netflix download orange is the new black

Through flashbacks that showed how each character wound up in prison, “Orange” encouraged viewers to identify with a vast array of characters whose race, religion, class, politics or gender identity often differed from their own.Įach new season rolled out in June or July - once a relatively quiet period in the TV year - fueling midsummer binge-watching and driving social media chatter. The series also resonated in a way that went beyond industry bragging rights, helping push criminal justice reform and transgender rights to the forefront of the national conversation. It’s better to be a surprise than a disappointment.”

“We were definitely in the shadow of ‘House of Cards,’” Kohan recalled recently by phone. Yet “Orange” would end the year as Netflix’s most-watched original, and it received 12 Emmy nominations for its first season - instantly establishing the streaming network as an awards powerhouse. But with its grim setting, challenging subject matter and hourlong format, “Orange Is the New Black” hardly seemed the kind of escapist fare viewers would consume in giddy binge-watching sessions. In what was then a novelty, all 13 episodes were available for viewers to watch at any time. Arguably the biggest names in the cast were Natasha Lyonne, a former teen star who’d battled drug addiction, and Laura Prepon, who played the girl next door in the long-running sitcom “That ’70s Show.” Several prestigious cable networks had already passed on the series, which was adapted by “Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan from Piper Kerman’s memoir about her time in a women’s prison. It was followed by a highly anticipated revival of the cult sitcom “ Arrested Development.”īy contrast, “Orange Is the New Black” boasted no major stars, no Oscar winners and a relatively modest budget. The streaming network had reportedly paid $100 million for two seasons of the political drama, executive produced by David Fincher and starring two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey. When “ Orange Is the New Black” debuted on Netflix in July 2013, it felt like an afterthought.Ī few months earlier, “ House of Cards” had rolled out to great fanfare.

Netflix download orange is the new black