Is Orange the New Black?

The inmates of Litchfield Penitentiary are back for a new season and if you haven’t binge watched the whole series on Netflix by now then you have some serious catching up to do! If you are new to Orange Is the New Black, the show centres around events of a women’s prison and is based on the memoir of Piper Kerman. Kerman spent time in prison following a crime she committed when she was younger which comes to light a decade later. The first season focuses around Piper Chapman – the fictionalised version of Kerman – as she finds herself plucked out of her, now middle class, comfortable New York lifestyle and deposited in prison. 

A Netflix original production which launched in July 2013, the show was an immediate yet surprising hit. The comedy-drama manages to elegantly sway between dark humour and more sombre moments as we are guided around the complex characters. The show uses flashbacks in order for us to illustrate how these women end up in their current situation and cleverly illustrates that criminality is not always black and white.

Perhaps the key to the show’s success is the cast itself; it’s rare for a show to have a predominantly female cast and every character is given their moment to shine. The depth and complexity of each character is given time to develop and reveal itself allowing the audience to sympathise with each backstory without trying to portray them as helpless victims of circumstance. Given the strong female cast it is also nice to see that the male characters are too given a full and intricate backstory and are not just filler characters for plot lines.

In season three all of the popular characters are still incarcerated at Litchfield from Piper and her on/off girlfriend Alex to ‘Taystee’, Sophia and the formidable Red. We get to see a new side to Sophia this season as we start to explore the complex relationship she now has with her son since her transition from man to woman. Played by transgender actress Laverne Cox, the character Sophia has probably had the biggest impact outside of the show and has taken great strides in raising awareness of transgender issues.

The show has been commissioned for a new series and if you aren’t already addicted, it’s worth streaming the previous three seasons now. The real genius behind the show is the clever exploration of female relationships, characters and unlikely friendships that form when thrown together in an uncertain place. Orange Is the New Black but it’s also a modern classic. Roll on 2016 and season 4!