Orange Is the New Black
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''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison'' (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. Produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television, ''Orange Is the New Black'' premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2013. In February 2016, the series was renewed for a fifth, sixth, and seventh season. Its seventh and final season was released on July 26, 2019. As of 2016, ''Orange Is the New Black'' was Netflix's most-watched as well as its longest-running original series. It was widely acclaimed throughout its run, and has received many accolades. For its first season, the series garnered 12
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netwo ...
, winning three. A new Emmy rule in 2015 forced the series to change categories from comedy to drama. For its second season, the series received four Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and Uzo Aduba won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. ''Orange Is the New Black'' is the first series to score Emmy nominations in both comedy and drama categories. The series has also received six
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
nominations, six Writers Guild of America Award nominations, a Producers Guild of America Award, an
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...
award, and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
.


Plot

The series begins revolving around Piper Chapman ( Taylor Schilling), a 33 year old woman living in New York City who is sentenced to 15 months in Litchfield Penitentiary, a minimum-security women's federal prison in
Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
. Chapman was convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her girlfriend Alex Vause ( Laura Prepon), an international drug smuggler. The offense had occurred 10 years before the start of the series and in that time Chapman had moved on to a quiet, law-abiding life among New York's upper middle class. Her sudden and unexpected indictment disrupts her relationships with her fiancé, family, and friends. In prison, Chapman is reunited with Vause (who named Chapman in her trial, resulting in Chapman's arrest), and they re-examine their relationship. Simultaneously, Chapman, along with the other inmates, attempt to grapple with prison's numerous, inherent struggles. Episodes often feature flashbacks of significant events from various inmates' and prison guards' pasts. These flashbacks typically depict how an inmate came to be in prison or develop a character's backstory. The prison is initially operated by the "Federal Department of Corrections" (a fictional version of the
Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...
), and was in a later season acquired by the Management & Correction Corporation (MCC), a private prison company. The fifth season shows the prisoners revolting against the guards, wardens, and the system after MCC's failed handling of an inmate's death at the hands of a guard in the fourth season. The inmate death had followed a peaceful protest and subsequent instigation of an inmate fight by another guard. Fueled by the conditions the inmates are forced to tolerate, as well as grudges against the prison guards, a three-day riot ensues. During the riot, some inmates attempt to negotiate better living conditions and seek justice for the death of the inmate, while others pursue their own interests and entertainment, and a few seek no involvement. At the emergence of the riot, the guard who incited the fight in the prior season is critically wounded by an inmate who took the gun the guard illegally brought into the prison. At the end of the season,
SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
raids the prison to end the riot and remove all inmates from the facility. During this raid, a correctional officer is fatally wounded by a corrupt "strike team", which then conspires to blame the guard's death on a number of inmates who hid in an underground bunker, found by one inmate, and had taken the guard hostage. All inmates are transported to other prisons. The consequences of the riot are shown in the sixth season. A number of the inmates, including Chapman and Vause, are transported to Litchfield Maximum Security. Most of these inmates are interrogated, and several of them charged and sentenced for their involvement in the riot. In max, new inmates are introduced, alliances are made, and a gang-like war emerges between two prison blocks, spearheaded by a longstanding feud between two sisters and a grudge harbored by them toward a former maximum-security inmate who returned as a consequence of the riot (she had been moved to the minimum security prison). Inmates who arrived from the minimum security prison are either caught up or willingly participate in the war between prison blocks. The season portrays further corruption and guard brutality. The seventh season provides an ending to various inmates' stories. Chapman and Vause continue their on/off again relationship. The season shows how some prisoners are able to move beyond their time in prison while others are captured by the system and through their own flaws and/or systemic problems in the structure of US society and its justice system are unable to progress. In addition to the established setting of Litchfield Max, a significant portion of the season takes place in a newly created ICE detention center for detained presumed undocumented immigrants, showing their struggles and lack of access to outside help in large part because of complete or extreme disregard of the law. In each season, the series shows how various forms of corruption, funding cuts by the corporate owner to increase profit by millions, privatization of prison, overcrowding, guard brutality, and racial discrimination (among other issues) affect the prisoners' safety, health, and well-being. One of the show's key conflicts involves the minimum-security prison's Director of Human Activities ( the warden, under privatization nomenclature), Joe Caputo, whose efforts and aims as a
warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...
constantly conflict with the corporate interests of MCC, which acquires Litchfield Penitentiary as it risks closure. This theme is continued when a new forward-thinking and caring warden is hired at Litchfield Maximum Security and unlike Caputo, actually institutes educational programs and positive changes. She is fired for these actions and her attitude toward the corporate corruption, although her short-lived changes have profound results.


