Natasha Lyonne Clears Up ‘Russian Doll’ Season 1 Ending Confusion Ahead of Season 2 Debut

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCartoon Network Studios and NFL alumnus Trevor Pryce’s animation studio have teamed up on a content development deal designed to discover emerging creators and artists from underrepresented communities, Variety has learned exclusively.Pryce’s Mid-Atlantic-region-focused Outlook Company will host the initiative out of its recently formed animated projects incubator Neru Projects. The program will launch with six local participants who will have creative executives at Cartoon Network Studios and Neru Projects to shepherd their ideas from concept to pitch through the development of a series bible.Per Cartoon Network Studios, “At least one project will be selected to begin formal development at Cartoon Network Studios and Outlook Company but, through the program, all participants will learn how to collaborate with creative partners to develop and package their original animated series ideas.” The inaugural group for the development program includes these six individuals, who “represent diversity in race, gender, and age and will use their unique perspectives to shine a light on their homes, communities, and personal experiences through animation”:“Elevating original and diverse creative voices is one of our top priorities at Cartoon Network Studios,” Sam Register, president of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros.

We’re excited to see filmmaker Rian Johnson (“Looper,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi“) make his television debut with “Poker Face,” a murder mystery streaming drama starring Natasha Lyonne (“Russian Doll“) that follows a traditional procedural format similar to iconic shows like “Murder She Wrote” or “Columbo.” Lyonne plays a sleuth working to solve different murders in each episode.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterLimited series “Anatomy of a Scandal” has ended “Bridgerton” Season 2’s reign as the No. 1 English-language TV series on Netflix, according to the streaming service’s newly release Top 10 rankings.For the week of April 18-April 24, “Anatomy of a Scandal” was viewed for 75.6 million hours in its second week of availability, while “Bridgerton” racked up 46 million and landed in the No.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterIn the wake of big spender Netflix’s Q1 shocking subscriber loss news, David Zaslav made a point to say Warner Bros. Discovery “will not overspend to drive subscriber growth” during Discovery’s first-quarter earnings call Tuesday.“As you’ve heard me say, we are not trying to win the direct-to-consumer spending war,” the WBD CEO said, instead promising that the newly combined WarnerMedia-Discovery company would “invest in scale smartly.”Warner Bros.

Natasha Lyonne is opening up about the deeper meaning inside the season two ending of Russian Doll.

Russian Doll stars Natasha Lyonne and Charlie Barnett have opened up about season two’s ending.The Netflix series returned last week for its long-awaited second outing, this time seeing Nadia Vulvokov (Lyonne) travelling back in time as she finds herself in the body of her mother (Chloë Sevigny).In the final episode, Nadia – having given birth to herself – steals the baby version of herself, collapsing time and finding herself in familiar series locations such as the birthday party in season one and the Yeshiva school that previously served as a location on the show.Nadia eventually returns the baby after pleadings from Alan (Charlie Barnett) and a number of Ruths – and Lyonne has now cleared up any confusion over whether Ruth is dead despite this appearance, confirming that she passed away “in that space between episode six and seven”.“Time is what gives life its order,” she explained to Entertainment Weekly. “And its meaning, on some level, is that it is finite.“These are ideas that are well-explored, but I think that Nadia is so hard-headed — or wants so badly to be able to affect some kind of change, or fix things — and in trying to rearrange the past, there is a karmic consequence wherein she misses that present moment.”The finale also sees Nadia and Alan find themselves in ‘the Void’ after getting hit by another train, having to face their demons and learn lessons to resolve them.“Season one was about breaking through these boundaries of death.

One of the last roles for legendary actor Marlon Brando involved holding the breast of young actress Natasha Lyonne in the horror-comedy parody Scary Movie 2.  Sadly, the scene never made it into the final cut. 

Lyonne), an eccentric New York woman who was caught in a time loop, repeating the day of her 36th birthday, often dying — by getting hit by a car, or in one memorably horrifying episode, falling into a sidewalk cellar door — before waking up that same morning. Her path crossed with Alan (Charlie Barnett), a depressed man who was also stuck in a time loop, and they realized they had to help each other.

Prior to his death in 2004, legendary actor Marlon Brando had signed on to appear in “Scary Movie 2” — and while he dropped out of the film for health reasons, Natasha Lyonne shared her recollections of filming a scene with the Oscar winner before his exit.

