Orphan Black (2013–2017) User Reviews

Great, fun, smart sci-fi – and what a lead actress!

[gogoschka-1 · 8/10 · 8 August 2014]

The premise of 'Orphan Black' probably wouldn't even have to be half as intriguing as it is - and yet the show would still be fun to watch. Some TV-shows have such a great cast, you'd keep watching simply for the joy of seeing an outstanding ensemble act. To get those kinds of actors is a rare privilege for any show, and 'Orphan Black' is very privileged, indeed. Thankfully, it also has a fascinating story to tell, and that combination makes for one of the most entertaining and most original shows on recent TV.

This review won't contain any spoilers, so I'm not going into plot details - just know that 'Orphan Black' delivers a perfect blend of mystery, sci-fi, thriller, drama and comedy elements - and many wonderfully colourful characters - that will make you want to binge-watch entire seasons. And while everybody in the cast does an outstanding job, one thing can't be stressed enough: Tatiana Maslany, the lead actress, is a revelation. It's hard not to spoil anything for those who still have the joy of watching 'Orphan Black' ahead of the them (and I think the first few episodes are enjoyed best without knowing what the show is about), but let me just say: you're not likely to see so many different aspects of one actress' amazing acting capabilities in any other show or film.

So my verdict: Worth watching for the quality of the acting alone, 'Orphan Black' offers dark thrills, edge-of-your-seat suspense - and more than a few laughs along the way. Perfect entertainment from Canada - 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

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Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

The lead actress!

[leonnemarcha · 8/10 · 22 February 2021]

Her acting skills are phenomenal and anyone who loves acting should watch this series for that reason alone. But the story is also fascinating and even if your not into sci-fi, it's still very entertaining and a original show to watch.

Most underrated show I've ever seen!

[dilloncamp · 9/10 · 5 March 2021]

This show is sooo good. The perfect mix of action, science fiction(very intelligent and realistic btw), drama, and HUMOR!

Tatiana Maslany is literally a GODDESS!! This woman is SOOOO TALENTED.

When I first heard her speak in an interview I thought she was still acting. Her ability to do accents is next level good. Not only that, her ability to be up to 6 very different and distinct personalities in a single episode is AMAZING.

The only reason she didn't win the emmy and golden glove for every season is because this show was more of a cult series than a mainstream one.

That's a big mistake on the people in charge of the awards because Maslany deserved every single leading actress award, also the supporting actress awards.

Tatiana Maslany should have been Emmy Best Actress in a Drama

[scott_sherwood · 10/10 · 6 October 2013]

As this series aired on BBC America, it seems to me it should have been part of the Emmy candidates. However I wonder about that since it received no mention and as a minimum, Tatiana Maslany's performance in the lead character role is one of the best ever in any media. Tatiana plays the multiple clones effortlessly. Whether American, British, Eastern European, anti-social, nonconformist, conformist, straight, LGBTQ I am never questioning the character. I was a fan and regular viewer of United States of Tara, but Tatiana's performance eclipses Toni Collette's. As I watched each week of the first season, I went from mildly entertained by her transformation to completely believing there were multiple actresses in the show. I would watch the opening credits thinking there were missing actresses! Jordan Gavaris is also great as Tatiana's brother. He brings just the right level of doubt yet support to the character. The story lines, settings, direction are also very good. As video science fiction, I think this is one of the best shows I have seen. It explores many different ethic and moral views - personal, scientific and social - with just enough creepiness to both entertain and make me think.

phenomenal

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 23 December 2014]

"Orphan Black" is a highly underrated series starring the woefully underrated Tatiana Maslany. What is the story there? This woman's name should be shouted from housetops. She should be heralded as the next Meryl Streep.

Like others on this board, I don't want to say too much and give the story away. In order to see what makes Maslany so amazing, you need to watch the show.

The story is full of twists and turns. In the beginning, we see a young woman, Sarah (Maslany) witness the suicide of a woman on the subway tracks. A fast thinker who lives on the edge, Sarah grabs her purse and her identity. It goes from there.