Cast and characters


Main cast

* Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman * Laura Prepon as Alex Vause, inmate * Michael Harney as Sam Healy, correctional officer * Michelle Hurst as Miss Claudette Pelage, inmate * Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov, inmate * Jason Biggs as Larry Bloom, Piper's fiancé * Uzo Aduba as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren, inmate * Danielle Brooks as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson, inmate * Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols, inmate *
Taryn Manning Taryn Manning is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett in the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), Cherry in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2010), Nola in ''Hu ...
as Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett, inmate *
Selenis Leyva Selenis Leyva is an American actress. She is known for her role as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–19), and also starred on the Disney+ comedy-drama series ''Diary of a Future President'' (2020 ...
as Gloria Mendoza, inmate *
Adrienne C. Moore Adrienne C. Moore is an American actress. She is known for her role as Cindy "Black Cindy" Hayes in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019). Life and career Moore was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up i ...
as Cindy "Black Cindy" Hayes, inmate * Dascha Polanco as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz, inmate * Nick Sandow as Joe Caputo, Captain of the Guard, later warden * Yael Stone as
Lorna Morello Lorna Morello is a fictional character from the Netflix dramedy series ''Orange Is the New Black'', played by Yael Stone. Stone was initially contracted for one episode, but was quickly promoted to series regular. Morello is based on two real-life ...
, inmate * Samira Wiley as Poussey Washington, inmate *
Jackie Cruz Jackie Cruz (born August 8, 1986) is a Dominican–American actress, singer and former model. She is known for her role as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black''. Early life Born Jacqueline Chav ...
as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales, inmate * Lea DeLaria as Carrie "Big Boo" Black, inmate * Elizabeth Rodriguez as Aleida Diaz, former inmate * Jessica Pimentel as Maria Ruiz, inmate * Laura Gómez as Blanca Flores, inmate * Matt Peters as Joel Luschek, correctional officer * Dale Soules as Frieda Berlin, inmate *
Alysia Reiner Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the en ...
as Natalie "Fig" Figueroa, warden


