"No Lazy Rehash": Critics Raving About 'Russian Doll' Season 2
'Russian Doll' was a surprise hit for Netflix when its first season was released way back in 2019. Three years later, the Natasha Lyonne-led show is back after a long hiatus, and critics seem to love it.
The second season will abandon the time loop in favor of time travel, and it looks like a very smart move. Currently boasting a 100% freshness from Rotten Tomatoes, 'Russian Doll' looks like a total win for the streaming giant.
Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall described the second season as "no lazy rehash", while adding that "the tone [between season 1 and 2] is similar, even though the story and sci-fi gimmick are different. In many ways, it's more audacious in scope and themes". Hollywood Reporter's Dan Fienberg agreed with the notion of second season's superiority, saying that the new episodes "are more personal and take bigger intellectual risks than anything in the initial run".
The Playlist's Marya E. Gates found a serious meaning behind show's light-hearted façade, concluding that "exploration of how fruitless "what if" thinking is and the importance of taking agency in your own life despite your generational baggage builds wonderfully on the themes explored in the first season".
UPI's Fred Topel poked fun on show's possible upcoming seasons, joking that "Season 3 will have to go into the future or into space to really explore everything science fiction has to offer".
'Russian Doll' season two premiers on Netflix April 20, 2022.