“My job is building the world of the show,” said Michael Bricker, production designer for Russian Doll. And so he did — with aplomb.
The clever, twisty, darkly humorous series stars Natasha Lyonne as Nadia, a New York City game designer who, on her 36th birthday, becomes caught in a recurring lifecycle in which she is killed only to reawaken inside the bathroom of her friend’s loft during her birthday soiree. Bricker brilliantly wove the real-life grit of New York with nuanced fantastical design, which worked synergistically with the direction and script to convey mood and ambiance. In recognition of his work, Bricker and his team won an Emmy for Outstanding Production Design for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half Hour) and Animation.
Santa Barbarans have the opportunity to see several episodes of Russian Doll followed by a Q&A with Bricker on Thursday, November 14, as part of Carsey-Wolf’s Special Effects series, which runs through December 5. I spoke over the phone with Bricker ahead of his Emmy win about his career and Russian Doll.