Recurring cast


Inmates

* Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset *
Diane Guerrero Diane Guerrero (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as inmate Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series '' Orange Is the New Black'' and Lina on '' Jane the Virgin''. Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there a ...
as Maritza Ramos *
Annie Golden Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in t ...
as Norma Romano *
Vicky Jeudy Vicky Jeudy (born January 23, 1987) is an American actress, known for her role as Janae Watson on the Netflix comedy-drama series, ''Orange Is the New Black''. Early life Jeudy was born and raised in Queens, New York. She is of Haitian descent. ...
as Janae Watson *
Julie Lake Julie Lake is an American actress, best known for playing inmate Angie Rice on '' Orange is the New Black'', for which she is a two-time winner of the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Earl ...
as Angie Rice *
Emma Myles Emma Myles is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Leanne Taylor on the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black''. She was friends with fellow actress Dascha Polanco Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 198 ...
as Leanne Taylor *
Abigail Savage Abigail Savage is an American actress and sound editor. She played inmate Gina Murphy on Netflix's ''Orange Is the New Black'', as well as roles in Brian De Palma's '' Redacted'' (2007), Lee Daniel's '' Precious'' (2009)'','' and on ''Law & Ord ...
as Gina Murphy * Constance Shulman as Yoga Jones * Lori Tan Chinn as Mei Chang * Tamara Torres as Emily "Weeping Woman" Germann * Lin Tucci as Anita DeMarco * Beth Fowler as Sister Jane Ingalls *
Barbara Rosenblat Barbara Rosenblat is a British actress. She is best known as a prolific narrator of audiobooks, for which ''AudioFile'' named her a Golden Voice. She has also appeared on screen such as in the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black' ...
as Rosa "Miss Rosa" Cisneros * Madeline Brewer as Tricia Miller * Kimiko Glenn as Brook Soso * Lori Petty as Lolly Whitehill * Lorraine Toussaint as Yvonne "Vee" Parker *
Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...
as Judy King * Emily Althaus as Maureen Kukudio *
Ruby Rose Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian model, actress, disc jockey and television presenter. Rose was a presenter on MTV Australia (2007–2011), followed by several high-profile modelling gigs, including Maybelline New Yor ...
as Stella Carlin * Daniella De Jesus as Irene "Zirconia" Cabrera * Shannon Esper as Alana Dwight * Rosal Colon as Carmen "Ouija" Aziza * Francesca Curran as Helen "Skinhead Helen" Van Maele *
Kelly Karbacz Kelly Ann Karbacz is an American actress. Early life and education Karbacz was born in Queens, New York and raised in Queens and Manhattan. In 1996, Karbacz graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City. She attended the Lee Strasberg T ...
as Kasey Sankey * Amanda Stephen as Alison Abdullah *
Asia Kate Dillon Asia Kate Dillon (born November 15, 1984) is an American actor, best known for their roles as Brandy Epps in ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Taylor Mason in '' Billions''. Dillon identifies as non-binary and uses singular they pronouns. Their ...
as Brandy Epps * Miriam Morales as Ramona "Pidge" Contreras * Jolene Purdy as Stephanie Hapakuka * Shirley Roeca as Juanita Vasquez * Rebecca Knox as Tina Swope * Sipiwe Moyo as Adeola Chinede * Besanya Santiago as Raquel "Creech" Munoz * Finnerty Steeves as Beth Hoefler * Christina Toth as Annalisa Damiva *
Amanda Fuller Amanda Fuller (born August 27, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for being the second actress to portray Kristin Baxter on FOX's '' Last Man Standing''. Career Early career In ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Fuller played Eve, one o ...
as Madison "Badison" Murphy * Vicci Martinez as Dominga "Daddy" Duarte * Mackenzie Phillips as Barbara "Barb" Denning * Henny Russell as Carol Denning * Ismenia Mendes as Tali Grapes


Staff

* Catherine Curtin as Wanda Bell * Joel Marsh Garland as Scott O'Neill * Brendan Burke as Wade Donaldson * Pablo Schreiber as George "Pornstache" Mendez * Lolita Foster as Eliqua Maxwell * Germar Terrell Gardner as Charles Ford *
Matt McGorry Matthew David McGorry (born April 12, 1986) is an American actor, writer and activist. He is best known for playing John Bennett on the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Asher Millstone on the ABC legal drama series ...
as John Bennett * Lauren Lapkus as Susan Fischer * Kaipo Schwab as Igme Dimaguiba * James McMenamin as Charlie "Donuts" Coates * Alan Aisenberg as Baxter "Gerber" Bayley * Jimmy Gary Jr. as Felix Rikerson * Mike Birbiglia as Danny Pearson * Marsha Stephanie Blake as Berdie Rogers *
Beth Dover Beth Dover (born August 29, 1978) is an American actress best known for her role of Linda Ferguson on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black''. Dover also appears in Comedy Central's ''Another Period'' and Netflix's '' Wet Hot American Summe ...
as Linda Ferguson * Nick Dillenburg as Ryder Blake * Mike Houston as Lee Dixon * Emily Tarver as Bambi "Artesian" McCullough * Brad William Henke as Desi Piscatella * Evan Arthur Hall as B. Stratman * John Palladino as Josh * Michael Torpey as Thomas "Humps" Humphrey * Hunter Emery as Rick Hopper * Shawna Hamic as Virginia "Ginger" Copeland *
Susan Heyward Susan Heyward is an American actress. She starred in the PlayStation Network original series '' Powers'' (2015–16) and HBO period drama ''Vinyl'' (2016). From 2018 to 2019, Heyward had a recurring role as Tamika Ward in the Netflix comedy-drama ...
as Tamika Ward * Josh Segarra as Danilo Stefanovic * Greg Vrotsos as Greg Hellman * Nicholas Webber as J. Alvarez * Branden Wellington as Jarod Young * Adam Lindo as Carlos "Clitvack" Litvack