The series is peppered with interesting characters, including Jordan Gavaris as Sarah's gay hustler brother; Maria Doyle Kennedy as Mrs. S, Matt Frewer as Dr. Leeke, and many others. I'll just name the characters - they're all marvelous: Cosima, Alison, Rachel, Helena, Tony, etc.

Don't miss this, and don't ask me why everybody's not talking about it.

Binged every season in a day

[Austinfung · 9/10 · 21 September 2020]

Back in my uni days i used to binge every season in a day. This series is one of my favourite, and quite underrated. As for Tatiana Maslany, she's truly a remarkable artist, with a very few good roles for women on television, she plays all 9 of them. It's intelligent, dark, dramatic, mysterious, intense and humorous at the same time. Though each episode's duration quite long but, it never bores me.

This is excellent TV!!!

[skillswordfish · 10/10 · 14 April 2013]

Not at all sure WHY someone wrote that this is obscene. There isn't bad language, no T&A, no lurid sex, it's just high voltage, very hip and modern television. It also has great music and mind-twisting story lines mixed with witty dialog. The premise is unique. I don't want to spoil anything but after three episodes it's apparent that what I thought was going on is much more intense and crazy that I'd originally imagined. If you want something different and can go into this appreciating a fresh idea, you're in for a treat. Tatiana Maslany proves to be a very capable young actress. The rest of the cast is equally as entertaining. Enjoy!

Great start, but slowly downhill from Season 3

[bluesquirrel2004 · 7/10 · 14 August 2017]

I thoroughly enjoyed Seasons 1 & 2. The premise, acting, settings and character interactions were well done.

Seasons 3 & 4 were OK but were on a downward slide.

Season 5 I struggled to watch and had to force myself just so I could satisfy my curiosity on how the show ends.

From Season 3 onwards, the show became more of a soap opera, with lots of love interests, characters re-appearing, hurt feelings, etc. There were too many sudden plot twists that made little sense. The stories in subsequent seasons, were the same stories from the previous seasons, but used new characters and new corporations.

My favourite character- Helena.

Tatiana Maslany is a Hidden Gem

[dbr-59963 · 31 December 2020]

A title that I had stumbled upon and never looked back. At first, I wasn't sure if I'd like the premise of the show since it wasn't really my cup of tea. However, there have been very few shows that have intrigued me from the very first episode to the series' finale. Ophan Black is one of those shows. Tatiana Maslany deserves every praise she receives from this show and then more on top of it. Her acting was diverse and extraordinary. Orhan Black would not be what it is had any other actor played the roles that Maslany did.

Strong sci-fi thriller that finally fall victim to it's own complexity

[davidallenxyz · 7/10 · 14 May 2023]

IMDB only lets you do one review for a show and I think it is only fair to review it as a whole.

At it's best, Orphan Black it a tense, intelligent, dystopian sci-fi thriller. But ultimately, the complexity of the story becomes unsustainable.

Seasons 1&2 are fantastic and would rate a 9/10 if the show had stopped there. There are a couple of episodes that miss the mark, but the rate of story development is so fast that they don't linger on the weak points. It's a tense, mysterious drama about a group of female clones who have grown up with no idea of their background, and who now have various dark forces trying to control them.

Season 3 takes a markedly different direction, with a more military setting and another group to focus on. It's not bad, but it loses some of the focus and believability that made the first two series such a success. 7/10.

Season 4 does an amazing job of ret-conning almost all of the events in Season 3, and goes back to the urbanised, commercial dystopianism of the first two seasons, with an increasing number of flashbacks to explore the characters stories in more depth. However, when you are effectively re-telling a different version of the story in Seasons 1&2 it's hard to make a big impact. 7/10.

Season 5 is where it all falls apart. The writers very cleverly left little nuggets of information in earlier seasons which weren't fully explored. This season tries to bring them all together, and neatly tie up all the loose ends, both in terms of the storylines, and the characters that have been involved. It's too optimistic an undertaking and it just doesn't work. The psychological tension is mostly replaced by gore. Many of the rules that rooted the show in a degree of reality previously are broken. It's a step too far into fantasy, and it's a chore to get through. 3/10.

