Finished up Orange is the new black today.
I liked it. More than I thought I would going in. Which isn't to say of course that it isn't without a good deal of flaws. With the amount of episodes and the length of them, it gives them time to explore some areas they really shouldn't plot wise.
spoiler (click to show/hide)
(I didn't care for the whole kitchen-evil guard subplot they spent so much time on)
And some of the episodes just run long. I found myself fast forwarding a little through some of the episodes just to avoid certain slow or obvious scenes I didn't care to see just like I use to in Weeds. Although in Weeds I would fast forward nearly through whole damn episodes unlike here where it was mostly just 30 to 45 second bits.
I actually ended up liking the main character quite a bit. Mainly because they commit to showing her as a flawed character and the consequences that can bring unlike in Weeds where it was a constant extreme bounce in trying to make Nancy seem cool in the earlier seasons and then like a complete utter piece of shit in the later seasons. Some of that same dynamic exists here but it comes off better for some reason and it isn't dragged out over multiples of seasons.
And yeah the other side character are very good. There stories aren't very original or unique but it commits to earnestly including them in the character of the show and its better for it. The show isn't especially realistic or anything but it honestly doesn't matter. You get to know and like the characters and that's what really matters.
This is a show that really should only last one more season. You can squeeze one more season out of these characters and story lines without it turning into a parody of itself. Hopefully they realize that. But I doubt it.