Others

* Michael Chernus as Cal Chapman *
Tanya Wright Tanya Patrice Wright is an American entrepreneur, actress and author. Born and raised in South Bronx, NY, she studied Comparative Literature at Vassar College, and after her graduation, she went on to be offered her first main-line acting gig: T ...
as Crystal Burset * Berto Colon as Cesar Velazquez * Deborah Rush as Carol Chapman *
Tracee Chimo Tracee Chimo Pallero is an American stage, television and film actress who became an arts critic favorite after her 2012 breakout role as Daphna Feygenbaum, the antagonist in Joshua Harmon’s hit dark comedy ''Bad Jews''. In 2018 she married C ...
as Neri Feldman * Maria Dizzia as Polly Harper * Ian Paola as Yadriel * John Magaro as Vince Muccio *
Mary Steenburgen Mary Nell Steenburgen (; born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in 1978 Western comedy film '' Goin ...
as Delia Mendez-Powell * Miguel Izaguirre as Dario "Diablo" Zúñiga * Michael J. Burg as Detective Mark Bellamy * Bill Hoag as Bill Chapman * Karina Arroyave as Karla Córdova * Melinna Bobadilla as Santos Chaj * Marie-Lou Nahhas as Shani Abboud * Alicia Witt as Zelda * Alysia Joy Powell as Wyndolyn Capers


