--- title: "Vladimir" year: 2026 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/vladimir" fi1m_id: "vladimir" imdb_id: "tt35997699" tmdb_id: 285739 wikidata_id: "Q135261486" fi1m_score: 67 critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-11" updated: "2026-09-16T01:58:01.377737+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Vladimir (2026) Created by Julia May Jonas · MPA TV-MA · Drama ## Identity Vladimir - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/vladimir - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** vladimir - **IMDb ID:** tt35997699 - **TMDB ID:** 285739 - **Wikidata ID:** Q135261486 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35997699/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/285739, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135261486 **Fi1m score: 67** · Critics 66 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* Rachel Weisz makes a convincing case for keeping professors away from their own imaginations > Rachel Weisz keeps *Vladimir* amusing through some uneven storytelling. Her professor’s midlife crisis is worth trying if difficult people are your kind of company, though the frequent fantasies grow repetitive. ## Synopsis Rachel Weisz plays M, a professor whose midlife crisis brings desire and ambition into conflict with questions of morality. Her account of events includes first-person narration and frequent fantasies, placing what she wants alongside what she tells herself about it. As she unravels, sexual politics and judgements about behaviour become part of the story she tells. Leo Woodall plays Vladimir, with Jessica Henwick as Cynthia, Ellen Robertson as Sid and John Slattery as John. The eight-part drama is adapted from a novel by Julia May Jonas. ## Review *Vladimir* is worth considering for Rachel Weisz, provided an uneven midlife-crisis comedy sounds like an acceptable use of eight episodes. Adapted from Julia May Jonas’s novel, it follows a professor whose desire makes her an unreliable guide to her own behaviour. The attraction is the chance to hear an intelligent woman explaining herself without having to accept her explanation. Weisz makes that compelling, but the series keeps interrupting her with fantasies that become less revealing as they accumulate. Leo Woodall has the title role, though the professor is the more rewarding character. Weisz plays M with enough comic energy to keep her failings from becoming a solemn case study. We laughed at M’s fantasies, largely because Weisz makes the professor’s loss of composure so amusing. There is pleasure in watching an articulate person make such a poor job of explaining herself. The performance lets us enjoy her company without insisting that her judgement deserves our respect. The first-person narration is crucial, since it lets M present her own account of desire and ambition. Matthew Capodicasa and Jeanie Bergen are among the writers, and the material is sharpest when it leaves us to notice what her account cannot quite justify. Its handling of morality and sexual politics is less assured when the themes begin to feel like subjects for discussion. We need to understand what these questions cost M, not merely recognise that they are difficult. Cinematographers Tim Orr and François Dagenais, with production designer Sharon Lomofsky, help give the fantasies their heightened presentation. The choice makes sense for a programme so firmly attached to one woman’s wants: everyday restraint would hardly serve the comedy. Yet these passages too often repeat the fact of her desire when we are ready to learn something else about it. Their frequency makes them progressively less effective. Editors Tim Streeto, John Grenham, Ken Eluto and Meg Reticker face a recurring problem of rhythm. A fantasy can interrupt an awkward situation entertainingly, but repeated interruptions make it harder for that situation to develop. Across eight episodes, the pace is uneven enough for us to start anticipating the next diversion rather than worrying about M. That is a substantial limitation in a series which depends on our willingness to stay with her account. The midlife-crisis comedy has plenty of room for bad conduct, and *Vladimir* is right not to make its protagonist agreeable. It is less persuasive when it hesitates to follow her into anything messier. The writing sometimes seems anxious to keep us on her side, although Weisz is funny enough to remain watchable when we disapprove of M. We would have welcomed more of the discomfort that her performance is capable of producing. A taste for academic comedy will help, though M’s job is less interesting here than her capacity to talk herself into trouble. Anyone hoping for a sustained examination of sexual politics should lower that expectation. Try it for Weisz, and allow yourself to stop if the fantasies wear thin. *Fi1m score 67, published 11 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Vladimir, and almost all of them like Rachel Weisz. The consensus is that her performance as the unravelling professor carries the series: energetic, comic and sharp enough to make an unpleasant woman watchable. The praise clusters around the first-person narration and the writing, which several reviews find brainier and more slippery than a midlife-crisis comedy needs to be. The frequent fantasy sequences divide opinion, but the heightened tone wins most critics over once they settle into it. The reservations are about structure rather than performance. Variety finds the adaptation an imperfect translation of the novel, with pacing and casting choices that undercut its hothouse subjectivity. Radio Times goes further, objecting to a high-stakes opening that is explained away as a misunderstanding, and calls the tactic unforgivable. Collider, though positive, thinks the show plays it too safe and avoids its messier possibilities. The spread is wide, from warm to hostile, with Weisz the one thing nobody disputes. ## Straight answers **Is Vladimir worth watching?