Lily Moayeri If you weren’t familiar with Harry Nilsson before the first season of Netflix’s “Russian Doll,” you certainly knew his song “Gotta Get Up” after it recurred on all eight of the show’s episodes — every time Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia repeatedly reawakens on the same night after dying in different ways. The second season of the series, now streaming on Netflix, doesn’t have a specific tethering song, but it serves up some choice cuts from the ’70s and ’80s, including Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” Falco’s “Der Kommissar,” Van Halen’s “Runnin’ With the Devil” and Nena’s “99 Luftballons.”These needle drops are apropos considering the central theme of the new season is time travel — whenever Nadia takes the subway. “We wanted the music to feel authentic and line up with the eras,” says Brienne Rose, music supervisor for “Russian Doll,” co-created and co-written by Lyonne.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOLER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Farnsby & B,” the Season 2 finale of “Ghosts.”Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) finally opened their bed & breakfast in the “Ghosts” Season 1 finale Thursday — only for their dreams to come literally crashing down moments later thanks to a curse. In the closing seconds of the episode, titled “Farnsby & B,” Sam and Jay are ready to welcome their first guests to the Woodstone B&B after defeating their enemy neighbors the Farnsbys in a game of pickle ball to get them to close their spitefully opened competitor, the Farsnby & B.But just as they open the doors, the floorboards crumble beneath them, suggesting the curse Thor (Devan Chandler Long) put on them before he got to know Sam is actually real.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix’s “Bridgerton” was viewed for more than 2.5 billion minutes during the week of its Season 2 debut, according to Nielsen’s newly released streaming Top 10 rankings.The Chris Van Dusen-created period romance was easily the No. 1 program on streaming for the week of March 21-27 on Nielsen’s charts, even though only its first season was available for the majority of that week, as Season 2 premiered on March 25.

Selome Hailu SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched Season 2 of “Russian Doll.”As an adoptee, Charlie Barnett has been able to use “Russian Doll” to process his own family history.It’s been three years since Season 1 of the Netflix dramedy first brought Barnett’s character, Alan, and series creator Natasha Lyonne‘s Nadia together in a falling elevator, which kills them both instantly — though they wake up again “Groundhog Day”-style and continue dying cyclically until they learn how to help each other out of the loop. While Season 1 fixated on the concept of the present, Season 2 takes Nadia and Alan to the past, where they find themselves inhabiting their ancestors’ bodies and witnessing first-hand the kinds of family trauma they could have only guessed about before. “I never got the chance to meet my birth mother,” Barnett says.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDisney Television Animation has promoted David H. Wright III to head of casting and talent relations.In his elevated role, Wright will continue to oversee all voice casting and talent relations for animated series and movies produced by Disney Television Animation, which is a provider of original content for Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Junior, with a primary focus on imaginative, aspirational stories for kids, tweens, teens and families.Most recently vice president of casting and talent relations, Wright reports to Meredith Roberts, senior vice president and general manager of television animation at Disney Branded Television.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAfter months of criticism and anticipation, “The Masked Singer” episode featuring the unmasking of Rudy Giuliani finally aired Wednesday on Fox. The show’s installment with the disgraced former mayor of New York City and former personal attorney for President Donald Trump, got a 0.6 demo rating and 3.6 million total viewers, according to fast-affiliate Nielsen data.Viewership for Season 7 has been in flux since its March 9 premiere, with the Fox celebrity singing competition drawing a season high 4.3 million viewers on March 30, only to reach a season low of 3.9 million last Wednesday — which was beat by last night’s new low.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOLER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Matryoshka,” the Season 2 finale episode of “Russian Doll.”In Season 2, “Russian Doll” broke out of its first season’s “Groundhog Day”-style time-loop format with a “Quantum Leap”-like time-travel device that allowed Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) to jump into the bodies of their deceased loved ones by taking a trip on the New York City subway. Nadia becomes her mother, Lenora “Nora” (Chloë Sevigny), in the East Village in 1982, and grandmother Vera (Irén Bordán, younger version Ilona McCrea), in World War II-era Budapest, while Alan is inhabiting his grandmother Agnes (Carolyn Michelle Smith) in Germany during the Cold War in 1944.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBenjamin Bratt has been cast in the Natasha Lyonne-led Peacock series “Poker Face,” which hails from creator Rian Johnson.Variety has learned exclusively that Bratt is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding cast. Another recently announced cast members include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, and David Castañeda. Plot and character details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode.Bratt most recently appeared opposite Rosario Dawson in the HBO Max limited series “DMZ,” which debuted in March on the streamer.

Natasha Lyonne, co-creator/executive producer Amy Poehler and cast member Chloe Sevigny spoke about the pressures of living up to expectations from the groundbreaking first season.«Having never been a musician, I can only imagine that it's similar to a sophomore album,» Lyonne told ET during the New York premiere on Tuesday night. «I guess it's healthy for getting it done.

