Netflix star teases reboot of groundbreaking TV drama that ‘changed lives’

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A Netflix actor has teased the reboot of a critically acclaimed drama more than a decade after it premiered.

Danielle Brooks, 35, said she ‘would sign on the dotted line any day’ to return to Orange Is The New Black.

In the groundbreaking show set in a women’s prison, The Color Purple actor played inmate Tasha ‘Taystee’ Jefferson.

Throughout its seven-season run from 2013 until 2019, Orange Is The New Black had a profound impact on viewers’ lives.

They previously told Metro that the show encouraged them to come out as gay, while others said it was the first time they felt they had been represented authentically on screen.

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Appearing on tonight’s The One Show, Danielle was asked by host Alex Jones, 48, if she had ever been in talks about a reboot of Orange Is The New Black.

Viewers have been calling for more Orange Is The New Black since it ended in 2019 (Picture: JoJo Whilden / Netflix)

She replied: ‘I would sign on the dotted line any day. I loved working with everyone. We were truly sisters and we made really good work together. Fingers crossed.’

In 2019, after Orange Is The New Black ended, nine viewers spoke to Metro about how the TV series had changed their lives.

Among them was Jade from Nottingham, who said she came out as gay after watching the representation of the LGBTQ+ community on the comedy.

She said: ‘It helped me find myself. It helped my family understand who I was. I even found a relationship through watching it.’

Dave, from Arlesey, central Bedfordshire, said he related to Uzo Aduba’s Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren – and her long-standing battle with mental health issues.

Many viewers said Orange Is The New Black changed their lives (Picture: Netflix)

As someone with anxiety, Dave appreciated how Orange Is The New Black dealt with the character with care.

Dave said: ‘When it comes to Orange is the New Black, I love it because it portrays mental health in a very real way. It avoided cliches and gave characters like Susanne real depth.’

For Hannah, Orange Is The New Black was essential viewing due to the representation of different ethnic communities.

She said: ‘I love the diversity. That’s like the biggest thing for me.

‘Just seeing so many people represented. It shattered stereotypes I had, particularly about convicts.’

Orange Is The New Black was one of Netflix’s biggest shows (Picture: Netflix)

Orange Is The New Black is based on Piper Kerman’s memoir of the same name about her experiences of being imprisoned on charges of felonious money-laundering activities.

In the show, she was portrayed by Taylor Schilling.

During its run, Orange Is The New Black won multiple awards, including four Emmys.

In 2019, Netflix’s then original content chief Cindy Holland told Variety that about 105 million of the streaming service’s subscribers had watched at least one episode.

The One Show airs weekdays from 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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