Following last month's trailer buzz, Netflix's comedy series 'Vladimir'—starring Rachel Weisz as a literature professor in a forbidden romance with Leo Woodall's younger colleague—premiered on March 5, 2026, with all eight episodes available. Critics praise its steamy setup and 'Fleabag'-style narration but slam clichés, cynicism, and shallow characters.
Adapted by Julia May Jonas from her novel, the half-hour episodes dropped immediately on Netflix. Weisz's unnamed professor grapples with a midlife crisis as her husband (John Slattery) faces fallout from student scandals and her daughter (Ellen Robertson) sees her as irrelevant. The arrival of Woodall's charismatic Vladimir ignites the central obsession.
Directed in part by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, with executive production from Sharon Horgan ('Bad Sisters'), the show features fourth-wall breaks. Jonas makes her showrunner debut.
Reviews are mixed: TVLine calls the tone 'curdled cynicism' with repetitive fantasies, phony cliffhangers, and Weisz's Jennifer Coolidge-esque accent; characters lack depth beyond the antiheroine's view, making it 'smug rather than smutty.' TechRadar deems it a 'unique, uncomfortable watch' with bonkers plot twists undone by clichés, advising viewers to proceed cautiously. Humorous bits like 'yas queen' spa texts stand out amid stale academia depictions.