There are a lot of great TV series out there. "Grey's Anatomy," Gossip Girl and "Criminal Minds" are among my Netflix favorites, and others enjoy "Game of Thrones," "Friends," "How I Met Your Mother," etc. But every once in a while, a rare bird comes along that overshadows all the others. I believe that rare bird is Canadian-born, BBC America series, "Orphan Black."
You've probably never heard of it. It's not on Netflix, but it is available on Amazon Prime Video. I learned about it through my stepmom, who is an audio goddess and recorded much of the audio for season four. She's recorded with big name celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Ansel Elgort. However, the star of "Orphan Black," Tatiana Maslany, stood out immensely, and for good reason: she arguably has the most difficult acting job television has ever seen.
Maslany plays not one character, not two, but 11 different characters (so far), each with a different, distinctive accent, background and personality. Among her roles are a grungy con artist, a nerdy stoner, your average soccer mom, a Ukranian psychopath, a drug abusing cop, a ruthless career woman and a mysterious computer genius. Although I won't spoil much, her characters are clones in a large-scale experiment, and the show follows their crazy, breakneck journey to discover more about themselves, who made them and who's out to destroy them. Maslany brilliantly switches between astronomically different characters who are often on screen at the same time, and even nails the challenge of playing one clone who is pretending to be another clone. While you're watching, it's really easy to forget that it's the same actress playing all of these women. She received an Emmy nomination in 2015 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, but was robbed of the win. It's almost comical to see her list of characters in contrast to the single character played by every other nominee.
Not only is the acting phenomenal (Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard and Maria Doyle Kennedy are other incredible cast members, just to name a few), but the show's subject matter is unique, as well. "Orphan Black" has been praised for its LGBT representation, with characters like Felix (the lovable, gay foster brother of main character Sarah), Cosima (the lesbian science-nerd clone who is responsible for researching the clones' genes) and Tony (a transgender clone who appears for one episode). "Orphan Black" also delves into topics such as nature-nurture, humans as property, drugs, motherhood, family, feminism and stereotypes of women and much more.
"Orphan Black" is a fast paced series crossing genres between comedy, sci-fi, thriller and romance, and it's highly addictive. The writers and actors/actresses have created something truly fantastic and one of a kind. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I'm not sure I ever will. If you know of a series that surpasses the greatness that is "Orphan Black," please, point me in its direction. Until then, I am a dedicated member of the "clone club."
