Orange Is the New Blackis a comedy-drama series that was created by Jenji Kohan and based on Piper Kerman’s memoir calledOrange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. The memoir is centered around Piper Kerman’s own experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum security federal prison.
The series centers around Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a public relations executive with a career and fiancé, who suddenly has her past catch up to her. Piper Chapman is sentenced to 15 months in Litchfield Penitentiary,a women’s minimum security federal prisonin Upstate New York. Piper was convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her girlfriend, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon).
The complete series, containing all seven seasons, can be streamed on Netflix. Here are the characters forOrange Is the New Black.
Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman
Taylor Schillingstars as Piper Chapman, owner of an artisanal bath soap business in Brooklyn, and is engaged to Larry Bloom. Piper and Larry’s relationship becomes disrupted after Piper is sentenced to 15 months in prison for carrying a bag of drug money to Belgium for her girlfriend, Alex Vause.
After Piper self-surrenders at the Litchfield Penitentiary, things get more complicated between Piper and Larry after they learn that Alex is in the same prison. Piper and Alex’s feelings grow and the two end up getting prison married. At the end of Season 6, Piper gets an early release while Alex has to wait until she finishes her time at the Penitentiary.
Laura Prepon as Alex Vause
Laura Preponportrays Alex Vause, who is manipulative and street-smart and currently serving time in prison for drug trafficking for an international cartel followed by violating her parole. Alex is often seen reading and tends to keep to herself emotionally.
When Piper and Alex are reunited at Litchfield, thetwo rekindle their romanceand carry out a passionate love affair in the federal prison. In Season 3 of the series, a new inmate arrives, Lolly Whitehill who starts to obsessively observe Alex causing Vause to become paranoid, thinking that Lolly is out to kill her.
Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
Uzo Adubastars as Suzanne Warren, better known as “Crazy Eyes” who is intelligent but lacks social skills and is prone to have emotional outbursts and delusions when she is agitated due to her mental illness. Suzanne is serving 15 years in prison for kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter.
Suzanne used to work as a store greeter and believed she and a young boy, who frequently shopped with his family, were friends. Suzanne invites the boy over to her house to play some games, however, he becomes frightened and wants to go home. When he tries to call for help, Suzanne gets agitated causing the boy to panic, and he attempts to escape out a window and falls.
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In prison, Suzanne becomes fixated on Piper, nicknames Piper “Dandelion” and requests to be her bunkmate. Piper tells Suzanne that she has a fiancé and resists Suzanne’s advances. Suzanne later urinates on Piper’s floor in her bunk quarters. Towards the end of the series, Suzanne and Pennsatucky beginan unlikely friendshipand Pennsatucky opens Suzanne’s eyes to the unfairness of the justice system.
Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols
Natasha Lyonnestars as Nicky Nichols, who is an addict who is loyal to Red and cares deeply for Lorna. Nicky comes from a wealthy but dysfunctional family and the scar that is visible on Nichols’s chest during the series is a real scar from Natasha Lyonne’s heart surgery in 2012. Nichols is serving time for heroin possession along with breaking and entering.
Nicky is first seen when she gives Piper the tour of the prison and the two become friends. In Season 5, during the prison riot, Nicolas decides to take over the pharmacy with Lorna Morello and later Nicky confesses to Lorna that she has fallen in love with “an incredible, insane, beautiful woman” who would never love her back.
Kate Mulgrew as Galina “Red” Reznikov
Kate Mulgrewis portrayed as Galina Reznikov, better known as Red. Reznikov is serving time for her involvement with the Russian mafia, including using her freezer at her Russian grocery store to store bodies. Protecting her prison family, running the kitchen, and having a successful smuggling business using produce, Red is a powerful inmate at Litchfield.
At the beginning of the series, Pipercalls the foodat the prison disgusting, upsetting Red, who then serves Piper with a dirty tampon the next day before attempting to starve her. During Season 7, Red is diagnosed with dementia that is made worse when in solitary confinement. Red eventually is sent to Florida, where she reunites with her close friend, Frieda, and prison daughter, Lorna.
Danielle Brooks as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
Danielle Brooksis portrayed as Tasha Jefferson, better known as Taystee who lived in horrible foster care situations before she went to prison. Tasha is serving time for her involvement with her mother figure, Vee’s drug empire, along with violating parole.
Taystee finds her prison family and best friend Poussey. However, when Poussey is fatally suffocated by a guard during a protest, Taystee seeks justice for her friend’s death and becomes the leader of the prison riot. During the riot, CO Piscatella is killed and Taystee ends up with a life sentence for being wrongly convicted of his murder.
Yael Stone as Lorna “Lorna La Loca” Morello
Yael Stonestars as Lorna Morello, known as “Lorna La Loca,” a hopeless romantic planning her wedding to fiancé “Christopher.” Morello is in prison for stalking, harassment, and attempted murder. Lorna is also in a sexual relationship with fellow inmate Nicky Nichols.
Lorna drives the van for the inmates who have appointments. When Lorna is left alone for a couple of hours, she decides to take advantage of the situation. Morello breaks into Christopher’s house, puts Christopher’s fiancé’s wedding veil on, and takes a bath.
Later Nicky confronts Lorna about not being engaged to Christopher and in Season 7, Lorna deals with a devastating loss and has a psychotic break.
Dascha Polanco as Dayanara “Daya” Diaz
Dascha Polancoportrays Dayanara Diaz, known as Daya, who is serving time for drug charges that were related to her mother Aleida’s boyfriend. Daya was later charged and sentenced to life for killing CO Humphrey during the prison riot.
Daya arrives at Litchfield the same day that Piper does and is instantly slapped across the face by her mother, Aleida. The two of themhave a complicated relationship. During the first season, Daya quickly falls into a romantic and sexual relationship with CO Bennett.
Daya ends up pregnant however doesn’t want to get Bennett in trouble and makes a plan to make CO George “Pornstache” Mendez seem like the father, sending him to prison for rape.
Selenis Leyva as Gloria Mendoza
Selenis Leyvastars as Gloria Mendoza, who is serving time for food stamp fraud at her bodega. Gloria is hesitant to do anything wrong that would jeopardize her chance to leave Litchfield. After Red’s smuggling business is exposed, Gloria takes over the kitchen and is protective over her prison family.
Gloria wants her son, Benny, to visit Litchfield more often and arranges for Benny to carpool with Sophia’s wife and their son, Michael. Things don’t go as planned when Sophie accuses Benny of being a bad influence on Michael after Michael gets into a fight with another kid.
Later, Sophia attempts to apologize to Gloria however a verbal altercation ends up happening and Sophia shoves Gloria into a wall, causing Gloria to get a black eye.
Taryn Manning as Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
Taryn Manningis portrayed as Tiffany Doggett, known as Pennsatucky. Tiffany is serving time for murdering a nurse at an abortion clinic when she makes remarks about how many abortions Pennsatucky has had.
Tiffany preaches about God while harassing everyone she doesn’t approve of. Carrie Black and Tiffany have a strong friendship and Big Boo helps Tiffany after her rape. Tiffany also does not approve of Piper and Alex’s relationship and later attempts to murder Piper. Tiffany however ends up getting the teeth punched in and later in the series gets a completely new set of teeth.