** *Vladimir* is worth trying for Rachel Weisz, and we scored it 67. She plays a professor whose midlife crisis makes her an unreliable guide to her own behaviour, and she keeps it amusing across eight episodes. The frequent fantasy sequences grow repetitive, so it suits viewers who enjoy difficult company more than anyone wanting a sustained study of sexual politics. **How long is Vladimir, and what is it rated?** *Vladimir* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a drama series. **Where can I watch Vladimir in the US?** *Vladimir* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Vladimir, and is it suitable for children?** *Vladimir* carries a UK 15 certificate and a US TV-MA rating, so it is not for children. It is a drama about a professor's desire and midlife crisis, with sexual politics at its centre and frequent fantasy sequences, rather than a violent or frightening series. Teenagers under fifteen are excluded by the certificate; the adult content is sexual and moral rather than gory. **Is Vladimir based on a true story or a book?** *Vladimir* is adapted from a novel by Julia May Jonas, not a true story. The series keeps the book's first-person approach, with Rachel Weisz's professor narrating her own account of her desire and ambition. We cannot say how closely it follows the novel, and knowing the source is not needed to follow the series. **What should I watch after Vladimir?** After *Vladimir*, try [*The Piano Teacher*](https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher) (2001, Fi1m 82): A much harsher study of desire, shame and professional authority. Then [*All That Heaven Allows*](https://film.one/film/all-that-heaven-allows) (1955, Fi1m 86): An older woman’s desire meets social disapproval, with far greater tenderness. ### Reviews we read (6) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the series as a boldly prickly, fascinatingly slippery deconstruction of desire that is brainy and lusty. It elevates the source material into something knottier and more insightful through its antiheroine’s voice and psychological dissection. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/vladimir-review-rachel-weisz-leo-woodall-netflix-1236520632/) - **Variety**, Alison Herman (55/100, inferred): The critic finds the Netflix series an imperfect translation of the novel that fails to fully deliver on its ambitions despite strong elements. Weisz is magnetic and the episodes often amusing as farce, but pacing, fantasy sequences, and casting choices undermine the hothouse subjectivity. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/vladimir-review-rachel-weisz-netflix-1236679789/) - **Radio Times**, James Hibbs (40/100, inferred): The critic calls out the series for cheating the audience with a misleading high-stakes opening that is quickly hand-waved away as a misunderstanding. Performances (especially Weisz) and the exploration of morality and sexual politics are strong, but the plotting tactic feels unforgivable. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/rachel-weiszs-vladimir-makes-an-unforgivable-yet-common-mistake-it-cheats-the-audience/) - **Collider**, Taylor Gates (8/10): The critic praises Rachel Weisz's pitch-perfect comedic performance as a flawed, ambitious professor in this Netflix miniseries, noting sharp writing and effective use of the female gaze. They single out the show's tendency to play it too safe and avoid fully embracing its weirder, messier potential as a key shortcoming. [Read](https://collider.com/vladimir-review-netflix-rachel-weisz/) - **NME**, Nick Levine (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the steamy midlife crisis comedy rollicking and infectious, with frequent fantasy sequences and a heightened tone that soon becomes engaging. They single out Rachel Weisz's energetic performance as the protagonist for praise while noting the show's smart ambiguity. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/vladimir-review-rachel-weisz-leo-woodall-3932733) - **Digital Spy**, Laura Jane Turner (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the series entertaining despite its flaws, praising Rachel Weisz's central performance as the unravelling professor as the standout element that carries the show. They single out the first-person narration and Weisz's anti-hero portrayal for making the chaotic story watchable, while noting issues with unlikeable characters and uneven handling of themes like cancel culture. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a70602854/vladimir-netflix-review/) ## Details - **Created by:** Julia May Jonas - **Creator:** Julia May Jonas - **Director:** Francesca Gregorini, Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Josephine Bornebusch - **Writer:** Matthew Capodicasa, Jeanie Bergen - **Novel:** Julia May Jonas - **Cinematography:** Tim Orr, François Dagenais - **Editor:** Meg Reticker, John Grenham, Tim Streeto, Ken Eluto - **Production design:** Sharon Lomofsky - **Costume design:** Luis Sequeira - **Producer:** Chris Pavoni, Radha Subramaniam - **Cast:** Rachel Weisz as M; Leo Woodall as Vladimir; Jessica Henwick as Cynthia; Ellen Robertson as Sid; John Slattery as John; Matt Walsh as David; Miriam Silverman as Florence; Kayli Carter as Lila - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 5 March 2026 - **Genres:** Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLeJ0CysmN8 ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-11.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Chair* (2021): Academic self-importance gets a brisker comic treatment, with institutional pressures attached - *Young Adult* (2011): Another difficult woman confuses wanting someone with having a claim on them - *The Piano Teacher* (2001), Fi1m 82: A much harsher study of desire, shame and professional authority — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher.md) - *In the House* (2012): For the dangerous pleasure of turning other people’s lives into material - *All That Heaven Allows* (1955), Fi1m 86: An older woman’s desire meets social disapproval, with far greater tenderness — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/all-that-heaven-allows.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/vladimir