Orphan Black [BBC America]
Thursday’s “Orphan Black” episode will serve as the fourth season finale.
We now know that it can also be referred to as the penultimate season finale.
BBC America has confirmed that its drama has been renewed for a fifth and final season of ten episodes.
“Orphan Black is a thrilling, genre-bending ride that has captured our fans’ imaginations and hearts like no other show,” said BBC America’s Sarah Barnett. “Our genius team of actors, writers and producers have, time after time, taken us to a place of awe, delight and utter shock and surprise. Tatiana [Maslany] has been and continues to be a complete revelation, hers is one of the most remarkable performances on television, and she is joined by an extraordinary cast. We can’t wait to take our incredibly passionate audience on one final gobsmacking clone adventure.”
“We are excited to deliver an epic conclusion to the tale of Sarah and her clone sisters,” added co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson in a joint statement. “The past four seasons have been a phenomenal adventure and we are eternally grateful to our loyal fans who have loved the twists and thrills of our weird little show. We are thankful to our partners at Temple Street, and to BBC AMERICA and Space for their support and giving us the opportunity to end on a high.”
While not a huge live+same-day ratings success, the first season of “Orphan Black” generated considerable buzz, with Maslany’s performance receiving particularly glowing reviews.
The buzz did drive a ratings increase for season two, but it was not as if “Orphan Black” became anything approximating a blockbuster hit. It was still best described as a “cult” attraction.
Live+same-day viewership has greatly faded over the past two seasons.
Still, fan support remains intense, and Maslany’s performance continues to inspire raves.