Episodes


Production

Show creator Jenji Kohan read Piper Kerman's memoir after a friend sent it to her. She then set up a meeting with Kerman to pitch her on a TV adaptation, which she notes she "screwed up" as she spent most of the time asking Kerman about her experiences she described in the book rather than selling her on the show. This appealed to Kerman as it let her know that she was a fan and she signed off on the adaptation. Kohan would later go on to describe the main character, Piper Chapman, as a "trojan horse" for the series, allowing it to focus on characters whose demographics would not normally be represented on TV. Its budget was estimated to cost $4 million per episode. In July 2011, it was revealed that Netflix was in negotiations with Lionsgate for a 13-episode TV adaptation of Kerman's memoirs with Kohan as creator. In November 2011, negotiations were finalized and the series had been greenlit. Kohan had initially wanted to cast Katie Holmes in the role of Piper Chapman, and met with the actress to discuss it, but Holmes had other commitments. Casting announcements began in August 2012 with Taylor Schilling, the first to be cast, as Piper Chapman, followed by Jason Biggs as Piper's fiancé Larry Bloom. Laura Prepon and Yael Stone were next to join the series, as Alex Vause and
Lorna Morello Lorna Morello is a fictional character from the Netflix dramedy series ''Orange Is the New Black'', played by Yael Stone. Stone was initially contracted for one episode, but was quickly promoted to series regular. Morello is based on two real-life ...
, respectively.
Abigail Savage Abigail Savage is an American actress and sound editor. She played inmate Gina Murphy on Netflix's ''Orange Is the New Black'', as well as roles in Brian De Palma's '' Redacted'' (2007), Lee Daniel's '' Precious'' (2009)'','' and on ''Law & Ord ...
, who plays Gina, and
Alysia Reiner Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the en ...
, who plays Fig, had auditioned for role of Alex Vause. Prepon initially auditioned for Piper Chapman, however Kohan felt she would not worry about her
n prison N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
noting a "toughness and a presence to her that wasn't right for the character." Kohan instead gave her the role of Alex. Stone had originally auditioned for the role of Nicky Nichols, but she was not considered "tough enough" for the character; she was asked to audition for Lorna Morello instead. Likability was important for Morello, whom casting director Jen Euston deemed "a very helpful, nice, sweet Italian girl." Natasha Lyonne was to audition for Alex, but was asked to read for the character Nicky Nichols; " ohan knewshe could do Nicky with her eyes closed. She was perfect," said Euston. Laverne Cox, a black
transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
woman, was cast as Sophia Burset, a transgender character. '' The Advocate'' touted ''Orange Is the New Black'' as possibly the first women-in-prison narrative to cast a transgender woman for this type of role. Uzo Aduba read for the part of Janae Watson but was offered the character Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren. Taryn Manning was offered the role of Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett. ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internati ...
'' host Ira Glass was offered a role as a
public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
host, but he declined. The role instead went to Robert Stanton, who plays the fictional host Maury Kind. ''Orange is the New Black'' is set in a fictional minimum-security prison in Litchfield, New York, which is a real town in the southern tier of New York, but it does not have a federal penitentiary. The series began filming in the former Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center in
Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of ...
, on March 7, 2013. The building, part of the what was then the Rockland State Hospital campus, was completed in 1970 and closed by 2010. The
title sequence A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with vi ...
features close-up shots of female non-actors who were formerly prisoners, including Kerman herself; she is the one who blinks. On June 27, 2013, prior to the series' premiere, Netflix renewed the show for a second season consisting of 13 episodes. For the second season, Uzo Aduba, Taryn Manning, Danielle Brooks, and Natasha Lyonne were promoted to series regulars. Laura Prepon did not return as a series regular for a second season because of scheduling conflicts, but returned for season 3 as a regular. On May 5, 2014, the series was renewed for a third season, as revealed by actress Laura Prepon. For the third season, several actors were promoted to series regulars, including Selenis Leyva, Adrienne C. Moore, Dascha Polanco, Nick Sandow, Yael Stone, and Samira Wiley. Both Jason Biggs and Pablo Schreiber were confirmed as not returning for the third season, but Schreiber appeared in the 10th episode of the third season. The series was renewed for a fourth season on April 15, 2015, prior to its third-season release. For the fourth season, Jackie Cruz and Lea DeLaria were promoted to series regulars; with Elizabeth Rodriguez also being promoted by the season's sixth episode. On February 5, 2016, the series was renewed for a fifth, sixth and seventh season. In season six, Dale Soules, Laura Gómez, and Matt Peters were promoted to series regulars. On October 17, 2018, Netflix announced that the seventh season would be the series' last and would be released on July 26, 2019. In 2018, Lionsgate Television were discussing "a potential sequel" to the series.


