I am a Netflix addict, plain and simple.  This is mainly due to the fact that I am never on the cutting edge of pop culture—be it television series, movies, celebrity gossip—I’m typically about a decade behind.  Netflix, however, allows me the opportunity to watch numerous television series and movies that have already aired and been recommended to me by people whose opinions I trust.  Just recently, however, I broke this routine and decided to give Netflix’s new series, Orange is the New Black, a try.  It was unchartered territory for me—watching a show that had actually been filmed within the last five years—but boy, was I pleasantly rewarded for my adventurous nature.

I laughed, I cried, I gasped and I begged God for more after binge-watching the entire first season in one sitting (don’t judge, it’s only 13 episodes).  The series creator, Jenji Kohan, has developed yet another woman-centric dramedy just as she did with Weeds (yet another series I started watching the same year it aired its finale).  Based on the popular memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, Orange is the New Black is filled with unpredictable laughter, raw emotion, interested and calculated reveal of character backstories and an ensemble of fierce females that will capture you heart and support regardless of their sorted and seedy pasts.  Even my boyfriend watched alongside me, hooked to the plot and flow of events and build-up of drama as Piper twists and turns her way through the first few months of her prison sentence.

If you have Netflix, add this series to your instant queue right now.  I challenge you to start this series and not watch at least four or five episodes in one sitting.  If you don’t have Netflix, get it.  It’s less expensive than HBO but worth every penny for this show alone.  Plus, once you have Netflix, you can join me in catching up on series like Frasier, Arrested Development and Cheers (I actually feel pretty hip for already being caught up on Arrested Development).