ITVX has dropped all five seasons of the ground-breaking drama ‘Orphan Black‘ onto the streaming service to binge through in the UK, ahead of the launch of spin-off ‘Orphan Black: Echoes‘ in May.
For those of you who have yet to catch the original drama, ‘Orphan Black’ stars Tatiana Maslany (‘She-Hulk’) in a tour-de-force performance as Sarah Manning, an English con artist who witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her. Stealing the woman’s identity, Sarah becomes Beth Childs, a London police detective, and discovers Beth was not the only doppelgänger out there, as it leads her down an ever-deepening rabbit hole. Sarah discovers a vast conspiracy involving evil scientists, assassinations, detrimental illnesses, and clones… lots and lots of clones…
Maslany’s performance in the series won her a very well-deserved Emmy as she not only plays Sarah, but also all various clones, many of whom are on-screen at the same time. Supporting her in this epic role are Jordan Gavaris as Felix, Maria Doyle Kennedy as Siobhán, Kristian Bruun as Donnie and Kevin Hanchard as Art.
Created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, the drama originally ran from 2013-2017 over five seasons, all of which are available now on ITVX in the UK.
The new spin-off series, ‘Orphan Black: Echos’ is set in the near future and takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.
Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) plays Lucy, a woman with an unimaginable origin story, trying to find her place in the world. She will also exec produce on the drama. Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, The Durrells, Line of Duty) plays a perceptive but sensitive scientist who finds herself at odds with her own moral code when circumstances lead her to make an unthinkable choice.
The cast also includes Amanda Fix (High School) as Jules, a salty teen trying to find herself. The newly adopted daughter of wealthy parents, Jules is tough as nails, a little reckless but brutally smart; Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Lucy’s boyfriend Jack, a soft-spoken former army medic and single father. He’s devoted his life to raising his daughter and discovers the woman he loves has an unimaginable secret; Rya Kihlstedt (Nashville, Dexter, Superman & Lois) as Eleanor, a brilliant, tough-as-nails, neuroscientist, who is deeply loyal to the people she’s close to, including her wife and their son. Raised by working-class parents, nothing was ever handed to her, she is devoted to her work and gets up every day with a singular focus to make a breakthrough in her research; James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry, The Dropout, Blue Bloods) as Darros, an extremely powerful self-made billionaire with a troubled rare mushroom farm, designed to improve human biology. Soft-spoken but with an undeniable presence, Darros is a man who always gets what he wants, no matter the cost; And Reed Diamond (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Dollhouse, Designated Survivor, 13 Reasons Why) in the recurring role of Tom, the former military, no-nonsense Head of Corporate Security for the Darros Foundation.
Anna Fishko (‘Pieces of Her’, ‘The Society’, ‘Fear the Walking Dead’) is creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer of ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’ with John Fawcett, the co-creator of the original series who also directed 17 episodes across all five seasons, as director and executive producer. David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, executive producers from Boat Rocker on the original Orphan Black series, return as executive producers on the new series. Katie O’Connell Marsh, Nick Nantell, and Kerry Appleyard will also executive produce for Boat Rocker.
‘Orphan Black‘ Seasons 1-5 are available to stream on ITVX right now. ‘Orphan Black: Echoes‘ Season 1 premieres Thursday, 16th May 2024 on ITVX in the UK, with all episodes landing as a boxset.
