2. Orphan Black (BBC America, March 30th June 1st)
Tatiana Maslany is the thespian equivalent of one of those people who juggles flaming chainsaws while reciting romantic poetry (they exist, right?) Not only has
she been nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama from the Television Critics Association Awards and
won the third annual Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, but she's also garnered the hard-earned praise of sci-fi fans for realizing the full potential of a concept which could otherwise lead to a potentially mediocre series. Not to discredit the writers, especially co-creator Graeme Manson, who have, despite some minor missteps, crafted an engaging, intelligent, and most importantly entertaining story, but the premise of a woman taking on the identity of her clone only to be sucked into a world of danger and hard choices (and way more clones) could have been a much harder sell if not for Maslany's uncanny ability to play several roles with more presence, heart, and attention to detail than most actors dream of pulling off. With just the right amount of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek humor, Orphan Black expertly carries the tradition of high-concept sci-fi focusing on strong females who kick serious ass while battling identity crises; think Alias or Dollhouse with a more impressive lead. I'm seriously looking forward to delving more deeply into the intriguing mythology the show has built for itself in its second season.