Tatiana Maslany is exceptional - granted a couple of the characters are a bit annoying (Sarah/Cosima)- but some of them are fantastic creations (Helena/Alison/Krystal). The brilliance of the performance is that she includes little details that mean you know who is who, even when their hair and clothing are hard to tell apart.

The show is bold enough to get rid of key characters. It's a risk that a lot of shows aren't willing to take. Unfortunately the cast and characterisations in later series is not as strong as at the start.

Long running dramas like Orphan Black always suffer from the same problem. There is a great story to be told in 10 episodes. But if the audience likes it, they will want more of it. The networks will want more of what the audience wants. And the writers would be fools to say no to another 3 months production budget. Which means that "jumping the shark" becomes inevitable - at some point you will run out of good material to extend the story further.

Orphan Black did really well to keep the quality up for 4 seasons. And were wise enough to end it in the 5th.

This is not SCI-FI

[karakamen · 4/10 · 13 February 2018]

I've watched all 5 seasons. Season 1 says "this is great, keep watching it". Season 2 says "Just wait, it will be better". Season 3 says "Ha, you thought this will be good?" Season 4 says "We don't know what we are doing with this show" Season 5 says "Ok guys, just finish this crap, ok?"

Too much nonsence scenes, too much questions, too much stupid outlines. I was expecting serious SCI-FI reading those comments ,and the most SCI-FI thing i've seen on this show, was only a stupid tail that had some guy. Wow.

Mesmerizing!

[foreverbounds · 10/10 · 23 May 2013]

I am just mesmerized watching the actress play so many roles with such differing mannerisms, personalities and even vocal/linguistic differences. I am in awe of her ability. She absolutely needs to get an award for this performance. The premise is unique and a welcome addition to the sci-fi genre. Truly it is one of the best sci-fi shows I have seen in a very long time. There is mystery, romance, danger and with the promise of more characters to be played by Tatyana Maslany, Orphan Black just has to continue for as many seasons as possible. PLEASE. I love the rest of the cast also, (especially her homosexual foster brother who provides some timely comic moments). The excitement just builds and builds as the season unfolds. Love it.

Don't start watching this show!!!!!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 15 April 2015]

Do NOT start watching "Orphan Black". If you do, you'll soon find yourself watching the shows one after another after another. Then, when you get the end end, you'll go crazy waiting for MORE episodes. Seriously....you'll be jonesin' big time for more because the show is so incredibly unique, strange and sucks you into it. The show is extremely well written and amazingly acted by the lead who plays...well, I have NO IDEA how many parts, as again and again NEW clones keep appearing and each has a totally unique personality! There's really no other show like it....and you should NOT watch it! But, if you do, you're in for a roller-coaster of a ride. It starts out very slowly....and over time it gets crazy...as well as crazy good.

Endless potential.....

[enwange-biz · 8/10 · 18 April 2013]

This is not your regular Scfi show where we know all the protagonists and villains in the first episodes( and thats when it starts to fizzle out)With Orphan Black the potential for additional mind-blowing characters is endless ! Its like Scfi soap opera, you never know who is going to walk through the door. Kudos to Tatiana for her ability to keep in character almost all the time. I actually think she has the record over Eddie Murphy in terms of most diverse characters and yes it does look very down to earth in the characterization i.e soccer moms and students but I think thats makes Orphan Black urban , hip and unique. Love to see where it goes from here.

Highly recommend

[Deleinquent · 9/10 · 11 October 2020]

I loved this show the whole way through, the characters really draw you in and give you a sense of a genuine connection to the show. Tatiana is incredible, playing so many roles for all seasons, her acting is amazing and the way she can make you truly believe she is all this different personalities and beings is excellent. Highly recommend.

Tea good show

[makcle · 8/10 · 19 October 2020]

It amazes me that one person could play so many lead roll characters. She is truly talented and so is the writer of this show. There's nothing like it out there very unique and addictive.

What a thrilling, fantastic first season

[Red_Identity · 2 June 2013]

I watched the first season of Orphan Black in just two days. Yes, it was that addicting. Such a fast-paced first season as well, the thrills never stop, the twists and turns never let down. But what's most remarkable is Tatiana Maslany, who plays these various characters brilliantly. It's not just that she plays many characters though, it's how she does it, and how when you see a different one you can see the difference in characterization that she's able to give them. She honestly deserves to win the Emmy at this point, and I truly hope she gets the nomination. Still, the first season of this sort of reminds me of other shows' first seasons where the quality takes a drastic downturn. Something built like this in its structure certainly is always at risk of getting too outlandish or stupid, but thankfully this never did.

