Russian Doll (Netflix)

Nadia is celebrating her 36th birthday at her friend’s New York loft apartment. Leaving the party to search for her missing cat she is hit by a taxi and killed, only to find herself back at the party, living the same night over again. This keeps happening; only the timing and mode of her death are subject to change. As she starts to realise what is happening to her Nadia moves from denial to investigation, trying to figure out why and how she might stop it. Along the way she gets to know her friends better, meets some new ones – but will she ever find her cat? Meeting uptight Alan, who seems to be in the same predicament, changes the game as together they search for answers to ending the time loop they are caught in. With obvious parallels to Groundhog Day, Russian Doll is also analogous to an old school, platform video game – no surprise as Nadia is a game developer. Blackly funny, sometimes moving, Russian Doll is a tribute to friendship as much as anything. Natasha Lyonne teeters on the edge of over-the-top as Nadia, held back from the brink by a solid supporting cast and a mostly tight script.