Vladimir (TV series)

Vladimir is an American comedy drama television limited series starring Leo Woodall and Rachel Weisz. It is an adaptation of the Julia May Jonas book of the same name. The series was released on Netflix on March 5, 2026.

Vladimir opens with a narrator describing a sense that she has lost control over the people around her. In the opening scene, set in a remote cabin, a man later revealed to be Vladimir Vladinski is tied to a chair wearing only a cardigan and his underwear. He appears to have been drugged and is slowly regaining consciousness. The story then moves backward six weeks to recount the events that led to the moment…

The narrator is preparing for her 30th faculty retreat at the university where she teaches. While shopping at a grocery store, she steals several curious glances at a man who briefly looks back at her. Later that day, she arrives late to a faculty meeting in progress. The meeting concerns a scandal involving her husband, John. Six students have formally requested that he be removed from the university. The narrator had deliberately entered late to avoid the discussion, but once seated she realizes that the man from the grocery store is present. He is introduced as Vladimir Vladinski, the department’s newest faculty member.

After the meeting, Vladimir casually touches her arm during conversation. Their interaction is interrupted by his wife Cynthia and she learns that they have a young daughter named Fee. The narrator invites the couple to dinner and suggests exchanging books. Rumors about John’s behavior continue circulating among the faculty, and the narrator asks a colleague to send her the official report about John. Reading it on her phone, she acknowledges that the accusations are serious, although she and John had agreed to an open marriage.

During a coffee break, the students suggest that the narrator does not have to defend John simply because she is his wife. The tension is eased when Vladimir arrives and calmly redirects the conversation.

The next morning she wakes to numerous messages about John. Later that day, Vladimir arrives for the dinner she had previously invited him to. They drink martinis and talk about literature, and Vladimir gives her a copy of his book. Their dinner ends when John unexpectedly returns home. Vladimir recognizes him and expresses admiration for his work before leaving to help Cynthia put their daughter to bed.

John apologizes for the turmoil surrounding the accusations and reveals that another former student has joined the complaints against him.

The narrator later meets Vladimir for a campus tour she had promised to give him. During their walk, he finally asks to read her novel, and she gives him a copy. Afterward, she pressures a colleague to help delay John’s disciplinary hearing so he can quietly retire. David initially refuses, but she threatens to reveal their past affair, forcing him to reconsider.

That night she lies awake beside John while thinking about Vladimir. She eventually gets up and reads Vladimir’s book on the couch, falling asleep there. The next day she attempts to persuade another colleague that John’s hearing should be postponed. Soon afterward the narrator learns that John’s hearing has been postponed until summer.

Relieved, she attends a faculty drinks gathering to which Vladimir invited her. She praises his book and invites him to lunch to discuss it, but he declines, saying he would prefer to read her book first. Cynthia later arrives with their daughter to pick him up, and the couple share a quick kiss in front of the narrator.

Inspired by the encounter, the narrator begins writing again. Later she lies beside the diving board of her swimming pool until someone suddenly tackles her into the water. It is Sid, who drunkenly believed the woman by the pool might be one of John’s former students after being unable to reach her mother. Sid confesses that she and Alexis have broken up and that she slept with a man during the aftermath.

John’s situation worsens after he is seen at a bar with a much younger date and runs into the university president. As a result, his disciplinary hearing is moved back to its original date.

The narrator later observes Vladimir and Cynthia sharing a quiet moment together on campus, which unsettles her. Her behavior grows more erratic. She secretly searches faculty mail cubbies and steals an envelope addressed to Cynthia.

Before the pool gathering, the narrator visits Cynthia’s house with a gift basket. The meeting is awkward. When the pool day arrives, Vladimir brings Fee instead of Cynthia, claiming that Cynthia has a migraine.

After Vladimir leaves with Fee, the narrator discovers that he forgot his swimming trunks and briefly smells them before deciding to return them later.

