Russian Dolls (2011 TV series)

Last updated
Russian Dolls
Russiandollspromo.jpg
Genre Reality
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAlina Dizik
Banks Tarver
Colleen Conway
Edward Simpson
Elina Miller
Gena McCarthy
Ken Druckerman
Rob Sharenow
Running time21 minutes
(excluding commercials)
Production company Left/Right Films
Original release
Network Lifetime
ReleaseAugust 11 (2011-08-11) –
October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)

Russian Dolls is an American reality television series on Lifetime. The series debuted on August 11, 2011 and finished on October 7, 2011. [1] The series follows the lives of eight Russian-American families living in Brighton Beach, New York. [2]

Contents

Production and Cancellation

The show premiered on August 11, 2011 at 10:30/9:30c following hit series Project Runway . The show premiered to low ratings with a 0.4 rating in adults 18–49 demo and only 0.97 million viewers watching the episode. [3] While the series was in pre-production, Lifetime originally chose to name the series 'Brighton Beach but was later changed to its current title. The series was deemed a Jersey Shore -esque reality series even before the title change. [4]

On August 23, 2011, Lifetime moved the series to a later time slot, at 11:30/10:30c following a Dance Moms repeat. [5] On September 21, 2011, Lifetime announced that the series would be burned off and the last five episodes of the series aired on October 7, 2011, as a special marathon event. [6]

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Mama Dearest"August 11, 2011 (2011-08-11)0.97 [7]
2"From Ukraine with Love"August 18, 2011 (2011-08-18)0.77 [8]
3"Tough Russian Love"August 25, 2011 (2011-08-25)N/A
4"Ruski Business"September 1, 2011 (2011-09-01)N/A
5"Calendar Girls"September 8, 2011 (2011-09-08)N/A
6"New Year, Old Grievances"September 15, 2011 (2011-09-15)N/A
7"Cold Wars"September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22)N/A
8"It Takes DVA To Tango"October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)N/A
9"Single Russian Female"October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)N/A
10"Eastern Promises"October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)N/A
11"Perestroika"October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)N/A
12"Russian Dolls"October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)N/A

Reception

The New York Press stated that "while Russian Dolls is ultimately a Brooklyn Jersey Shore, its unique focus on and respect for Russian culture and parenthood elevates it above the typical reality show drivel." [9] The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Having the opportunity to mash up something as Russian as Brighton Beach with something as American as reality TV really drives home the fact that there’s a place where KGB-era ways and Kim Kardashian can meet." [10]

The show has been criticized for having Ukrainian women appear as some of its "Russian dolls". [11] The Boston Herald noted that the show "reinforces every negative stereotype about Russian women." [12] Pravda.ru described the show as "a spit in Russia's face." [13] The New York Times remarked that "If the Soviet authorities had wanted to torture Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn beyond endurance, they would have forced him to watch Russian Dolls." [14] AM New York describes the show as "so busily edited ...that there’s no flavor of any kind" adding that "If nothing else, this show might make us more appreciative of all the effort those “Jersey Shore” folks put into their portrayals." [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Real Housewives of D.C.</i> Washington, D.C.-based reality television series in the United States

The Real Housewives of D.C., abbreviated RHODC, is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on August 5, 2010. Developed as the fifth installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it aired for one season and documented the personal and professional lives of women residing in Washington, D.C.

<i>Jersey Shore</i> (TV series) American reality television series

Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that ran on MTV from December 3, 2009, to December 20, 2012. The series follows the lives of eight housemates at a vacation home in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore in seasons one, three, five, and six; South Beach, Florida, in season two; and Florence, Italy, in season four.

The sixth season of Futurama originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010, to September 8, 2011, and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.

NTSF:SD:SUV:: is an American black comedy television series created by Paul Scheer for Adult Swim. It parodies the police procedural and action film genres. The series starred Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Brandon Johnson, Kate Mulgrew, Rebecca Romijn, Martin Starr, Karen Gillan, Rob Riggle, and Peter Serafinowicz. NTSF:SD:SUV:: aired three seasons from July 22, 2011 to December 13, 2013. A number of special episodes were included within the broadcast of the series. In a 2014 interview, Scheer stated that the show is on an indefinite hiatus, with no immediate plans for a return.

