Orange Is the New Black

A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.

Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019) is a Netflix dramedy series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix, a seven-season serialized prison drama. Taylor Schilling plays Piper Chapman, a middle-class New Yorker who must serve time in a women's prison for a crime from her youthful past, trading her comfortable life for a harsh and eccentric community. Laura Prepon plays Alex Vause, her former lover, while Kate Mulgrew plays Galina 'Red' Reznikov, a kitchen power broker, and Natasha Lyonne plays Nicky Nichols, a volatile inmate. Each season follows a crowded ensemble of inmates and guards through flashbacks that reveal their tragic pasts and the reasons they ended up behind bars. The engine of the show is the tension between Piper's outsider status and the fragile alliances, rivalries and romances that form among women fighting for dignity under an indifferent bureaucracy. Thirteen episodes per season build a steady sense of institutional pressure, from cafeteria politics to shifting prison administrations. The tone blends sharp, bittersweet humor with melancholic and sometimes harrowing moments. Set in the modern American prison system, it is a sisterhood-driven story that will appeal to viewers who enjoyed the ensemble intimacy of Wentworth and the social scope of The Wire.

Audiences broadly rate the series positively for its ensemble cast, sharp writing and humanizing portrayal of prison life, with ratings holding steady across seven seasons.

• Wentworthwomen's ensemble prison setting, dark comedy tone, sisterhood and institutional injustice themes
• The Wireserialized ensemble drama with flashback-driven character backstories and social commentary
• Weedsdark comedy tone with a privileged outsider thrown into an eccentric community

Created by

Jenji Kohan

Release Date

2013-07-11

Episode runtime

58 min

Rating

8.0 / 10 (2922)

What is Orange Is the New Black about?

A privileged New Yorker is sent to a women's prison, where she forges unexpected bonds and conflicts with an eccentric group of fellow inmates.

What is Orange Is the New Black like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Orange Is the New Black as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Orange Is the New Black violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Orange Is the New Black as moderate.

What did critics think of Orange Is the New Black?

Audiences broadly rate the series positively for its ensemble cast, sharp writing and humanizing portrayal of prison life, with ratings holding steady across seven seasons.

Which shows are like Orange Is the New Black?

Shows with a similar feel include Wentworth, The Wire, and Weeds.

How long is Orange Is the New Black?

Orange Is the New Black: 7 seasons, 91 episodes.

Is Orange Is the New Black still running?

No, Orange Is the New Black has ended.

Where can I watch Orange Is the New Black?

In United States, Orange Is the New Black streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.