Natasha Lyonne of Orange is the New Black fame is starring in Netflix’s next buzzy show, called Russian Doll. The series is made up of 10 half hour episodes and revolves around a woman named Nadia, played by Lyonne, who finds herself trapped living the same night over and over. The premise is similar to Groundhog Day but with the added twist of Nadia needing to die in order to repeat the cycle. The universe seems to take glee in killing her off in a number of inventive ways.
The show was created by Lyonne and Amy Poehler, so naturally comedy was going to be an important part of the show. But viewers may be surprised by some of the deeper themes the show addresses, including existential, philosophical ones. And having a longer format allows the show to explore more about what the Groundhog Day cycle means and why it’s happening.
While not every viewer may be willing to go along on a philosophical journey through a dozen deaths, critics seem pretty over the moon about it. The show has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89 on Metacritic.
Netflix throws so much content at subscribers, sometimes it’s difficult to find the jewel among the sand. So when you see something rising above through word of mouth, chances are good you’re going to end up bingeing it.
