There's something quite fascinating about the prison genre. It's existed for some time now, through HBO series Oz and ITV series Bad Girls, but it's never quite been as prominent within the world of television as it is today. What once would have been a tough sell internationally is now adored by millions who flock to streaming services to binge, and keep up the tradition of settling down on the sofa each week to catch the latest episode.
Wentworth / Credit: Foxtel
On top of that, the two leading prison drama series (at least in the US, Australia and the UK from what I can see) both focus on female ensemble casts - Wentworth Prison and Orange is the New Black. In a world still to this day dominated by men and patriarchy, it's refreshing to see such an incredible array of female talent allowed to shine and flourish.
In being such big small screen trailblazers, both shows have managed to convince those not only behind television series, but those in Hollywood that audiences will come to watch stories involving women, as well as straight, white men. Changes are happening and shifts are taking place, slowly but surely.
When we spoke to Danielle Brooks who plays Taystee in Orange between the first two seasons of the series, she hit the nail right on the head when questioned about the show's popularity.
She explained: "I think the diversity [makes it successful]. I feel like people don't just relate to people who are similar to them, I feel like people are relating to people that are actually - the world would say 'very polar opposites'. Because the show is so diverse, you're getting to watch the 'chocolate girls' play alongside each other and learn that they're totally different, and that they aren't all the same, we're not all the same as well as with the white women and the Hispanic women.
"I feel like it's also diverse in the sense of age too, and gender, and sexual preference, as well as the balance of comedy and drama."
It's a spot-on sentiment, and one that some of the cast of Wentworth Prison have also echoed in our past interviews with them.
Celia Ireland who plays Liz Birdsworth in Wentworth said of both her own show and Orange: "These shows are really making a mark and I think it's ostensibly, apart from the fact that the storylines are good and the performances are strong, and as a whole unit they're really interesting to watch, but the fact that 90% of the cast is women is still really an amazing hook for the show."
As well as that we see many important topics and issues confronted head-on. Prison system corruption, crooked cops, homosexuality and transgender inmates are just four examples of what we've seen explored, paving the way for a world now more suited to talking about these topics in real life.
So why are the shows so successful? Because they're unafraid of paving their own way rather than following formulas that have worked before. They're something new and refreshing and unique, and the acting is on another level from some of the most talented women we've ever had the pleasure of watching on the small screen.
Orange is the New Black returns for its fourth season on Netflix from June 17. Wentworth Prison is currently airing in Australia and returns for its fourth season in the UK later this year.
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