Top 5 Reasons to Binge Russian Doll on Netflix

The hook in “Russian Doll” is somewhat familiar, but the show’s style and presentation are wholly its own. In the first episode we meet a woman named Nadia who is celebrating her 36th birthday. The problem though, and it’s a doozy, is . . . she keeps dying, over and over and over again, and then reliving the night of her party. Yep, just like deja vu classics like Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day”, Nadia can’t seem to get herself out of the recurring time loop she’s trapped in. We don’t want to delve too far into the plot details to avoid major spoilers, but trust us, you’ll be on the edge of your seat.

“Russian Doll” was just released on Netflix on February 1st and it already has 47 reviews at the time of writing, all of which are pretty much glowing. A writer at Collider said of the show, "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." Audience reviews seem to be just as enthusiastic, with even major stars like Chelsea Peretti tweeting about how much they loved it. And we definitely trust her opinion!

Many female characters in entertainment often still fall flat and are one-dimensional, despite the leaps and bounds made in terms of progressive feminist representation in recent years. “Russian Doll” however is in a league of its own, with the hip, cynical, tough and deeply multifaceted Nadia being unlike anyone we’ve seen on TV before. With every episode, we dive deeper into who she is as a person and the things that have made her that way. We can’t get too detailed about the events that brought her to where she is without serious spoilage, so you’ll have to watch and see for yourself.

You may know — and love! — Amy Poehler for her many roles on “SNL” or her hilarious sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” so it may come as a surprise that she’s actually one of the major creative figures, along with Leslye Headland, behind the dark and twisty “Russian Doll”. Poehler has appeared in front of the camera in a variety of different movies and TV shows, but she does a lot of behind the scenes work too, helping to produce shows like “Broad City” and “Difficult People”. Considering her sharp comedic mind, you know there are going to be some darkly funny moments here.

Modern audiences probably recognize the show’s lead actress and other co-creator, Natasha Lyonne from her role as Nicky Nichols on another Netflix original, “Orange Is the New Black”. Lyonne has actually had a long and varied career spanning several decades, but she may be at her absolute best as Nadia in “Russian Doll”. An NPR review of her star turn by Linda Holmes states, “It's a performance where the actor understands the character so well, down to every little gesture she makes, every twitch of her face, that it's startling, at times, to remember she's fictional.” Now that’s a compliment! And it’s entirely well-deserved.