In 2013, the Canadian sci-fi drama Orphan Black premiered in the United States as a BBC America original series.
The series soon turned into one of BBC America’s biggest hits while making Tatiana Maslany into an Emmy-winning star.
Orphan Black ran for five seasons on BBC America, and now it’s finally arrived on Netflix eight years after it came to an end.
To mark the arrival of this modern sci-fi classic, Watch With Us is sharing three reasons why you should watch Orphan Black on Netflix in September.
The Series Has An Irresistible Mystery At Its Core
The opening episode of Orphan Black carefully lines up the story of con artist Sarah Manning (Maslany), a woman who witnesses the death of Beth Childs (Maslany), a woman who looks almost identical to her. Because Sarah was facing legal jeopardy in her own life, she has no qualms about stealing Beth’s identity and using it to clean out her bank accounts.
However, there’s a price for Sarah’s good fortune. First, she loses custody of her daughter, Kira (Skyler Wexler), because the police think she’s dead. Then she learns that Beth was a detective, and she can’t escape Helena’s life as much as she wants to. She also discovers that Beth was marked for death … and that there are numerous clones that share her face, but almost none of her personality traits. That’s one of the coolest setups for a show we’ve ever seen, and every mystery laid out is addressed in the subsequent seasons.
Tatiana Maslany Is a Revelation While Playing Multiple Characters
Every single adult female clone of Sarah is played by Maslany, and she infuses each member of her own personal Clone Club with unique personality traits and voices. There are a lot of clones in the series, but Maslany did some of her best work as the following clones: Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Helena and Rachel Duncan.
Each one of those characters has a unique voice, persona and backstory. Maslany often did double, triple or even quadruple scenes opposite herself to help craft the illusion that each of these women was a distinct person. Maslany was particularly impressive as Helena, an unhinged assassin. That character and her journey is one of the best parts of the entire show.
The Story Brilliantly Unfolds Across Five Mesmerizing Seasons
Because Orphan Black was such an early hit, this cable series was given the rare opportunity to tell a complete story from start to finish in 50 episodes across five seasons. That may seem like an eternity for most of the shows in the streaming era that can’t even get to half as many episodes.
There’s always intrigue and more secrets to uncover, but Orphan Black‘s greatest strength is the way each woman portrayed by Meslany feels like a fleshed-out character. You may find yourself so wrapped up in this show that even the minor clones may become some of your favorite characters.
Orphan Black is streaming on Netflix.
