Why you should vote for ‘Orange is the New Black’ in the Bingewatch Awards

It’s time once again to participate in our Bingewatch Awards! These awards recognize not only the best shows to bingewatch, but the best streaming services for bingewatching. So it’s no surprise that one of our nominees is the show that started the bingewatching trend. 

Orange is the New Black was one of the first Netflix Originals after they released their streaming service for TV and film, and is the longest running, with seven seasons under its belt. The show has offered us 91 episodes of laughs, tears, and introspective looks into the prison and justice system in America. 

With such a giant cast of characters to care about, it’s no wonder Orange is the New Black stuck around for so long. You don’t just love the characters, you love entire blocks within Litchfield because it’s too hard to choose a single favorite. 

But let’s get into the specifics. What is it about Orange is the New Black that keeps the fans coming back for more? And why should you cast your vote for OITNB in the Bingewatch Awards? We know exactly why. 

Orange is the New Black’s cast is as diverse as their reasons for being in prison

Orange is the New Black had a cast that had just as many people of color as white people. The show discussed the issues that people of color face when dealing with the American justice system, giving a marginalized group of characters a chance to be in the living rooms of millions of people each season. 

Laverne Cox brought transgender representation to a mainstream show, and even became the first trans person nominated for a Primetime Emmy thanks to OITNB. Many of the cast members (including Samira Wiley, Jackie Cruz, and Lea DeLaria) are also openly bi or lesbian, allowing for plenty of LGBTQ+ representation. 

OITNB is one of the few shows that does exposition right

While Orange is the New Black isn’t free from the “sexposition” many adult-oriented shows are guilty of, the majority of the exposition for these characters comes through flashbacks to their pre-Litchfield lives. We get to see how Daya & Aleida’s mother-daughter relationship became icy, what caused Alex to turn Piper in, and if Pennsatucky was truly this religious before prison.

These flashbacks not only give us the backstory to these characters, but humanizes the characters in the process. The ladies of Litchfield aren’t just prisoners, they’re humans who made a mistake trying to get themselves a better life. By giving us these characters’ life stories, we want them to succeed and become the people they want to be. 

Orange is the New Black is an honest look at the broken American prison system (and ICE)

Orange is the New Black shines a rare light on the prison system in America. From private vs. public prisons to cruel & brutal correctional officers to prison riots, OITNB tackles a variety of issues that affect American prisoners every day. Creator Jenji Kohan even started the Poussey Washington Charitable Fund for prison reform. In season 7, we even got a plotline that delves behind closed doors at ICE detention centers. 

Orange is the New Black includes plenty of strong LGBTQ+ relationships

Poussey and Soso, Alex and Piper, Maureen and Suzanne . . . the list goes on. Litchfield being a women’s correctional facility, it’s no surprise some of the women ending up in prison are gay/bi and looking for love. Though not every moment with these couples is positive, the show puts these relationships on a pedestal and gives them the attention and writing they deserve.

Many shows nowadays portray the lives of LGBTQ+ persons, but keep in mind Orange is the New Black show came out back in 2013 when Netflix gave OITNB a platform to thrive. Even as this show leaves our screens, we have so many more options for positive LGBTQ+ representation in television partly as a result of its existence. Which reminds us . . .

Season seven was the final season of OITNB

This is the final year you can vote for your Litchfield babes in the Bingewatch Awards! After a long, historic run on Netflix, Orange is the New Black took its final curtain call back in July after the debut of season seven. The end has come for the Litchfield inmates, so a win in the Bingewatch Awards is the best way to send them off.