Orphan Black

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.