Cannot fault Tatiana Maslany

[Peter-Naulls · 7/10 · 5 August 2021]

Her ability in this is quite astounding and to give it anything less than 7 would do her injustice. However, there are some plot holes and characters that dissappear not to be seen again with no explanation and at times it's incredibly frustrating to watch when characters just don't help themselves. In addition some episodes are lacking in development and progression particularly season 3/4. Overall not something you'll have seen before and there are some real laugh out loud moments as well as squmish. Final thought is that it actually had a well rounded ending for a change.

Tatiana Maslany 💯

[badreviewer · 10/10 · 2 January 2021]

The acting skills of Tatiana Maslany worth 10 stars on its own. She is incredible, hence the show too.

Great start - gets boring quick

[phil-66099 · 6/10 · 25 December 2019]

Great concept and great first season.

Gets boring really quick - the plot lines are just not interesting

Amazing Show!

[chenoasart · 27 May 2013]

Wow! Amazing show, so glad I found out about this one today. Happened to run across it while online and sounded interesting so I started watching the first episode and from there I was hooked, watched all 9 current episodes back to back and can't wait for the next one to air!

The lead actress is amazing, to be able to play multiple roles so well, is not an easy task. I was drawn in immediately by the suspense and wondering what was going to happen next.

I can definitely say this one is one on my must watch list. Lots of twists and turns as you go along that keep you interested and wanting to see more. The other characters all do a great job as well. Very well written, and acted.

Getting better episode by episode

[sandra-cameron · 10/10 · 25 May 2013]

The more episodes I see of Orphan Black the more I love it.

The story unfolds like a good book would unfold layer after layer.

You think you know what is happening next? Think again!

Orphan Black is a unique TV show with surprises in every episode.

The relationship between Sarah and Felix is so sweet to watch. Felix bringing a unique view to any situation that occurs.

I can't wait to see how the story with Elena unfolds and what Allison will do next.

This TV Shows as so many facets that I can't decide which one I like most.

Must see for 2013!

So amazing

[luanrihuman · 9/10 · 1 December 2020]

This is one of the best series I have ever watched. Kept me on my toes constantly. I was devastated when it was over

Best Show Ever!!!

[amberjustice3 · 10/10 · 12 November 2013]

Orphan Black is seriously the best show ever... like seriously, no other show even comes close. The fact that actress Tatiana Maslany can play so many characters is mind blowing! Once you start to watch this show, you won't be able to stop. It's that good. I honestly could watch this show all day every day. I pretty much know all the lines. This show will make you laugh, cry, and be disturbed. Not only that but you will be on the edge of your seat. If you like mysteries then you'll like this. Every episode ends with a cliff hanger - something to keep the viewers wanting to know more. It's really great! This most definitely is the best new show of 2013. So check it out! You won't be disappointed... oh yeah and tell your friends!!

Addictive!

[karen_ga · 10/10 · 11 June 2013]

American Networks could really pick a up more than a few clues about pacing, presentation and marketing some clues from BBA America. Comedy shows aren't really my thing, but I love sci/fi and drama, and have been busy catching up on Orphan Black, Copper, Ripper Street and more. Orphan Black (and can I just say that Tatiana Maslany is amazing and mesmerizing in the lead role) had me hooked from the first commercial I say prior to its premiere Every episode is full or twists and turns and drama. The characters are amazingly well written and completely distinct from each other, but each is acted beautifully, and each complement each other so well that they are each part of the puzzle. Down to the last shot, each is set up and beautifully filmed to the tiniest detail. As this season goes on, the show has not become stale, and each episode provides tiny bits and pieces to add to the whole story. There is no skipping ahead, and I defy anyone to see what's coming next. I DVR all episodes to go back and review past episodes, just in case I missed something. Consistently, i0 out of 10 for each episode and I can not wait to see how this show develops in the future.