Most TV shows can be boiled down to an elevator pitch: a brief summation of the show's premise that could fit into an elevator ride with a high-powered executive type. For Breaking Bad it's "dying chemistry teacher becomes meth dealer". The Sopranos it had "mafia boss goes to therapy". For Game of Thrones it was probably just "dead successful books, with boobs". BBC America's Orphan Black, meanwhile, has maybe a half-dozen elevator pitches, and they'll all totally hook you. You could describe the opening scene: "Woman sees somebody who is identical to her jump in front of a train". You could go for what happens next: "Woman steals identity of her dead doppelganger." Or how about we just jump in with the premise the show: "Woman discovers she is just one of many clones, and that somebody's after them." See? That's three great hooks right there, and we've not even got past the first episode. So how come you're not already watching the story of Sarah Manning and her clones, huh? The first season of Orphan Black took those hooks and managed to twist them even further, with a fast-paced story, an amazing cast and believable characters in an unbelievable situation. The second season, which premiered last night, is showing no signs of slowing down. Still not convinced? Well, I've got six pretty good reasons you should catch up.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
