The end that was broadcasted could have been very different. In fact, in an interview with Vanity Fair, the showrunner Jenji Kohan revealed that she originally had a very different idea for how the show would end.
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A long-awaited ending
The series is based on an autobiography written by Piper Kerman entitled ‘Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison’.
As the name indicates, the book follows the authors life and experiences of living in prison. It was an immediate success and in seven years, the series had accumulated twelve Emmy nominations. Despite a drop in viewing numbers over the past few seasons, OITNB is still one of the most popular series on Netflix.
A very meta style
Jenji Kohan admitted that her first idea for the ending involved a mise en abyme, meaning a story within a story.
She imagined her main character pitching the idea for the series to an actress playing herself. Kohan then admitted that it was her 13-year-old son who convinced her to take another approach.
When she told him her idea, he simply responded: ‘No, you can’t end the show like that!’ In the end, Kohan chose a bittersweet ending, a lot more classic and consistent with the style of the series.
To celebrate the end of the series in photos, check out our video above!