Her professional situation deteriorates as complaints about her teaching and behavior accumulate. She becomes increasingly distracted by fantasies about Vladimir and conflicts with colleagues and students.

Vladimir later proposes that they have lunch to discuss her book on the same day as John’s hearing. Instead of attending the hearing, the narrator chooses to meet him.

They spend the afternoon drinking wine and discussing literature. When Vladimir suggests ending the meeting, she prolongs it by ordering dessert and falsely telling the waiter it is his birthday. Eventually she invites him to her remote cabin, and he reluctantly agrees after calling Cynthia.

At the cabin they continue drinking and discussing their books. While he swims in the lake, she crushes pills into a drink and gives it to Vladimir. After he becomes disoriented, she dresses him in one of John’s sweaters and restrains him with zip ties and chains, recreating the opening scene of the novel. While he is unconscious, she uses his phone to send a message to Cynthia suggesting that she has been cheating on him with John, then destroys the phone.

When Vladimir awakens in confusion, she tells him that he had asked her to participate in a domination fantasy the previous night. Although unsettled, he eventually accepts her explanation.

That night Vladimir and the narrator finally sleep together after he admits that he had wanted to kiss her for some time. She then sends him to the guest room and begins writing furiously, convinced she has discovered the ending of her novel.

John later arrives at the cabin and denies the accusation, explaining that he and Cynthia simply take Adderall together while writing. He also reveals that the complaints against him have been dismissed, although he will no longer be allowed to teach and will instead retire with his pension. Vladimir becomes angry when he learns about the stimulant use, as Cynthia had previously struggled with addiction.

Soon afterward a fire breaks out in the cabin. As the flames spread, the narrator chooses to save her notebooks rather than help John and Vladimir escape. The two men become trapped inside near a door that will not open while she watches the building burn.

• Leo Woodall as Vladimir, a recently hired assistant professor for the English Department
• Rachel Weisz as M
• Jessica Henwick as Cynthia, Vladimir's wife and a recently hired adjunct professor
• Ellen Robertson as Sid, M and John's 27-year-old daughter and an attorney in New York City
• John Slattery as John, M's husband and the chair of the English Department who is recently suspended due to sleeping with students

• Matt Walsh as David, the interim head of the English Department while John is suspended
• Miriam Silverman as Florence, M's work frenemy
• Kayli Carter as Lila, M's former student and a complainant against John's case
• Milton Barnes as Andre
• Elisa Moolecherry as Priya
• Mallori Johnson as Edwina

In addition, Louise Lambert co-stars as Dawn, an adjunct professor.

• Tattiawna Jones as Alexis, Sid's 35-year-old girlfriend
• Kari Matchett as Lynn, the college president's wife

The eight-part limited series is created by Julia May Jonas based on her novel of the same name, with Rachel Weisz leading the cast. Weisz and Jonas executive produce the series alongside Sharon Horgan, Stacy Greenberg and Kira Carstensen of Merman as well as Jason Winer and Jon Radler of Small Dog Picture Company. 20th Television, where Small Dog had an overall deal, is the studio.^[1] Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini direct episodes, including the pilot. Berman and Pulcini also serves as executive producers.^[2]

In June 2025, Leo Woodall joined the cast as the titular character Vladimir.^[3] The following month John Slattery, Ellen Robertson and Jessica Henwick joined the cast as series regulars as well as Tattiawna Jones, Matt Walsh, Kayli Carter, Miriam Silverman, Louise Lambert and Mallori Johnson in recurring roles.^[4]

Filming began in Toronto on July 2, 2025, running into September 2025.^[5]

Tim Phillips composed the score for the series.^[6]

The series premiered on Netflix on March 5, 2026.^[7]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating based on 54 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Vladimir is a promisingly erotic and academic endeavor that cuts through the clichéd noise of typical sex comedies with inspired vigor and actors who make discussions about desire exciting, intellectual, and affecting."^[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable".^[9]

• Vladimir on Netflix
• Vladimir at IMDb