Russian Doll

TV Show Name: Russian Doll
Year of Release: 2019
Created by: Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler

Directors: Leslye Headland, Jamie Babbit, Natasha Lyonne

Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee, Elizabeth Ashley, Rebecca Henderson, Jeremy Bobb, Ritesh Rajan, Yul Vasquez, Dascha Polanco, Brandon Sexton III, Burt Young, Chloe Sevigny, Yoni Lotan

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis:

Another show hailing from the prolific streaming giant that is Netflix, "Russian Doll" is a show that is the result of a diverse trio of writers: Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler. Two of those writers are of course acclaimed actresses on their own, and one of them is the protagonist, in what is one of the best shows Netflix has released thus far. The show focuses on Nadia, a woman living in New York, who is celebrating her 36th birthday. Nadia is a software engineer, and has an active and eclectic social life. During the party she talks to her best friend Maxine, hooks up with Mike, a college professor, and generally has a nice time. However after her fling, she ends up getting involved in a car crash and is killed. That death is temporary as she suddenly reappears on the bathroom of the apartment where her birthday party is taking place, as if nothing had occurred. As these occurrences keep surfacing, Nadia tries to understand the meaning behind these interminable loops, until she accidentaly meets Alan, who is also experiencing the exact same problem. Together they set out to find out how to break their loops, as their lives seem to be progressively losing detail as the loops become more and more frequent.
"Russian Doll" is a show that manages to function on a multitude of levels. It's successful as a perfect capture of a specific type of cultural New York microcosms, but it's also peppered with the perfect balance of humor, drama, heart and insight. It's a show that leverages the mechanics of Harold Ramis' "Groundhog Day", but takes it in a completely different direction. Whereas Ramis' film was about a man finding his soul and connecting with others, this show focuses on characters who are coming to terms with their own pasts, choices, and the paths in life (both past and present). These can be weighty themes to ponder in a show, but it's concocted with such intelligence and warmth, that one can't help but marvel at what is occurring. The cast is uniformly great, but Natasha Lyonne, Jeremy Bobb and Elizabeth Ashley are all impeccable in creating their characters. The show allows them to be more than just typical archetypes, and the interminable loops allows to see these characters from multiple angles and connections. A very smart show, impeccably acted, written and directed, worth watching.