Jenji Kohan appreciates the atypical tale. And yesterday, with the release of the first Orange is The New Black season two trailer, America was once again reminded of the creator’s unique voice.
One to stand out in a crowd – both figuratively and literally as she’s often seen sporting pink, green, or orange hair and cat-eye glassed –Kohan is the writer and producer responsible for two of the most talked about shows of the last decade. While the aforementioned OITNB is her latest creation, it was Showtime’s infamous Weeds that put her name on the map.
Her signature style goes far beyond her fashion and resonates throughout her writing. The majority of her characters are strong, conflicted females haunted by their pasts. In the growing age of Hollywood anti-heroes, they are simultaneously adored, undervalued and, at times, detested. Kohan is not one to shy away from controversy either, using middle-upper class white women as a vehicle to connect with people outside of that small realm of reality. Her plot-lines make for interesting television and multifaceted leading ladies.
Kohan, who’s been writing for Hollywood since 1994, began her career on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, since then her name has appeared in the credits for Sex and The City, Will & Grace, and Gilmore Girls to name a few. But in 2005 when she took on the role of writer, creator and executive producer for Weeds she was quickly elevated to Hollywood’s top tier of producers.
A year after Weeds ended it’s seven season run, Kohan re-emerged with Orange is the New Black, based of Piper Kerman’s memoir of the same name. The women’s prison dramadey, starring a well-educated middle class woman serving 15 months for a short-lived stint of drug trafficking, was a well-fitting next step from the woman who delved deep into they psyche of the suburban-mom-turned-drug-dealer. As Kohan and Americans are voyeuristically drawn to tense intersections of society, as well as empowered female characters, Kerman’s New York Times Best-Seller based off her real-life experience was a well-designed blueprint for a hit TV show.
But Kohan is quick to admit that the show has become it’s own “animal” loosely based off Kerman’s experiences, who she’s labeled the “godmother” of the series. Today, Kerman spends her time as a communications consultant for non-profits at Spitfire Strategies in Washington DC. A board member of the Women’s Prison Association, Kerman is also an advocate for prison reform.
Though Kohan pitched OITNB to HBO and Showtime as well, Netflix, the online streaming channel was the only one to quickly green-light an entire 13-episode season without a pilot. While the producer has expressed her excitement to be working with the cutting edge provider, she did mention earlier this week at Hollywood Radio and Television Society lunch that she definitely noticed the change.
“I miss having people on the same page,” she said of the binge-watching phenomenon that Netflix created. “I had to stop seeing it as traditional TV.”
Orange is the New Black returns to Netflix all at once on June 6. Taylor Schilling, who plays Piper, calls season two “extraordinary.”
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