‘Russian Doll’ Season 2 Makes Perfect Case For ‘Groundhog Day’ Sequel

Nobody does time loop like Groundhog Day. Though worthy adversaries have tried, it always comes back to the Bill Murray classic that perfected the form way back in 1993. That includes Russian Doll, the dark and twisted comedy that’s taken the plot device to drugged-out new dimensions.

If you haven’t seen Season 1, go watch it. The Natasha Lyonne mind-bender (co-created with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler) is a smart, funny, spiral into the inner psyche of a salty heroine that goes down easy like a fun-sized bag of pretzels. The tightly-woven first season is so complete it could have ended there in triumph. But Lyonne and company have decided, with much moxie, to add another chapter to their existential time loop tale exploring hidden layers of identity and trauma.

Time loop revisited: It sounds like a paradox, a threat to the whole space-time continuum of the entire genre. And yet, Season 2 of Russian Doll manages to double down in creative ways that often succeed. Thanks to a Quantum Leap-style time warp, Lyonne can now travel back in time to tinker with the lives of her forebears. It’s a non sequitur bit of time fuckery that lets the show go darker and weirder, while only losing some of the fun on its way to a conclusive Season 3.

We won’t spoil the dizzying twists and turns by revealing any more than that except to say Russian Doll has made the case for a Groundhog Day sequel (which tells you everything you need to know about how good the show is).

Picture this:

Thirty years later, it’s once again Groundhog Day and Phil Connors is about to die. With one day left to live, he haphazardly seeks closure while trying to wrap his head around his own mortality and whatever lies beyond. Directed by Charlie Kaufman and starring a 71-year-old William Murray, it’s a f*cking heartwrenching laugh riot we cannot wait to see.

Until then, stream the next best thing: Russian Doll Season 2 only on Netflix.

Cover Photo: Netflix and Columbia Pictures