<i>Burn Notice</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television spy drama Burn Notice premiered on June 23, 2011 on the cable television channel USA Network. The season concluded after its eighteenth episode on December 15, 2011.

<i>Suits</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American legal comedy-drama Suits originally aired on USA Network in the United States between June 23, 2011 and September 8, 2011. The season was produced by Hypnotic Films & Television and Universal Cable Productions, and the executive producers were Doug Liman, David Bartis and series creator Aaron Korsh.

<i>Wilfred</i> (American TV series) season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Wilfred, premiered on FX on June 23, 2011. The season contains 13 episodes and concluded airing on September 8, 2011. The series is based on the original Australian series, Wilfred, and stars Elijah Wood, Jason Gann, Fiona Gubelmann and Dorian Brown.

<i>The Pauly D Project</i> American reality television series

The Pauly D Project is an American reality television series that aired on MTV. The series debuted on March 29, 2012 and concluded on June 14, 2012.

<i>You Gotta See This</i> American TV series or program

You Gotta See This is an American reality television series produced by Comcast Entertainment Group for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on July 21, 2012. It was hosted by Noah Crawford and Chris O'Neal.

<i>Louie</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television comedy series Louie premiered on June 23, 2011, and concluded on September 8, 2011. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 23 minutes in length. FX broadcast the second season on Thursdays at 10:30 pm in the United States. The season was produced by 3 Arts Entertainment and the executive producers were Louis C.K., Dave Becky and M. Blair Breard. The second season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on June 19, 2012.

<i>The Real Housewives of Miami</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of The Real Housewives of Miami, an American reality television series, was broadcast on Bravo. It aired from September 13, 2012, until January 8, 2013, and was primarily filmed in Miami, Florida. Its executive producers are Matt Anderson, Nate Green and Andy Cohen.

References

  1. ↑ "Russian Dolls Episode: "Mama Dearest"" . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Russian Dolls: Cast & Details" . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert. "Updated: Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Jersey Shore' Down But Dominant + 'Burn Notice,' 'Suits,' 'Project Runway,' 'Wilfred,' 'Futurama,' 'Louie' & More". Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Development Update: Thursday, October 7" . Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Exclusive: Lifetime Bumps "Russian Dolls" to Late-Night". thefutoncritic. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Development Update: Wednesday, September 21". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Updated: Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Jersey Shore' Down But Dominant + 'Burn Notice,' 'Suits,' 'Project Runway,' 'Wilfred,' 'Futurama,' 'Louie' & More". TV BY THE NUMBERS. August 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ratings – Thursday's Cable Ratings: Another Thursday, Another "Shore" Victory". TheFutonCritic.com. 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  9. ↑ Barrosse, Emilia (August 11, 2011). "Emilia Barrosse reviews Lifetime's Russian Dolls". New York Press. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  10. ↑ Dizik, Alina (August 9, 2011). "'Russian Dolls': I Really Can See Russia From My House — Speakeasy — WSJ". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  11. ↑ Stasi, Linda (August 11, 2011). "'Russian Dolls' debuts on Lifetime, based on Russian Americans living in Brighton Beach — NYPOST.com". New York Post . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  12. ↑ Perigard, Mark A. (August 11, 2011). "Lifetime's 'Dolls' plays to cultural stereotypes — BostonHerald.com". Boston Herald . Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  13. ↑ Priymak, Artur (August 11, 2011). "America's 'Russian Dolls' – A spit in Russia's face — English pravda.ru". Pravda.ru. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  14. ↑ Stanley, Alessandra (August 11, 2011). "TELEVISION REVIEW; 'Russian Dolls' on Lifetime Shows Immigrant Glam — Review". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  15. ↑ Werts, Diane (August 10, 2011). "TV Review: 'Russian Dolls' – 1 star — am New York". Am New York. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.