Pop Culturing: 'Russian Doll' Could be Great, but has a Netflix Problem

"Russian Doll" is poised to become your next Netflix obsession. The eccentric comedy-drama, which hits the streaming service Friday, has quite the pedigree: Created by writer/director Leslye Headland ("Bachelorette"), Amy Poehler and its star Natasha Lyonne ("Orange is the New Black"), "Russian Doll" blends a certain brash sensibility with a high concept. Better yet, the show is only eight, half-hour digestible episodes.

That high concept is one audiences have seen a few times – but not like this. "Russian Doll," a show built on secrets and twists that won't be spoiled here, follows Lyonne's Nadia, a brash, trash-talking New Yorker who is re-living her 36th birthday over-and-over a la "Groundhog's Day" or more aptly, the 2017 horror film "Happy Death Day." After dying, Nadia wakes up in the same spot, washing her hands in the bathroom of her friend's (Greta Lee and Rebecca Henderson) arty apartment in The Village. At first, she's unfazed, assuming her first death experience was a bad trip; the result of some super strong drugs she took at her birthday bash. But as the horrific event keeps happening – in different and unexpected (and sometimes hilarious) ways, Nadia soon figures out she's in some sort of horrific death loop.

It's a great concept and it has a strong structure to support it – four hours is not a big commitment in this modern-day streaming TV era. You can binge watch "Russian Doll" on a lazy Saturday. Amazon's conspiracy thriller with Julia Roberts "Homecoming" found great success using half-hour hour episodes to tell its hypnotic and engrossing story while "Maniac," a Netflix miniseries starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, also had short and effective episodes. But "Russian Doll" still feels bloated and takes its time getting to where it needs to go; most of the first season feels like a pilot episode. Things don't really take off until episode four – the halfway point – when Nadia meets Allen (Charlie Barnett) on an elevator that's about to crash and kill everyone inside it. He's an O.C.D. perfectionist nice guy – the complete opposite of Nadia – who is also trapped in the same loop as Nadia, dying and re-dying and waking up in his own bathroom.

Per its name, "Russian Doll" peels away its layers episode-by-episode, delving deep into its characters and into its mystery. Nadia's mother is the dark shadow that hangs over her life, which she opens up about with her mother-like figure, therapist Ruth (the wonderful Elizabeth Ashley). Nadia serves as a therapist to Allen and the two learn about themselves and one another while trying to figure out what is happening to them. This bizarre curse of sorts brings these two unlikely people together.

At its best, "Russian Doll" is a vehicle for Lyonne, who many know from "Orange is the New Black." Here, she channels a specific type of aggressive and neurotic New Yorker; one who pops up in a Noah Baumbach film. The show gives her a lot to do – she's able to go deep and wide into Nadia, bringing her to life as a fully realized and fleshed out (wonderful) character with emotion and depth. It's an intense, physical and warm performance and Lyonne is a fireball of energy. It's the true highlight of "Russian Doll" and Lyonne's performance is at the show's core.

Still, in its first season, (it's unclear if this will return for more episodes but with this streaming on Netflix, anything is possible), Lyonne's stellar turn isn't enough to make "Russian Doll as interesting and addictive as it wants to be. There's not a lot of here, and despite it being a truncated season of TV (thank goodness this isn't eight plus hours), "Russian Doll" falls short; it would probably working better as a feature film. It drags and spins its wheels both before Nadia meets Allen and after their encounter. Towards the back half of the season, when things need to be resolved, the show makes it convenient for the duo and yadda yaddas a lot of plot. This is a typical Netflix issue; a number of original series (think, "Ozark," "Blood Line," and even "The Haunting of Hill House") are extremely bloated and strategically pack a punch or drop a cliffhanger during the last 10 minutes of an episode, baiting viewers to click "Watch the next episode." "Russian Doll," unfortunately, is not different, and that Netflix structure/model is a big bummer.

Despite its problems, Netflix users may be conditioned into watching the streaming service's programs this way. "Russian Doll" has all the markings of being a hit and early buzz for the zany show is already mounting. Its questions about time, reality and the way in which trauma changes our lives are deeply interesting and smartly considered here. It's a whacky dramedy that has the appeal of a lean and aggressive structure but "Russian Doll" can't escape existing in Post-Peak TV.

This story is part of our special report: "Pop Culturing". Want to read more? Here's the full list.