2019 is nearly coming to a close, and television fans are already looking back at the past year of heart-wrenching dramas and unique comedies. Sitting somewhere comfortably between the two was Russian Doll, which debuted on Netflix in February to critical acclaim and four Emmy nominations. The series follows Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan Zaveri (Charlie Barnett), two New Yorkers who realize that they are stuck in a time loop of the same evening, which is reset each time that they suddenly die. Earlier this year, Russian Doll was renewed for a second season, and fans have been curious to see exactly where the narrative goes next. ComicBook.com recently got a chance to chat with Barnett about his role in the critically-acclaimed series — and he revealed that he’s equally in the dark about what’s to come in Season 2.
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“God, I wish I could tease about that one, but I know absolutely nothing. Full honesty,” Barnett answered with a laugh. “You know, Natasha knows that I’m a gullible sap, which for the world to know… Be cool with that, okay? But I’m pretty damn gullible, and she’ll tell me a whole bunch of different ideas that I’ve been running in my mind, but I don’t think any of them are true. So I’m not going to run you down that line.”
“I do know that they’ve gotten back into the writing room, so they must be planning up something,” Barnett continued. “And I ain’t going to bother her. She’s got enough work on her plate, that you don’t need some actor being like, ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’ And I want her to develop it in peace and serenity and build an amazing second go around.”
In the months since Russian Doll initially debuted, the genre and reality-bending series resonated with people in quite a lot of ways, thanks to its earnest takes on humanity, mental illness, and how we interact with those around us. Many will argue that Season 1 of the series ended on a pretty perfect note, as the final episode placed Nadia and Alan in separate timelines, only for them to poignantly reunite after realizing the impact they initially had on each other. But it’s safe to say that a sophomore debut for the show is intriguing, especially after the response to the initial episodes.
“It’s so hard to actually have something that means that much to you, that you’ve related in your own life, and that also has this kind of extreme, never-been-seen, never attempted,” Barnett said of Lyonne’s commitment to the series. “Everybody keeps talking about it being this Groundhog Day effect. And it is to a certain extent, but it’s so much more than that. The layers that she played within, and then on top of that our crew, our production company. Just the sets, the costumes, everything playing into the film work. Everybody came to the table, and I think that’s what made it so freaking special. To now walk away and see that that actually had a result that people caught onto is like the icing on the cake. It’s tenfold. And truthfully, it brought me into a different world, which I’m so thankful for as well.”
Are you excited to see Russian Doll’s second season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
