What a concept! Production on season two of Netflix’s dark comedy Russian Doll began last week and, as of Tuesday, Schitt’s Creek alum Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek, The Plateaus) has officially joined the cast. According to Variety, the details of Murphy’s role “are being kept under wraps” as season two remains in the early stages of production.
Deadline reports that Murphy called the role of Alexis Rose in the Emmy-sweeping Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek “life changing” and that it has, in turn, opened up new opportunities for her. The trailer for the Murphy-led AMC series Kevin Can F**k Himself recently made headlines as it marked a major deviation from the light-hearted tone of Schitt’s Creek. Russian Doll marks a similar tonal shift toward the realm of dark comedy, creating distance between Murphy and Alexis Rose, her most well-known role to-date.
The Groundhog Day-style comedy Russian Doll, thrusts Natasha Lyonne’s (Orange is the New Black, But I’m A Cheerleader) Nadia into a morbid and seemingly inescapable time-loop on her 36th birthday. In addition to starring in Russian Doll, Lyonne serves as an Executive Producer alongside Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Inside Out) and Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, Sleeping with Other People). The Russian Doll star and producer, who has been sharing behind-the-scenes photos of production on social media, welcomed Murphy to the show on Twitter.
Greta Lee (Chance, New Girl) and Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll, Westworld) star in the series as friends of Nadia, attending her birthday party over and over. The first season’s mystery expands when she meets Charlie Barnett’s (Chicago Fire, You) Alan, stuck in a time loop of his own. It’s possible that Murphy could play a friend of Nadia’s who was absent from her season one birthday party, another doomed soul such as Alan or an entirely different type of character in Nadia’s story. Without any details about season two’s plot, it’s hard to theorize precisely what role Murphy will fulfill in Russian Doll’s chaotic and morbid universe.
After season one aired in 2019, The Hollywood Reporter went as far as to say “there’s absolutely no need for second season of Russian Doll.” The outlet’s review of the show’s first season praised it’s well-executed, self-contained character arc and concluded that it could have been a limited series, via The Hollywood Reporter. While there plenty of examples of time loop stories, there are fewer instances of sequels that Russian Doll’s second season may emulate. Campy horror sequel Happy Death Day 2U stands as one of the only recent mainstream examples of a time-loop sequel.
As little is known about Russian Doll‘s second season at Netflix, fans will undoubtedly be eager to hear more about a plot, casting, production and Murphy’s mysterious new character. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there is currently no release date in place for season two, though season one first dropped ahead of Groundhog Day in 2019.