I didn’t think there needed to be a second season of ‘Russian Doll.’ I was wrong.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

MINIATURE COWS. THAT IS ALL.

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I know you don’t come here to read boring factoids about me and my life, but I don’t care, I’m going to bore you with one anyway. If I binge a show, it’s most likely done on a plane. When I’m trapped for hours in an aluminum tube in the clouds, I have the time to hit that “Next Episode” button in a way I just don’t when I’m on the ground. And this weekend, that show was the second season of Russian Doll.

I was both skeptical and excited that there was going to be a second season — after all the first season of Russian Doll was an unexpected delight and ended beautifully. Perfectly, even. Which, let me tell you, as someone who watches a lot of TV: that’s a rare feat. But I am here to say I was wrong to be nervous. The second season of Russian Doll, which is darker and sadder than the first, it also manages to stick the landing in a way that is beautiful and (almost) perfect.

With the second season, Russian Doll dares to enter the narratively difficult realm of time travel — something I have ridiculously strong feelings about, especially considering it’s not real — and I came away from the season satisfied and profoundly moved. It’s like a full season of the “This Extraordinary Being” episode of Watchmen and I can’t stop thinking about it. (If I had one note about the season as a whole, it would be that Alan’s story was underdeveloped, and needed both more fleshing out and a deeper connection to Nadia’s story.)

Reportedly, Natasha Lyonne imagines the series as having three seasons. While I find myself once again slightly skeptical that there even needs to be one more chapter, I also completely trust that Lyonne will give the conclusion the love and artistry that she applied to the first two seasons.

For those of you who have watched: The AV Club collected a few Easter eggs they spotted in this season; The musical cues this season were perfect (and less repetitive than the first season for obvious story-telling reasons); and Lyonne has revealed that in her original vision for the series, Jordan Peele would have played her love interest.

Jensen Ackles had a busy weekend: when he wasn’t breaking news that Jared Padelecki was in a terrible car accident and lucky to be alive (GET HEALED UP SOON!), he was sharing what the kids call “thirst traps”:

And Misha Collins might have just come out as bisexual? It’s for the best that this happened after the show ended because the fandom COULD. NOT. HANDLE.

Oscar Isaac watched the RuPaul Drag Race season finale at a New York gay bar, and I’ve never been more in love.

Sounds like the Ozark finale will be a “happy” ending … sorta. (No spoilers.)

The creator of Killing Eve was NOT HAPPY with that ending and promises more Villanelle … somehow. (SPOILERS.)

Jon Stewart was given the Mark Twain Prize last night, and reminded folks that comedians are threats to authoritarians: “We’re the banana peel in the coal mine,” he said at the ceremony. “When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. It’s just a reminder to people that democracy is under threat. Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry,” he added.

The Rings of Power, the upcoming Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video, is costing on average $58 MILLION PER EPISODE. Stranger Things’ final season is costing Netflix $30 million an episode. So by comparison, the $20 million HBO is paying for House of the Dragon is a goddamned bargain bin price.

Now that CNN+ is dead, the journalists who were lured over to the platform, like Chris Wallace and Kasie Hunt, are scrambling to keep their shows alive somewhere else.

The rise of streaming is hurting the future of network comedies. According to Deadline, networks are ordering more drama pilots than comedies, in no small part because dramas do better on streaming services. This was something of a surprise to me, mostly because Friends, The Office, and Seinfeld have all been so wildly successful on streamers, but it turns out they are something of outliers.

Florida went through with the legislation that repealed the special district designation for Walt Disney World to punish them for their objection to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Cool cool cool. What could possibly go wrong with governments retaliating against corporations for holding positions they disagree with (and — perhaps more tellingly — rescinding political donations)?

Ellen Pompeo admits 13 years later that Katherine Heigl was correct to call out the working conditions on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. When Heigl complained of 17-hour days back in 2009, she was labeled “difficult” and “ungrateful” and it helped derail her career.

Netflix seems to be canceling the sequel to Bright, the Will Smith sci-fi film that was planned to become a franchise. (But give it a couple of years, and then we’ll see.)

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills p.r. campaigns are in full grind ahead of the season 12 premiere in a couple of weeks.

 HOO BOY:

@booba_fett

Reply to @emilysnflburner Look what you made me do! 🥵 #starwars #themandalorian #dindjarin #pedropascal

♬ original sound – Christina

The Tinder Swindler is in legal trouble again. Go figure.

Get better soon, Cary Elwes!

Renewals

  • From has been renewed at Epix for a second season.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • The Staircase premieres on HBO Max on May 5.
  • Night Sky will premiere on Prime Video on May 20.
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars will return on May 20 on Paramount+.
  • Baby Fever debuts on Netflix on June 8.
  • The Great Soul Food Cook-Off will premiere on OWN on May 6.
  • Clark premieres on Netflix on May 5.
  • Dragons: The Nine Realms will debut on Hulu on May 5.
  • A Perfect Pairing will debut on Netflix on May 19.
  • The Sound of Magic will debut on Netflix on May 6.
  • LOL – Last One Laughing Spain will premiere on Prime Video on May 20.
  • Summertime will premiere on Netflix on May 4.

R.I.P.

Jim Hartz, Today Show host alongside Barbara Walters

Orrin Hatch, Former Republican Senator from Utah who appeared in Murphy Brown, Parks and Recreation and Traffic

Declan O’Brien, Writer and director of the Wrong Turn movies and Sharktopus

Adelia “Dede” Robertson, Leader with Christian Broadcasting Network and wife of televangelist Pat Robertson

Jacques Perrin, French actor who appeared in more than 70 feature films including Cinema Paradiso

, Soviet spy who inspired The Americans

David William Kearney, Houston bluesman known as “Guitar Shorty” who inspired Jimmi Hendrix

Re Styles, Model, costume designer, and actress

Cynthia Albritton, “The Plaster Caster”

WATCH THIS

Better Things: Say goodbye to Sam and her fam. Series finale. 9 p.m., FX

We Own This City: David Simon’s new series follows the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption within. Series premiere. 8 p.m., HBO

Gentleman Jack: Season two. 9 p.m., HBO

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Chrissy Teigen, Cristin Milioti, Soccer Mommy
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Terry Crews, Vanessa Bayer, Sam Fender, Fred Eltringham
  • The Daily Show: TBA
  • Watch What Happens Live: Gabriela Barragan, Capt. Glenn Shephard

MON. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC American Idol
(new)		 The Good Doctor
(repeat)
CBS The Price is Right at Night
(new)		 NCIS
(repeat)		 NCIS: Hawai’i
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CW All American
(new)		 All American: Homecoming
(new)		 Local
FOX 9-1-1
(new)		 9-1-1: Lone Star
(new)		 News/Local
NBC American Song Contest
(new)		 The Endgame
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