TV Series of the Week: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black is a comedy-drama series on Netflix based on main character Piper Kerman’s experience in a women’s prison. Piper is a bisexual woman sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison for transporting a suitcase of drug money to her former international drug smuggler girlfriend, Alex. Before her guilty conviction, Piper had moved on with her life and settled down with a boyfriend. The show revolves around her struggle in adapting to the harsh prison lifestyle, the roller coaster of love affairs between men and women or women and women, and the concept that strangers can be intimidating at first (as the majority of the women in prison are), but if you delve past the initial reluctance, unique and valuable relationships can be formed.

The show was created by Jenji Kohan and was first released on Netflix on July 11, 2013. Another season has since been released and a third is on its way.