Over two years ago, Netflix released an original series that quickly became on overnight sensation. The third season that debuted this past summer is no different.

     Orange is the New Black follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a 30-something woman from New York City serving 15 months at Litchfield Penitentiary in upstate New York for transporting drug money for her girlfriend, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). The show focuses on several interactions between Piper and other prisoners at the minimum-security prison.

     When I first started the show, I had no idea what to expect. My only knowledge of the show came from posts that would pop up sporadically on my Tumblr dashboard. That, to me, was part of the thrill of the show – not knowing what I would encounter upon arrival. Once I watched the first episode, I continued on… and on… and on. Next thing I knew, I was engrossed into the plot line and found myself wanting to know what would happen next.

     The storyline is different than one I would normally watch. The show defies many stereotypes and focuses on the reality of being locked up. The effect of the prison system on the inmates and their interactions with each other are what formulate the show.

     The characters are unique, and I find myself empathizing with those who have a difficult background. Jenji Kohan, the creator of the show, has taken great efforts to show the audience how each of the prisoners have evolved, most notably through flashbacks. Although the flashbacks can be distracting at times, they are essential for the audience to get to know the characters and understand the paths they have traveled.

     Another thing the show accomplishes is the coverage of serious topics. Every character has a some kind of issue in their life that someone is bound to relate to, and the show brings to light problems that are prevalent to today’s world. Orange Is The New Black touches on topics such as violence, racism, abuse, crimes, corruption and sexuality. Not many shows are able to accomplish this the way the show does.

    Orange is the New Black is definitely a must-watch. It provides great insight into the prison system and contains interesting characters that audiences will grow to become fond of and eventually relate to.

Warning: Orange Is The New Black is rated TV-MA for crude language, graphic violence and explicit sexual activity.