Russian Doll Season 2, and in an interview with TV Insider in November of 2021, he revealed that the upcoming season of the Netflix show is going to be quite different from Season 1.
We had finished maybe a week or two weeks before I left to go and do Joe (Ordinary Joe). So my mind was already kind of running from it, and Russian Doll is very different this season.
Barnett teased that the differences in Season 2 appear within “the principals that have followed up last season.” What exactly that means, I have no idea, but I can’t lie and say it doesn’t peak my interest.
Russian Doll Season 2’s Release Date Is Not Set Yet
Russian Doll Season 1 came out in 2019, and as of this writing, it’s January 2022. That’s a long time in-between seasons. However, with COVID-19 pushbacks and everything else that’s happened, it’s understandable as to why we would be waiting so long for Season 2.
However, even with Instagram posts confirming filming and cast announcements and all that jazz, we still don’t have a confirmed release date for Russian Doll Season 2. While it would be great if it popped up on the 2022 TV schedule, or 2022 Netflix TV schedule, we don’t have a set date just yet. Hopefully, we'll get some updates soon, so just be patient.
I’m hoping that once the release date is dropped, we won’t have to wait too long for additional updates on this fun series. For now, I think I might just go and re-watch Russian Doll Season 1 on Netflix...Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.
