Netflix is a very strange outfit when it comes to releasing information. They won't tell the public how many people are watching their original shows, and won't even tell the people making them (which has caused some problems when it comes to actors and producers trying to negotiate new contracts). And when it comes to the renewal of what's allegedly the streaming service's most popular show, “Orange Is The New Black,” they left the announcement up to Laura Prepon's Instagram.
Earlier today, Prepon – a guest star through most of the women's prison drama's first season, and someone who will only appear in four episodes of the second – posted the following to Instagram, along with the caption “It's official!! Season 3!! #oitnb #alexvause #backtothebighouse”:
When I checked in with Netflix about whether the renewal was official yet, I was told, “This is how we're making it official.” (And Prepon has said that she'll be back full-time for a third season.)
However they want to announce it – whether via Instagram, Snapchat, Friendster or an Aldis lamp – this is very good news indeed, and not just because I want to see the sorts of stories that match those episode titles on the whiteboard. “Orange” season 1 was one of the very best shows of 2013, and though we won't see season 2 until June 6, it feels like the show's creator Jenji Kohan has only scratched the surface of this world and her many, many fascinating characters.