In the first season, Russian Doll wrapped up its storyline of 36-year-old Nadya being stuck in a time loop, dying over and over again on her birthday. But the story wasn't quite over yet. In season 2, the show has managed to reinvent the wheel, so to speak with a completely refreshed angle to the story. Natasha Lyonne who plays Nadya has said in interviews that while season 1 was about learning to deal with death, season 2 is about learning how to live.
Much of the success of the show can be attributed to the performance of Lyonne, who also created and executive produced the show. But it's the entire cast that truly makes the show exciting, intriguing, and mind-bending. And chances are, fans recognize the talented actors from many of their other high-profile projects.
Natasha Lyonne (Nadya)
Natasha Lyonne has been acting since the '80s, but the role she's best known for by those of the current generation is that of Nicky Nichols on Orange Is The New Black. Those who grew up in the '80s and '90s, meanwhile, likely recognize her as Jessica from the American Pie movies.
For those with kids, Lyonne might instead look familiar from her role in the 2018 movie Show Dogs or the 1993 movie version of the story Dennis the Menace.
Charlie Barnett (Alan)
Charlie Barnett immerses so wonderfully into every role that it's easy not to realize it's him. In Russian Doll, it might be the mustache that throws fans off from recognizing him as Alan, one of the most intelligent characters on Russian Doll. But he is indeed the same actor who played Peter Mills, a firefighter, and paramedic in the series Chicago Fire.
Those more into the crime drama thriller type shows will recognize Barnett as the recurring character Gabe in the Netflix series You. He was also in another Netflix show, Tales of the City, as Ben Marshall.
Greta Lee (Maxine)
Wonderfully portraying Nadya's quirky best friend, Greta Lee plays a very different role in The Morning Show: she was Stella Bak in the second season, the woman tasked with leading the network's online media division.
While this is Lee's most prominent recent role, she has appeared in other projects as well in small or guest roles, like as Soojin in Girls, Homeless Heidi in High Maintenance, and Hae Won in Sisters along with Amy Poehler (who also serves as an executive producer of Russian Doll) and Tina Fey.
Elizabeth Ashley (Ruth)
Ruth is the one person who has truly known Nadya since she was a child, having been so close to her mother. She and Nadya had one of the best relationships on Russian Doll. The actor who plays her, Elizabeth Ashley, has been in the business since the '60s. She has three Tony Awards to her name along with an Emmy nomination.
Recently, fans might recognize Ashley from her recurring role as Aunt Mimi on the show Treme, where she appeared from 2010-2013. In the film, she was most recently in Ocean's 8 in 2018 playing the character Ethel. Some of her biggest roles from decades prior include in The Carpetbaggers, Evening Shade, and In the Heat of the Night.
Rebecca Henderson (Lizzy)
Lizzy is one of Nadya's and Maxine's closest friends, and she is played by Canadian actor Rebecca Henderson. Before her role in Russian Doll, Henderson has mainly had small roles in independent films.
Her star continues to rise, however, and fans will recognize Henderson for roles in The Good House and as a main cast member of Single Drunk Female as Olivia. She also appears in the Hulu comedy Sex Appeal, and in Inventing Anna as ADA Catherine McCaw.
Chloe Sevigny (Lenora)
Beautifully portraying a young version of Nadya's now-deceased mother, mirroring Nadya and capturing the essence of the '80s, the role required an actor with the impressive talent and resume of someone like Chloe Sevigny. Acting mainly in independent and experimental or controversial films, Sevigny has never been one to take typical roles.
Fans know her best from American Horror Story, Bloodline, and Portlandia. Sevigny also portrayed Lizzie Borden in the thriller Lizzie. Going back decades, Sevigny earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1999 movie Boys Don't Cry.
Annie Murphy (Young Ruth)
Playing the younger version of Ruth, fans likely instantly recognized Annie Murphy from her Emmy-winning role as Alexis on the hit Canadian series Schitt's Creek. Murphy notably won the Emmy for her role when the entire cast and the show swept the ceremonies.
More recently, Murphy began starring in the dark comedy Kevin Can F**k Himself, which was renewed for a second season. She also appeared in one episode of the hilarious comedy Murderville on Netflix, which starred Will Arnett.
Sharlto Copley (Chez)
When Nadya first discovers she has inhabited her mother's body, she immediately comes in contact with a mysterious and troubled man named Chez, the least likable character in Russian Doll. This character is played by Sharlto Copley, who was Wikus van der Merwe in District 9.
He also starred in the 2010 adaptation of The A-Team as Howling Mad Murdock and as Agent C.M. Kruger in Elysium. Copley was also King Stefan in Maleficent. On television, he starred as Christian Walker in the series Powers from 2015-2016.
Carolyne Michelle Smith (Agnes)
Any time Alan decided to visit the past and inhabit the body of his grandmother, the young woman was played by Carolyn Michelle Smith. Donning an afro and dark-rimmed, oversized glasses, fans might not recognize the actor from her far more glamorous role as Willa from House of Cards.
She also has a recurring role on the series Colony in 2017 as Devon, and small guest appearances on several high profile shows, including Luke Cage (Wendy Dunnavant), How to Get Away with Murder (Charmaine Cole), and The Oath (Sonia Gardener).
Brendan Sexton III (Horse)
Every show like Russian Doll has a character who serves as either a guardian angel or devil on the shoulder. It's often an unlikely person, and the same holds for Russian Doll with Horse, the homeless man that always seems to pop up in Nadya's life to provide information or insight that could be helpful.
In real life, Brendan Sexton III looks nothing like the scruffy character he portrays. He has only been acting since the mid-'90s with his first role in the 1995 movie Welcome to the Dollhouse. Fans will probably recognize him as Kyle from El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and from his role as Belko Royce in the 2011-2012 TV series The Killing.