Everyone knows Orange is the New Black (OITNB)- let’s face it. The series has become a household name for TV shows. It first premiered in 2013. I remember because it was my second year of college. I was told by one of my good friends over and over that I needed to watch it. I finally gave in, and seven months before the second season premiered, I fell into Piper Chapman’s (Taylor Schilling) life and the world of Litchfield Women’s Correctional Facility. Now, almost 7 years later, the Netflix original is coming to an end with its 7th season.
Orange is the New Black is Netflix’s third original series to ever air. It is the second, behind House of Cards, to be successful. OITNB is also Netflix’s longest-running show and most-watched series.
From the creators of Weeds (Jenji Kohan), OITNB is loosely based on the novel of the same name, written by Piper Kerman, recalling her experience in prison. In the show, Piper Chapman was convicted of a decade old crime of transporting drug money to ex-girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) and was sentenced to a year and a half behind bars to face the reality of how life-changing prison can really be. With each season, however, the series took on its own story, leaving only a glimpse of Kerman’s behind.
Orange is the New Black stars Taylor Schilling (The Lucky One), Laura Prepon (That ’70s Show), Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), Uzo Aduba, Danielle Brooks, Dascha Polanco (Joy), Selenis Leyva (Spiderman: Homecoming), Natasha Lyonne (Slums of Beverly Hills), Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale), Laura Gomez, Jackie Cruz, plus many more amazing women and the occasional man.
Cindy Holland, the Vice President of Original Content for Netflix shared a few words on the news of farewell.
“During the production of Season 1, everyone involved with ‘Orange Is The New Black’ felt like we knew a special secret we couldn’t wait to share with the world. Since then, we have laughed, cried, raged, and roared with the women of Litchfield, and every moment spent with them felt like borrowed time- too good to last forever. We will be sad to say goodbye but we will definitely be going out on a high. We are grateful to Jenji Kohan and her groundbreaking vision, to her supremely talented team of writers and producers, and to a once-in-a-lifetime cast and crew for creating a truly special work of art that has inspired conversations and connected audiences around the world.”
One less show to stop waiting for a whole year just to binge-watch it in a single day. If you haven’t seen Orange is the New Black, head to Netflix and have all of the glory of binging all six seasons only to wait in agony like the rest of us for the 7th, which will premiere Summer of 2019. So, what are you waiting for?