Natasha Lyonne and Chloe Sevigny step out in their stunning looks for the season two premiere of Russian Doll held at The Bowery Hotel on Tuesday night (April 19) in New York City.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAll hail the viscount. The second season of “Bridgerton” has knocked the show’s first season out of the No.

Netflix series, “Russian Doll,” which premieres April 20.“I’ve obviously had a very checkered past, to say the least, and I’ve been very open about it,” she told The Post in her signature sandpaper voice. “And it’s like along the way you’re supposed to kinda go digging for some other meaning to life other than self-destruction.”Discussing her high-profile struggle with drug addiction in the early aughts, she told The Post, “I don’t think you can take Hitler out of the equation, the way I moved through my teenage years especially.

Natasha Lyonne has said that she and Fred Armisen broke up over a swimming pool. The Russian Doll star first began dating Saturday Night Live alum Armisen in 2014, with the couple living together in Los Angeles during the pandemic. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lyonne confirmed that she and the comedian had recently split for an unusual reason.

The Bubble actor Fred Armisen had broken up.  Natasha Lyonne — the star of Russian Doll, whose second season is among a number of exciting Netflix premieres coming in April — and Portlandia creator Fred Armisen started dating in 2014. They were introduced by his former Saturday Night Live co-star Maya Rudolph and reportedly split time between her place in Manhattan and his house in Los Angeles.

Natasha Lyonne and Fred Armisen are going their separate ways after eight years together. Lyonne confirmed the split to while discussing the highly anticipated return of her Netflix series, .Their relationship was brought up when the 43-year-old New York native was asked if she's currently living in Los Angeles. «I'm not. I had been there living with Fred [Armisen] and during COVID,» Lyonne revealed.«I honestly think we broke up because I wanted a swimming pool,» she continued.

After nearly eight years as a couple, Natasha Lyonne and Fred Armisen have gone their separate ways.

Growing apart. After nearly eight years together, Natasha Lyonne and Fred Armisen have officially split.

Natasha Lyonne and Fred Armisen have called it quits.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDavid Castañeda is the latest addition to the cast of the Natasha Lyonne & Rian Johnson series “Poker Face” at Peacock, Variety has learned exclusively.Lyonne will lead the drama series, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Stephanie Hsu also set to appear along with Castañeda. Plot and character details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode.Castañeda is best known for his role in the hit Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” on which he plays Diego. The third season of the show is due out on June 22.

After a three-year break, Netflix’s Emmy-nominated dramedy “Russian Doll” is finally back. When last we saw Natasha Lyonne’s eccentric chain-smoking software engineer Nadia, she had finally broken out of a time loop in which she repeated her 36th birthday, including dying multiple heinous deaths, over and over.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Everything, Everywhere All at Once” star Stephanie Hsu has joined Natasha Lyonne in “Poker Face,” the Peacock series created by Rian Johnson.Hsu is the latest casting to be announced for the series. Variety exclusively reported that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also set to appear on the show.Plot details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode. Details on the character Hsu will play are also being kept under wraps.Hsu was most recently seen in the critically-acclaimed feature “Everything, Everywhere All at Once” opposite Michelle Yeoh. She also plays Mei in the popular Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs.

Actress Natasha Lyonne (“Orange Is The New Black“) is looking to dominate the streaming space. The second season of “Russian Doll” is arriving soon on Netflix, and Lyonne is attached to lead a new Peacock series, “Poker Face,” developed by Rian Johnson (“Looper“) on the heels of completing production on his “Knives Out” sequel.

After a three-year break, Netflix’s Emmy-nominated dramedy “Russian Doll” is finally back. When last we saw Natasha Lyonne’s eccentric chain-smoking software engineer Nadia, she had finally broken out of a time loop in which she repeated her 36th birthday, including dying multiple heinous deaths, over and over.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been cast opposite Natasha Lyonne in Peacock’s Poker Face, a mystery drama series from Rian Johnson, his T-Street banner and MRC Television, Deadline has confirmed.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Bridgerton” Season 2 has landed the title of Netflix’s third-most popular English-language TV series — a list that is calculated based on shows’ first 28 days on the streaming service — in just 17 days.Per Netflix’s newly released Top 10 data for April 4-10, “The series had 115.75M hours viewed on the English TV list, appearing in the Top 10 in 91 countries, making it the most viewed title for the third week in a row. The season also entered the Most Popular list at #3 with 560.50M hours viewed.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJoseph Gordon-Levitt has joined the Peacock series “Poker Face,” the mystery drama starring Natasha Lyonne that was created by Rian Johnson.Plot details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode. Details on the character Gordon-Levitt will play, including how many episodes he will appear in, are also under wraps.“Poker Face” received a 10-episode order at Peacock in March 2021.