We're rapidly approaching the third season of Orange Is the New Black. June 12 still can't come fast enough, though, so the show's creator, Jenji Kohan, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to spill some season 3 secrets and further whet our appetites.
What's the biggest change on the way in the third season? "It’s a little lighter than season 2," Kohan said. "We wanted it to get a little gangster in season 2," but the third season focuses on faith and motherhood. She also revealed that viewers can look forward to getting more of the inmates' backstories.
Kohan also delved into a more serious topic: her underlying goal for OINTB. Yes, it's a TV show and it's entertainment, but she also wants it to serve as an investigation of our country's correctional system. "The prison industrial complex is a giant embarrassment and failure in this country. It's horrific that we are caging one in every hundred people," Kohan told THR. She wants the show to start a conversation that hopefully reaches the people who have the ability to institute change for the Department of Corrections.
Even though Kohan is trying to start such a serious conversation, and the show now must be submitted as a drama under new Emmy rules, she wants viewers to understand that levity is allowed. "I don’t think anything is all humorous or all serious. I remember watching dramas and thinking when there was no humor and no comic relief that they didn’t reflect any sort of reality," she said. When talking with Piper Kerman, whose experiences inspired the series, about her life in prison, Kerman noted that laughter was a survival mechanism for inmates.
Laugh, cry...we can't wait to do it all when season 3 hits Netflix on June 12. (The Hollywood Reporter)
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