Netflix canceled Russian Doll in 2022 after the series’ second season, but star and co-creator Natasha Lyonne recently confirmed that she’s fully committed to delivering audiences more of her Nadia, and making these comments all the more exciting is that she compares the narrative’s future to that of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. Russian Doll, which Lyonne created with Parks and Recreation‘s Amy Poehler and Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s Leslye Headland, debuted in 2019 and quickly earned a lot of positive attention, only for the coronavirus pandemic earning the show a major surge in popularity in 2020 as Netflix subscribers were desperate for new content. Sadly, Lyonne admits that it could be a few decades before we get more Russian Doll, but ever getting it at all is still good news.
Lyonne revealed the update to The Hollywood Reporter, explaining how she’s never all that far from Nadia:
“I’m determined to do it Lynch-style – Fire Walk With Me and then Twin Peaks: The Return. I’m determined to follow that model. I can’t tell you when I’m going to hit up Netflix. But it’s incoming, it’s in process. I get to it between other deadlines. I’m on deadline for a lot of drafts. I also owe a memoir at some point. But it’s on my desktop. It’s in Final Draft. I’ll have to go in and pitch it, I’m sure. We’ll see if they let me get away with it. But I don’t know if that will be in two years, 10 or 20, or 35 — if I can upload my consciousness into the cloud while retaining my own data dignity and not having a hive mind, that would be ideal. As you know, I’ve been quite public about wanting to be a brain in a jar for some time.”
What might make another season, no matter how long it takes, all the more possible is that Russian Doll focused on time loops. The first season saw Nadia dying on her 36th birthday, only to awaken earlier that night, repeatedly dying as she investigates what’s happening to her. During these loops, she meets Alan (Charlie Barnett), who is similarly experiencing these loops. Season 2 jumps forward a few years to 10 days before Nadia’s 40th birthday, as she finds herself transported back in time and into the body of her mother. Nadia, as her mother, aims to change the course of her mother’s history.
Lyonne’s Other Two-Season Series
The actor wasn’t away from streaming for too long after Russian Doll came to an end, as Lyonne starred in Peacock’s Poker Face, which was created by Knives Out‘s Rian Johnson. That mystery series similarly earned positive reactions from audiences and critics, though the streamer canceled the series earlier this year. In a surprise move, Johnson has confirmed that he is looking to continue the series, but with Peter Dinklage taking over as the star.
Understandably, news that the series was ending at one streamer and potentially moving to another, but with another actor in the lead role, sparked questions about Lyonne’s reaction, though she confirmed she wants to focus on making movies:
“I adore [Peter] Dinklage. Game of Thrones is obviously one of my favorite shows, but Peter is also one of my favorite people of all time. It’s kind of all good news. For me, baby’s gotta direct some movies. I’ve been talking about it long enough. I’m very grateful I got to direct TV and write so much of it. I love what I do very much; I’m so grateful that I get to do it. And the unfortunate thing about a human timeline is that, much like the sand in the hourglass, these are the days of our lives. I gotta get these movies under my belt, and I’m also excited about my Sky show with Matt Berry, Force & Majeure, a sci-fi retro endeavor.”
With Lyonne being a producer on Poker Face, she’s also involved in finding a new home for it, detailing, “I am involved, yes. As an executive producer, I am involved and in cahoots. And we shall see. No updates to share with you at this moment!”
