Top 35 Shows of 2013: No 5 Orphan Black

I’m the biggest mess there is. I’m not even a real person.

After Fringe finished in January I realised the only sci-fi show I was now watching was Doctor Who.Sure there were lots of fantasy, supernatural and horror shows on my watch list but sci-fi had struggled in the ratings in recent years or just wasn’t to my taste (shows like Revolution)

As I’m a fan of the genre I usually try to watch new sci-fi shows, with Orphan Black I hoped it would be good if not great just as long as it wasn’t awful that would be a real bonus. What it ended up being was my favourite new show of the 2013. Funny how small shows with no pre-air hype can just come out of nowhere and make that kind of impression.

I knew it was a clone show because of the rather spoilery trailers but it was seeing Tatiana Maslany in action that had me hooked. As soon as Sarah starts impersonating Beth the show opened up a world of possibilities and mysteries. I know so much praise has been given to Tatiana but really the show could have been a complete failure in the hands of another actress – she really does bring so much to the series.

One of the great things of watching Orphan Black as it aired was seeing the fanbase slowly grow over the course of the first season and then the summer as more people marathoned the show and the media became obsessed with getting Tatiana’s an Emmy nomination (it didn’t work but hey she has a Golden Globe one so that is pretty damn cool). Back in April it was a little show on a small network with an unknown cast, now it’s making critics and TV sites Top Ten lists and getting awards buzz. Never have I’ve been so proud of a show for making such an impact in a small period of time.

I’m proud because I think Orphan Black is terrific and I just love people discovering it and realising how much fun it is, how much heart Tatiana puts into all the different characters and how compelling the mysteries are.

Favourite episodes: Variations Under Domestication / Endless Forms Most Beautiful

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