# Orphan Black (2013)

> A streetwise hustler discovers she is one of many identical clones and is drawn into a conspiracy after witnessing a stranger's suicide.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/50464

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 50
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, thriller, drama
- Created by: Graeme Manson, John Fawcett
- Network: Space, BBC America
- Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Josh Vokey, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Michael Mando, Ari Millen, Kevin Hanchard
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234222/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: paranoid, propulsive, intense, tender, darkly human

## What critics say

Critics and audiences broadly acclaim Tatiana Maslany's multi-role performance and the paranoid, propulsive clone conspiracy thriller, though the middle seasons draw more mixed responses.

## Synopsis

Orphan Black (2013-2017) is a Canadian-American science fiction thriller created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett for Space and BBC America. Tatiana Maslany carries the entire series, playing a streetwise hustler named Sarah Manning who discovers that the woman she saw die on a train platform is a clone, and that she is one of many identical women created by a secret biotech experiment. Maslany also plays Cosima, Alison, Helena and Rachel, each distinct in voice and posture. Sarah, pursued by a shadowy organization, must protect the sisters she is learning about while navigating the suspicions of a determined police detective, Art Bell (Kevin Hanchard), and her foster brother Felix (Jordan Gavaris). Across five seasons of ten episodes each, the show is a serialized conspiracy saga in which each episode reveals a new layer of the experiment, unfolding through hidden lab files, safe houses, and tense confrontations. Its register is paranoid and propulsive, but it stays intensely human, grounded in found family and the question of who owns a body. Fans of The X-Files, Dark and Severance will find resonance in its mix of genetic mystery, corporate menace and emotional intimacy. The tone shifts from breathless thriller to tender sisterhood, making it a showcase of performance and suspense.

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