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Russian Doll season 2 is nearly here – the long-awaited follow-up to the hit Netflix sci-fi comedy drama arrives on the streamer in a matter of days, with all seven episodes dropping at the same time. Not much is known about the plot of the new installment still, with series creator and star Natasha Lyonne staying cryptic about what lies ahead for Nadia. However, we know that this time around Nadia and Alan are traveling through time rather than just reliving it.
We've pieced together everything she's said in interviews so far, as well as giving you a quick recap of how things went down in season 1. Plus, there's a teaser and a full-length trailer to give us a sneak peek at the action, along with some first look images courtesy of Netflix.So, without further ado, keep reading to find out everything we know so far about Russian Doll season 2.
Russian Doll season 2 release date
Russian Doll season 2 now has an official release date – it lands on Netflix on April 20, 2022.
The show was renewed for season 2 back in June 2019 and filming began in March 2021 after delays due to COVID-19, so it's certainly been a long road to release.
If you've seen the series, then check out our Russian Doll season 2 ending explained piece.
Russian Doll season 2 trailer
The season's full-length trailer shows Nadia not just reliving time, but traveling through it. We see her go back to the '80s and try to unravel a new set of time-related problems, as well as getting another glimpse at Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy's mysterious new character. You can watch it below.
We also have a brief 30-second teaser to accompany the release date announcement. The cryptic clip doesn't give much away – it shows Nadia on board a speeding train interspersed with trippy footage of her falling down a flight of stairs and Alan submerged in a bathtub. "When the universe fucks with you, let it," she says at the end of the teaser, which sums up the show pretty well.
Russian Doll season 2 cast
First thing's first, Russian Doll co-creator and showrunner Natasha Lyonne returns as protagonist Nadia Vulvokov, the software engineer stuck in a time loop reliving her 36th birthday party night after night. The first look images released by Netflix also show that Charlie Barnett is back as Alan Zaveri, another character stuck in his own time loop, and Greta Lee is back as Nadia's friend Maxine. Plus, Rebecca Henderson is returning as Nadia and Maxine's friend Lizzy.
As for new characters, Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy joins the cast in an undisclosed role. According to Lyonne, Murphy's character is an unexpected "ally" to Nadia, as well as a "core component and the heart of the season". She told Entertainment Weekly: "There's some serious motherfuckers on that Russian Doll show – on a human level – and she's definitely one of the good guys."
District 9 star Sharlto Copley and House of Cards' Carolyn Michelle Smith have also joined the cast for season 2, but their roles are also being kept under wraps.
Russian Doll season 2 plot
Warning: Russian Doll season 1 spoilers ahead.
Russian Doll season 1 ended with Nadia and Alan finally escaping their respective time loops that caused them to die abruptly before waking up again to relive the same day over and over. The season finale saw the pair get trapped in separate timelines where they run into alternate, pre-time loop versions of each other. They manage to prevent the other from dying for the first time, thus putting an end to their respective Groundhog Days.
Lyonne told Entertainment Weekly that season 2 picks up four years after the end of season 1, when Nadia and Alan "must sift through their pasts via an unexpected time portal located in one of Manhattan's most iconic locales." So, time travel, basically.
That's about as much as she's willing to give away, though. "I genuinely think the joy of the game is to watch it with fresh eyes as much as you can in order to be taken by the story," she said.
"We all pushed ourselves to the limit of what we thought we could make happen visually and through the storytelling... It's for sure a puzzle box. With my whole heart, I hope that people watch it all and see where the game goes and lands. I can't believe we pulled it off."
For more on the latest Netflix shows, check out our guides to The Witcher season 3 and Umbrella Academy season 3. For what to watch now, read up on the best Netflix shows now playing.
