I first subscribed to Netflix the year that this came out, in summer 2013. I immediately became addicted to the series, and so began my experience with binge-watching.

The first season is 13 episodes long, with each episode running somewhere between 50 and 60 minutes. It was created by Jenji Kohan, who is well-known for her work on Weeds, and is loosely based on the 2010 non-fiction novel Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman. Kerman also serves as executive consultant on the show.

The lead character is Piper Chapman, who is based on author Piper Kerman. Piper becomes involved with a woman named Alex Vause and assists her with her drug trafficking and money laundering schemes. She gets sent to a women's prison to serve her sentence alongside the show's many wacky and colourful characters.

I really enjoy how this show is structured. Each episode focuses on flashbacks to provide backstory for a specific character, while simultaneously pushing the current plot forward. This formula works very well, in my opinion, as these transitions are quite seamless and often have a connection to what's going on presently in the prison. The show walks the fine line of comedy and drama so well that, when it comes to award shows, people have had long discussions as to which category it should be placed.

This serves as a great introduction to the series, which is still running and is currently one of my favourite shows. I highly recommend it if you have a Netflix subscription.