Reception


Critical response

''Orange Is the New Black'' was widely acclaimed throughout its run. It has been particularly praised for humanizing prisoners and for its depiction of race, sexuality, gender and body types. The first season received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave it a weighted average score of 79/100 based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating favorable reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, season one has a 95% approval rating based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus is "''Orange Is the New Black'' is a sharp mix of
black humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
and dramatic heft, with interesting characters and an intriguing flashback structure." Hank Stuever, television critic for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', gave ''Orange Is the New Black'' a perfect score. In his review of the series, he stated: "In Jenji Kohan's magnificent and thoroughly engrossing new series, ''Orange Is the New Black'', prison is still the pits. But it is also filled with the entire range of human emotion and stories, all of which are brought vividly to life in a world where a stick of gum could ignite either a romance or a death threat." Maureen Ryan, of ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', wrote: "''Orange'' is one of the best new programs of the year, and the six episodes I've seen have left me hungry to see more." The second season received critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gave a rating of 96%, with an average rating of 9.2/10 based on 53 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "With a talented ensemble cast bringing life to a fresh round of serial drama, ''Orange Is the New Black's'' sophomore season lives up to its predecessor's standard for female-led television excellence." Metacritic gave the second season a score of 89/100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." David Wiegland of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...
'' gave the season a positive review, calling the first six episodes "not only as great as the first season, but arguably better." James Poniewozik, writing for ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
,'' noted how the show "had expanded its ensemble so far beyond Piper", also stating that "Larry ndevery element of Piper’s life and family outside the prison needs to go", because of the show "not einginterested in giving them the same depth of characterization it gives to the rest of its prisoners and even its prison guards". The third season also received critical acclaim. On Metacritic, it has a score of 83/100 based on 24 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 95% rating with an average score of 8.1/10 based on 64 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Thanks to its blend of potent comedy and rich character work, ''Orange is the New Black'' remains a bittersweet pleasure in its third season." Richard Lawson from ''
Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...
'' gave the season a positive review, stating that the season "may find the walls closing in on many characters, but the show feels as boundless and free as it ever has". Spencer Kornhaber from ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' stated that Piper Chapman's scenes "once felt obligatory by mere dint of the fact that they powered the show’s plot, but now they mainly allow Taylor Schilling to demonstrate her comedic chops". Anne Cohen from ''
The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...
'' said the season used "traditionally anti-Semitic tropes", while Nathan Abrams from ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...
'' described a "remarkably upbeat and positive representation of
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
". The fourth season received critical acclaim. On Metacritic, it has a score of 86/100 based on 19 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 94% rating with an average score of 8.6/10 based on 52 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Orange is the New Black'' is back and better than ever, with a powerful fourth season full of compelling performances by the ensemble cast." James Poniewozik of ''The New York Times'' reviewed the fourth season as "Do you measure the quality of a TV season as a beginning-to-end average or by how well it ends? By the first yardstick, Season 4 is ambitious but uneven; by the latter, it's the series' best." Karol Collymore from ''
Bitch Bitch may refer to: * A female dog or other canine * Bitch (slang), a vulgar slur for a human female Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''The Bitch'' (film), a 1979 film starring Joan Collins * ''Bitch ...
'' magazine praised the show's past seasons for its representation of
women of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered " white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the ...
, while criticizing the fourth season due to the "visceral racist acts" and racial slurs that occur "constantly, in every episode", stating that "it felt exhausting". The ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...
'' praised the season for how it dealt with the topic of rape, while negatively describing the new characters as "mere one-dimensional fillers". '' IGN'' gave the season a positive review, describing it as "dramatic and insightful". The fifth season received "generally favorable reviews". On Metacritic, it has a score of 67/100 based on 20 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 71% rating with an average score of 7.3/10 based on 49 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Orange Is the New Black''s fifth season offers up more of the sharp writing and dizzying tonal juggling acts that fans expect – albeit somewhat less successfully." Chris Orstendorf from ''
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'' gave the season a positive review, although negatively describing "the decision to tell the entire story of season 5 in the span of three days". Emily James from Vox rated the season 3.5/5, praising the "stronger focus" compared to "the scattered nature of seasons three and four", and criticizing the season for having " ftendesperately cut to something that’s supposed to be funny, and it will only be so in theory". Rafael Gonzaga from ''
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'' rated the season four out of five star, calling the fourth season better although still praising the fifth. The sixth season received positive reviews from critics, with many critics noting its improvement over the previous season. On Metacritic, it has a score of 69/100 based on 14 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 85% rating with an average score of 7.3/10 based on 39 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Brutality and humor continue to mesh effectively in a season of ''Orange Is the New Black'' that stands as a marked improvement from its predecessor, even if some arcs are more inspired than others." ''
PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community ( LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights a ...
'' praised the season's "unlikely pairings of existing characters who have barely had so much as a scene together previously". The seventh season has a score of 81/100 on Metacritic based on 12 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 98% rating with an average score of 7.8/10 based on 44 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Carried by its exceptional ensemble, ''Orange Is the New Black''s final season gets straight to the point, tackling hard-hitting issues with the same dramatic depth and gallows humor that made the show so ground-breaking to begin with". In 2019, ''Orange Is the New Black'' was ranked 58th on ''
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''s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.


