Wentworth hailed as even “better than Orange” on US Netflix

If you hadn’t heard, Wentworth is screening in the US and Canada on Netflix.

And according to one media article, it’s even better than Orange is the New Black (DK: season two sure was).

Seattle P.I. describes it as “a gritty drama and mystery series rolled into one, Wentworth (which is based on the 1980s Australian show Prisoner) is just as good, if not better, than any of the big-name American cable dramas that have broken new ground in recent years.”

Here some of the nine reasons it says US viewers should be watching:

1. It doesn’t sugarcoat prison life. There’s no “dramedy” label here. Wentworth doesn’t just veer into dark territory every once in a while; it resides there. Sure, there are flashes of humor, but the show’s gritty violence is more in line with Breaking Bad or Oz than it is with Orange. Any single episode could feature a combination of gang beatings, mutilations, rape or murder. Whereas the ladies of Litchfield make prison life seem fairly bearable, Wentworth leaves viewers completely content to watch from outside the bars.

2. It’s a perfect binge-watch. Wentworth is edge-of-your-seat television in its purest form. Each episode is infused with its own sense of purpose, with endings that often leave you grabbing for the remote to flip to the next installment. Conflicts are resolved and questions answered in a timely manner that doesn’t leave viewers frustrated or feeling short-changed. Best of all, even after one of the major plot lines comes to a definitive (and bloody) end in Season 1, the show takes a significant narrative turn in Season 2 while keeping the quality consistent. The second season introduces new characters (including a transgender inmate and a sadistic new governor), all of whom make the show even more compelling, as opposed to merely indicating that the writers are grasping at straws for plot lines.

3. The women are badass.
4. The guards are just as compelling as the prisoners.
5. The characters keep you guessing.
6. The stakes are incredibly high.

7. Boomer. Wentworth is dark. So oppressively dark that at times it seems almost too much to bear. And then Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) walks in. There are a lot of incredibly complex and interesting characters in Wentworth – the peace-keeping Liz who will go to the ends of the Earth to ensure the best for the women of Wentworth, but sabotages all chances at personal success; or the wily Simmo, whose maternal instincts put her in constant conflict with her mob employers – but Boomer is not one of them. She’s a simple creature whose volatile emotions are easily manipulated, making her the perfect fit as Franky’s loyal attack dog. But Boomer’s cluelessness is also her biggest charm, whether she’s getting a makeover to help move on from her ex (who left her for her sister, BTW) or trying to find her inner vamp on the dance floor.

8. The outside world is expertly integrated.

9. Wentworth is better than Orange is the New Black. At the end of the day, we love the women of Litchfield and Wentworth, but for those who only have room in your heart for one group of inmates, the choice is easy: Wentworth all the way.

You can read the full article here.