NEW YORK – Netflix’s new hit show, Russian Doll, is just a ploy by a vengeful Amy Poehler to get back at her friend and fellow comedian Tina Fey, following Fey’s repeated success in writing TV shows, and Poehler’s lack thereof. Sources familiar with the production of Russian Doll have claimed that its success since being released have only made Poehler angrier; because the inspiration, of course, came from Fey.
The simmering animosity apparently came to a boil after another one of Tina Fey’s shows, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, was heavily lauded and nominated for numerous Emmy Awards during each of its four seasons on air, including for outstanding comedy series. Poehler, miffed by her friend’s writing success, and that her own claim to fame was her role in Parks and Recreation – which featured an ensemble cast of characters, all of whom were far more memorable than her own – decided to create her own series to attack Fey’s recent success.
Poehler hired seven writers, six horror writers and one comedy writer, for the project.
“We weren’t given much to go on,” one of the writers said on condition of anonymity, for fear of being retaliated against for talking about the genesis of the project. “She just wanted us to come up with a storyline that showed how her own ambitions were killed, again and again, by her friend’s success.”
Poehler was deliberately hands-off with the project, according to those who knew of her intentions, because she wanted it to be successful.
“There was only one rule,” the writer recalled. “I could only… I mean, the comedy writer could only write one thing per day. Poehler wanted to keep it dark.”
Tasked with attacking Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the writers singled in on one of the series’ lesser characters, landlady Lillian Kaushtupper, played by Carol Kane, and created her back story in “the most dark and messed up way we knew how.”
“Poehler had said that she wanted to tarnish one of the characters in Kimmy Schmidt so badly that no one would be able to watch it again without that darkness from our show creeping in,” the writer speculated. “Our decision to choose Lillian took about three seconds.”
When the result, Russian Doll, was released on Netflix, though, its success and critical acclaim ended up biting Poehler, instead. It was, after all, inspired by Fey’s character and deliberately included none of Poehler’s artistic creation, leaving her feeling empty.
The 8-episode first season of Russian Doll is watchable on Netflix. Rumors abound that the series is expected to last another two seasons, though release dates have not been scheduled.
NOTE FROM WALLACE:
It’s not the first time Sarah Palin has got on the side of a strong, charismatic Van Gogh-style tortured genius!
Can we still see Russia from our house though???????