Girl, same.
Eight episodes sounds like the perfect length for a television series about a woman who keeps reliving the night of her 36th birthday when she dies, each time making it a little farther into the future before the Grim Reaper comes a-knocking. According to star and co-creator Natasha Lyonne, though, Netflix might be on board for at least three seasons of Russian Doll.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, writer Leslye Headland described how she, Amy Poehler, and Natasha Lyonne pitched Russian Doll as a three-season series to Netflix, and the studio was immediately on board with their vision for a thoughtful, existential comedy.
More than anything else, Headland explained, Russian Doll’s a story about Nadia coming to grips with what she wants out of life, and the show’s creators wanted to give her motivations outside of things like motherhood or professional success:
“Those are worthy topics and goals for a female protagonist to have, but like you see with a lot of male-driven shows, she’s a character that wants something that doesn’t fall into those categories. She really is asking, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ and ‘What is my life?’ And to truthfully ask those questions is just something that women I do not think have access to.”
That sounds absolutely fantastic, but one has to wonder what three seasons of watching Nadia might be like—and how well Russian Doll’s conceit would hold up over time.
Russian Doll hits Netflix February 1.