About the Show
Street hustler Sarah Manning watches a woman who looks exactly like her step in front of a train — then steps into the dead woman’s life to raid her bank account. Instead she falls into a conspiracy: she is one of a series of clones, someone is killing them off one by one, and a powerful scientific institute wants them back. Tatiana Maslany plays Sarah, Beth, Cosima, Alison, Helena and more — often in the same scene.
Created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett and launched on BBC America in 2013, Orphan Black ran five seasons, building a devoted fanbase — the Clone Club — around its mix of thriller pacing, dark humour and one of the greatest acting feats in television history.
Why This Show Matters to Sci-Fi
Maslany’s Emmy-winning multi-performance rewrote what a single actor could carry in a genre series, but the writing matched her: the show used cloning to ask real questions about ownership of the body, corporate science, faith and sisterhood, and it landed its ending — a rarity. It remains the benchmark for identity sci-fi on TV.
Where to Watch
Watch on YouTube (rent or buy) — Season 1 of Orphan Black, starting with Episode 1 “Natural Selection”, is available to buy on YouTube. The series also streams on Peacock and HBO Max in the US.
Preview: Orphan Black — Official Trailer (on YouTube).
