Russian Doll star and co-creator Natasha Lyonne strikes a hopeful, yet morbid tone when asked if the Netflix series will return for season 3.
Summary
- Natasha Lyonne's busy schedule makes the possibility of Russian Doll season 3 uncertain, as she focuses on directing her first feature film and her current show Poker Face.
- Lyonne believes Russian Doll would have been better as a limited series, as the second season aligns with the original pitch and she sees potential for future stories with ageless characters.
- Russian Doll season 2 faced challenges due to the crowded TV landscape during its release, but if a third chapter happens, it may offer a daring and thought-provoking continuation of the story.
Russian Doll star and co-creator Natasha Lyonne strikes a hopeful, yet morbid tone when discussing the possibility of Russian Doll season 3. After a widely-praised first installment, which won the support of both audiences and critics, Russian Doll season 2 debuted in April 2022 on Netflix. Over the course of seven episodes, the surreal comedy dug deeper into the family history of Nadia (Lyonne), Alan (Charlie Barnett), and doubled down on the distinctively strange detours that make the series such a delight.
Season 2 worked in a similar fashion to season 1 in that it ended in a way that could wrap up the series for good but also left things just open-ended enough for a Russian Doll follow-up story. That said, pulling off a sequel could prove difficult. Russian Doll season 2 was well-received and fans certainly want more but Natasha Lyonne is a busy person with a lot going on. That alone is enough to make Russian Doll season 3 something that might not hit screens anytime soon.
Russian Doll Season 2 Ending Explained (In Detail)
Russian Doll season 2 ended on a confusing note full of thematic threads to unravel. Here's the season 2 ending of Netflix's Russian Doll explained.Natasha Lyonne's Feelings On Russian Doll Season 3
During an interview on THR's Awards Chatter podcast, Lyonne was asked about the possibility of Russian Doll season 3. Lyonne, who co-created the series with Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler, indicates throughout her response that she's likely to reprise the role of Nadia in the future. Still, the Emmy-nominated actor says she's more focused on directing her first feature film and her current Peacock murder mystery Poker Face, which has been renewed for season 2. Toward the end of her response, which is included below, Lyonne takes a hilariously morbid turn:
I think that there’s potentially more than that in the future. But I think it’s gonna take some time. I think that like, you know, it’s just like a crazy time in this business. I think, for me, my priority right now is directing a feature. A priority for me over a season three of Russian Doll. I think, also, now we’re on the kind of Poker Face train. I think Russian Doll would have done better to be considered a limited series, because I think that’s always how we envisioned it. And, actually, the second season is very similar to what was actually pitched, which was like, she goes, you know, she becomes her mother.
I just think that the nature of like, COVID, and the four-year split, and… so what I think is great, I’m sort of gotten into the business of playing these kind of ageless characters who could be whatever. I don’t think that it would be a problem for Nadia to be like, you know, 60 arriving on the scene. Having some sort of, like, New Yorkers’ problems.
I don’t know that it’s, like, my next order of business. But I don’t think that, sort of, philosophically, Russian Doll is something that I’ll ever be done with. So, I think I’ll always—you know, life finds a way. And so does death, my friend.
What Russian Doll Season 2 Says About The Show's Future
Russian Doll season 1 set a high bar for itself. It featured an excellent lead performance by Lyonne, and tremendous supporting turns by the likes of Bartnett and Greta Lee, among others. From a narrative standpoint, the show's debut works as both an emotional character study and an intriguing mystery box. When it returned in season 2, Russian Doll took big creative swings that didn't always resonate in the same way.
Even for those who were less fond of the second outing, there was an agreement that the performances were still uniformly excellent and the seven episodes all still had high points within them. Part of the issue, which Lyonne alludes to in the podcast interview, is that the show returned at an especially busy TV time. At the time, dramas and comedies were rushing back between late March and early May to qualify for Emmys, including the final season of Better Call Saul. That meant that an offering as rich and thought-provoking as Russian Doll season 2 got somewhat under-examined.
If there is more story to tell in the future, with the Russian Doll cast reuniting, hopefully, there will be more space to appreciate what will likely be a daring third chapter. Lyonne seems to indicate that she doesn't want to do more just for the sake of it, particularly with her other goals, but she says directly that Nadia will always remain a part of her life. However, one hurdle the series needs to overcome is working around Poker Face, Lyonne's new and very popular series on Peacock.
The series was created by Knives Out writer-director Rian Johnson, and the show resonated with audiences for the way it takes another unique approach to the murder mystery subgenre. Poker Face has been renewed for season 2, meaning that Russian Doll season 3 is even less likely. However, Lyonne might have an answer, as she noted that the third entry could be a movie, commenting, "It would be really fun if it was one of those shows where, five years later, it’s like, 'No, wait a second! I think we’ve got another idea for a few episodes... 'Oh, wait, I think we’ve got an idea of our original movie now.'"