Accolades

''Orange Is the New Black'' has received many accolades since its debut. The series has garnered 16
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nominations and four wins. For its first season, it received 12 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netwo ...
, winning three. Taylor Schilling received a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama. In 2013, the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...
selected the series as one of the Top 10 Television Programs of the Year. A new Emmy rule in 2015, classifying half-hour shows as comedies and hour-long shows as dramas, forced the series to change categories from comedy to drama for its second season. That year, the series received four Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and Aduba won her second Emmy Award, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. ''Orange Is the New Black'' became the first series to receive Emmy nominations in both comedy and drama categories. For its second season, the series also received three Golden Globe Award nominations: Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Schilling, and Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Aduba. At the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, the series won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and Aduba won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. For its third season, ''Orange Is the New Black'' won Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Aduba). It received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. The series has also received, among other accolades, six Writers Guild of America Award nominations, five
Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
, four
Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...
s, a GLAAD Media Award, an American Cinema Editors Award, a Producers Guild of America Award, and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
.


Broadcast

The series began airing on broadcast television in
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, on TV2, on August 19, 2013. It premiered in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
on October 9, 2013, on Showcase. The second season began on Showcase on July 16, 2014, and the third season premiered on June 11, 2015. The first season began airing on broadcast television in the UK on
Sony Channel Sony Channel is a brand of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. It was previously known as Sony Entertainment Television (SET), but many of the channels, except the Indian television channel, were rebrand ...
from April 19, 2017. It has been shown in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
on TG4 since January 15, 2018. In April 2017, it was reported that a
cybercriminal A cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer or a computer network.Moore, R. (2005) "Cyber crime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime," Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing. The computer may have been used in committing ...
had stolen the first ten episodes of season 5, in a security breach of a post-production company. Netflix failed to respond to ransom demands, and the cybercriminal leaked the episodes online. Netflix confirmed the security breach and an ongoing investigation by federal law enforcement. ''
Multichannel News ''Multichannel News'' is a magazine and website published by Future US that covers multichannel television and communications providers, such as cable operators, satellite television firms and telephone companies, as well as emerging Internet ...
'' reported that demand for the series significantly increased over the seven-day period following the leak of the episodes. It was also said that the leak would likely cause a decrease in demand for the fifth season when Netflix released it in June 2017.


Ratings

''Orange Is the New Black'' generated more viewers and hours viewed in its first week than the other top Netflix original series '' House of Cards'' and '' Arrested Development''. In October 2013, Netflix stated that the show is a "tremendous success" for the streaming platform. "It will end the year as our most watched original series ever and, as with each of our other previously launched originals, enjoys an audience comparable with successful shows on cable and broadcast TV." As reported in February 2016, ''Orange Is the New Black'' remained Netflix's most-watched original series. In 2016, a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that ''Orange Is the New Black'' is one of the shows most watched in
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
s, and despite its "minority-rich ensemble cast", the series "appeals more to a white audience".


See also

* Incarceration of women in the United States * List of dramatic television series with LGBT characters * List of LGBT characters in television and radio * Prison–industrial complex * '' Prisoner''


Notes


References


Further reading

*


External links

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