Dhruv is a senior editor in Screen Rant’s New TV division. He has been a regular contributor to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles on streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a lead writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, reality TV to films.
After high school, he was on his way to becoming a civil engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took the plunge and never looked back.
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Most often, science fiction shows are canceled before they can fully realize their potential and end their runs with natural conclusions. Viewers who are starting to tire of this genre trend need to watch a 5-episode series that perfectly summarizes its story.
In the age of streaming, many great sci-fi shows have struggled to last beyond the two-season mark. Despite immense potential, some even had to face cancellations after their first season. This growing trend is frustrating and makes you want to seek out sci-fi shows that need to last at least three seasons before reaching a well-rounded final chapter.
Fortunately, viewers looking for such shows can now experience a brilliant 5-season sci-fi series that delivers a satisfying ending.
Orphan Black is a perfect sci-fi show from start to finish
Black Orphan‘s biggest flex is Tatiana Maslany, who brilliantly plays a dozen different clones and manages to give each one a distinct identity. She really shines in the series when she plays a clone pretending to be another, where she intentionally exhibits “bad acting” to show how talented an actress she is.
Even when it comes to scientific plausibility, Black Orphan is based on real facts. Credit goes to Cosima Herter, a real-life developmental biologist, who was hired to ensure the show’s portrayal of synthetic biology and ethics was authentic.
The sci-fi series also makes good use of its cloning plot to branch out into different genres instead of limiting itself to just one. Since each clone has a distinct life and identity, the series can range from captivating noir to suburban “soccer mom” comedy in different arcs. This allows it to appeal to a wider audience and keep things fresh throughout its long run.
More than anything else, Black Orphan benefits from its satisfying ending, which rises above many other shows in the genre.
Orphan Black has a satisfying ending
Many sci-fi shows have strong hooks and do a brilliant job of captivating viewers with one mystery after another. However, when it comes to paying off those hooks and solving those mysteries, most shows stumble. They descend into absurdity towards the end because their ending was not planned in advance.
Several other shows come to an abrupt end because their respective streaming services and networks suddenly cancel them before they can reach their natural conclusions.
Fortunately, for Black Orphanits creators developed its fifth opus knowing that it was the last season of the series. This allowed them to write it in a way that made it a coherent and emotionally satisfying conclusion. For obvious reasons, its ending after five solid seasons left many viewers heartbroken. However, the series still managed to maintain a lasting legacy, serving as a rare example of a science fiction series that knew exactly when and how to end.
Orphan Black’s 2024 spinoff wasn’t so lucky
Black Orphan’s spin-off, titled Orphan Black: echoespremiered in 2024. Unfortunately, the new installment not only struggled to match the critical success of its parent series, but was also unable to last beyond one season. It was canceled just three months after its premiere, and many viewers couldn’t help but criticize how disappointing and uneven its ending was.
A little over a year after its release, it’s almost as if the spin-off didn’t even exist as it was so quickly forgotten. Orphan Black: echoes season 2 will never happen, but the main series, on the other hand, is still worth watching and easily deserves to be ranked among the most ambitious and compelling modern series. science fiction watch.
- Network
- Space, BBC America
- Cast
- Tatiana MaslanyJordan Gavaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard, Kristian Bruun, Josh Vokey, Skyler Wexler, Ari Millen, Andrew Gillies, Andrew Moodie, Bobby Brown, Brendan Beiser, Brian Frank, Brittany Drisdelle, Anthony Christian Potenza, Cynthia Ashperger, Conrad Bergschneider, Courtenay Taylor, David Christo, David Fox, David Gingrich, Desmond Campbell, Diana Salvatore, Diane Fabian, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Domenico Fiore, Doug MacLeod, Dylan Trowbridge, Glen Grant, Géza Kovács, Ian Matthews, John Nelles, Joseph Pierre
- Directors
- Ken Girotti, TJ Scott, David Wellington, Grant Harvey, Helen Shaver, Aaron Morton, Brett Sullivan, Chris Grismer, Peter Stebbings
- Writers
- Aubrey Nealon, Karen Walton, Tony Elliott, Peter Mohan, Sherry White, Jeremy Boxen, Kate Miles Melville, Greg Nelson, Jenn Engels, Nikolijne Troubetzkoy
- Main genre
- Science fiction
- Creator(s)
- Graeme Manson, John Fawcett
- Producers
- Claire Welland, Tatiana Maslany
- Seasons
- 5