Russian Doll

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 1, 2019
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 352 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 289 out of 352
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 352
  3. Negative: 31 out of 352

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User Reviews

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  1. gillie14
    Feb 18, 2019
    1
    This is an insufferable show that only vacuous LA or New York hipsters could enjoy. We so very much wanted to like it, but it is out of touch with reality and pretentious. A loser.
  2. CharlieBrown8
    Feb 19, 2019
    1
    I'm stunned by this almost universal acclaim for this useless show. I made the mistake - against my better instincts- to sit through the entire pointless eight episodes, despite being already bored to death after the first episode. Unlikable characters all around, an unattractive world, and a story that doesn't go anywhere. The hype reviews made me think the good stuff must come in laterI'm stunned by this almost universal acclaim for this useless show. I made the mistake - against my better instincts- to sit through the entire pointless eight episodes, despite being already bored to death after the first episode. Unlikable characters all around, an unattractive world, and a story that doesn't go anywhere. The hype reviews made me think the good stuff must come in later episodes, but it never did. I want these four hours of my life back!… Expand
  3. AthanasiosT
    Feb 11, 2019
    1
    Sorry, but it didn't work for me. Even though the "groundhog day" concept is appealing, I got bored from the first episode. Didn't like the characters, got tired from the dialogues and did not laugh at all.
  4. AbeFroman
    Feb 17, 2019
    1
    Unbearably pretentious and trite. Not the least bit funny. and wtf is up with Poehler's weird make-up (Amy I love you but this was a huge waste of your talents)!? Terribly over-rated.
  5. Heatsink
    Feb 9, 2019
    1
    Natasha Lyonne does an impression of Mel Brooks, and that's supposed to be her character in RUSSIAN DOLL. I couldn't make it through the first few episodes because it's boring, and the characters are so unlikable and/or pretentious that I just don't care about any of it. This show is labeled a comedy, but I couldn't find anything remotely funny in what I saw.
  6. deadbank
    Mar 23, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There's very little in this show with actual substance that is fully explored. Constantly, the characters are finding things out like that they're dying at the same time, or that time is behaving differently, or that the dude's first death was his killing himself, when ultimately they don't matter even a little bit. Why were they in the time loop (which is used in a totally unoriginal way here) to begin with? Why doesn't it at least try to answer that question?
    The cinematography, acting, etc are all perfectly fine, but everything else beyond that leaves much to be desired.    … Expand
  7. d3adbeat
    Feb 18, 2019
    0
    I tried, I really did. But even after two episodes I still couldn't find a single reason to watch someone being dumb enough to kill herself 4 times walking down the stairs, insulting everyone around and generally being an absolutely intolerable ****. Not funny at all, just stupid and pretentious.
  8. wantedtolikebut
    Feb 16, 2019
    1
    I turned it off at "cock-a-roach." "Russian Doll" is a pretentious, over-written, trite, badly-cast, cliche-ridden Groundhog Day clone. Unsympathetic lead actress with a phony Brooklyn accent, and a bad clone of a Maria Schneider, Last Tango in Paris hairstyle. I HATED this. One of the worst things I've ever seen on Netflix. Yes, I turned it off early. But it's THAT bad. Ugh!
  9. OlivierPiel
    Feb 3, 2019
    0
    All pretense and no real core. A totally inept rummaging on "life" in New Yawk. To draw characters to especially and desperately avoid clichés is itself the most clichéd thing i(Look,so cool, the "Russian" main character who is a master coder can speak Arabic an her drug dealer is Sikh)....maybe those writers should watch Woody Allen movies to avoid delivering some superficial New YawkAll pretense and no real core. A totally inept rummaging on "life" in New Yawk. To draw characters to especially and desperately avoid clichés is itself the most clichéd thing i(Look,so cool, the "Russian" main character who is a master coder can speak Arabic an her drug dealer is Sikh)....maybe those writers should watch Woody Allen movies to avoid delivering some superficial New Yawk life scene and find some heart and soul. Maybe this will impress teenagers in the Mid-West though....besides critics (who used to be teenagers in the Mid-West)… Expand
  10. TalulaGrey
    Feb 4, 2019
    3
    This is the summary here on Metacritic --> "Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) goes to a party as the guest of honor and ends up dead, only to awakens the next day and doing it all over again in this comedy co-created by Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland."

    How does someone, "only to awakens the next day"? No, not my kind of show. I didn't care for the atmosphere and that same awful song,    This is the summary here on Metacritic --> "Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) goes to a party as the guest of honor and ends up dead, only to awakens the next day and doing it all over again in this comedy co-created by Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland."

    How does someone, "only to awakens the next day"?

    No, not my kind of show. I didn't care for the atmosphere and that same awful song, lol. The chain-smoking ridiculousness of the main character was so completely over the top. Do people from New York really behave that way? Do they go to crappy parties with artsy, fartsy people? What a $hit $how. It's supposed to be a comedy but I never laughed. Not. One. Time.

    Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland, you guys suck and so does your show.    … Expand
  11. dogboy
    Feb 21, 2019
    0
    People giving this positive reviews must have very low standards for tv shows. I found this show painful to watch. The main character is extremely unlikeable and seems to be made of glass considering how easily she dies over and over. The show just doesn't go anywhere and is boring. Couldn't make it through the first season.
  12. Deadheadbill
    Feb 7, 2019
    0
    OMG the pretension in this show. I guess if you actually are a uptight, pretentious NY hipster then you may like this. I would rather stick needles in my eyes myself.
  13. Octomort
    Jul 20, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow! I will be deemed a hater and possible an anti-Semite for deeming to say something against NY; but Russian Doll is nothing more than trivial over indulgence by a clique of people with far more money than talent. I did watch all of it simply so I could say i did so in any review i gave. it is NY BS at its most patronising and over intellectualised irrelevance. It is just a Ground Hog day for the NY know it all set! It offers nothing other than a lesson in how much the world is about who you know not what you can do! And this particular waste of time, effort and money does nothing for heart mind or soul! I have worked in a Nobel winning research lab, have spent many years as a civil right free at source advocate and am retraining in physics, I am from a genuine low income blue collar background and yet have some quite high level of intelligence and reading, Russian Doll is nothing more than a hasty pseudo-intellectual hand job, which probably spent half it's budget on buying off professional reviewers.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best TV Season of 2019
11
#11 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
22
#22 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. The Telegraph
    Reviewed by: Ed Power
    Jan 3, 2020
    80
    Russian Doll ultimately has an uplifting message about life, death and the importance of human connection. Fans of Brooker-style contrarian technophobia will be underwhelmed. Everyone will be too busy having their cockles warmed to notice.
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  2. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Lucy Mangan
    Dec 3, 2019
    80
    Russian Doll is an acquired taste. But do persist: there is such a fine, idiosyncratic, impressive show nested within.
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  3. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Michael Haigis
    Feb 4, 2019
    75
    While the resolution of her predicament is somewhat vague, it remains sweetly fulfilling, because, while the series deals in opaque supernaturalism, its protagonist is easy to root for as she fumbles toward happiness.
    Read full review
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