Space Announces Fifth and Final Season of Ground-Breaking Original Thriller ORPHAN BLACK

– Space confirms 10 additional one-hour episodes of ORPHAN BLACK Season 5 to premiere in 2017 –
− Temple Street, a division of Boat Rocker Media, produces ORPHAN BLACK in partnership with Space and BBC America –
– Season 4 finale airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Space, followed by an all-new episode of AFTER THE BLACK –

To tweet this release: bmpr.ca/21oxqpL

TORONTO, June 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Space announced today the renewal of the fifth and final season of critically-acclaimed original series, ORPHAN BLACK. The clone conspiracy thriller sees the return of the award-winning Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany in her multiple versatile roles as the clone sisters. An additional 10, one-hour episodes are set to air in 2017 on Space. The Season 4 finale of the Peabody-winning series airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Space, followed by the finale of fan-favourite insider series, AFTER THE BLACK. The first three seasons of ORPHAN BLACK are streaming now on CraveTV^TM.

"The fourth season took viewers down a rabbit hole deeper into the heart of the conspiracy and explored what viewers were yearning to see – Beth's back story. After the roller coaster ride of Season 4, we were left on the edge of our seats," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media.  "Season 5 promises to take us into uncharted territories, where the stakes are higher than ever. Knowing the prowess of the ORPHAN BLACK creative team, I'd say, fasten your seatbelts."

"ORPHAN BLACK has transcended the landscape of Canadian television, and it has been an honour for the Bell Media family to bring this revolutionary series to our fervent and devoted audience," said Tracey Pearce, Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media. "We look forward to taking fans on one final journey with our clone 'sestras' alongside the genius team of writers, the entire cast and crew including the awe-inspiring Tatiana Maslany, and our production partners Temple Street and BBC America."

"We are excited to deliver an epic conclusion to the tale of Sarah and her clone sisters," said co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson. "The past four seasons have been a phenomenal adventure and we are eternally grateful to our loyal fans who have loved the twists and thrills of our weird little show.  We are thankful to our partners at Temple Street, Space and BBC America for their support, and giving us the opportunity to end on a high."

"When we embarked upon this journey with John and Graeme, we knew we had something special on our hands, but didn't imagine how deeply it would resonate with audiences, and the worldwide acclaim it would receive," said David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, Executive Producers of ORPHAN BLACK and Co-Presidents of Boat Rocker Studios. "We are truly in awe of Tatiana who each season pulls off the impossible, and brings each clone's unique personalities to life in an extraordinarily captivating way. We are so proud of the cast and crew, who will be on this final ride with us as we draw the ORPHAN BLACK story to a close, and are extremely thankful to our partners at Space and BBC America for their continued support, as well as the legions of fans who have made these five seasons possible."

In the Season 4 finale of ORPHAN BLACK "From Dancing Mice to Psychopaths" (June 16 at 10 p.m. ET), when communication with Cosima is cut off and Neolution appears to be within striking distance, Sarah's alliance with Rachel goes out the window. Sarah lures a high-level Neolutionist into a trap, and sets out to bring down Neolution once and for all. For new episode images, click here.

After a hair-raising season of emotional flashbacks (Beth's back-story), shocking reveals (Delphine is alive) and of course, new, game-changing clones, (M.K., Ira), Space's original insider series AFTER THE BLACK provides closure for Season 4 of ORPHAN BLACK tonight, Thursday, June 16 at 11 p.m. ET, following the season finale of ORPHAN BLACK. In this star-studded episode, hosts Ajay Fry and Morgan Hoffman sit with the inimitable Tatiana Maslany, Kevin Hanchard, and Kristian Bruun, for their take on the season's shocking reveals, memorable moments, and behind-the-scenes secrets.

ORPHAN BLACK is produced by Temple Street, a division of Boat Rocker Studios, in association with Space and BBC America. Executive producers are Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier and Kerry Appleyard of Temple Street, Graeme Manson and John Fawcett. "Orphan Black" is distributed by BBC Worldwide. Production Executive is Gosia Kamela. Tom Hastings is Director, Drama, Independent Production, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media.

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About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA. Upcoming original series on CTV include CARDINAL and THE DISAPPEARANCE. Among the original scripted series on Bell Media pay, specialty, and streaming platforms are the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, Space's most-watched original series KILLJOYS, Bravo's award-winning and most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, CraveTV's first original series LETTERKENNY, Discovery's upcoming drama FRONTIER, and Comedy's new satirical news series THE BEAVERTON.  Discovery is also home to Bell Media's hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others. Bell Media is one of the first media companies in North America to commit to producing all new scripted series in 4K.

About Temple Street
Temple Street, a division of Boat Rocker Studios, is a leading producer of television, film, and digital media content based in Toronto and Los Angeles. A selection of Temple Street's past and present projects include, ORPHAN BLACK (BBC AMERICA, Space), X COMPANY (CBC), KILLJOYS (Syfy, Space), BEING ERICA (CBC, SOAPnet), THE NEXT STEP (Family Channel, Hulu), LOST AND FOUND MUSIC STUDIOS (Family Channel, Netflix), WINGIN' IT (Family Channel), SAY YES TO THE DRESS CANADA (W), MILLION DOLLAR CRITIC (W, BBC America), COOK'D (YTV), OVER THE RAINBOW (CBC), RECIPE TO RICHES (CBC, Food Network, Global), COVER ME CANADA (CBC), BILLABLE HOURS (Global, Showcase), CANADA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (CTV), HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA? (CBC), QUEER AS FOLK (Showtime, Showcase), and DARCY'S WILD LIFE (NBC, Discovery Kids, Family Channel). Temple Street is a division of Boat Rocker Studios. For more company information, visit www.templestreet.com, follow us on Twitter @TempleStreet or connect with us on Facebook.

About Space
Space is home to phenomenal programming including imaginative dramas, epic movies, engaging reality series, and the daily entertainment talk show INNERSPACE, the source for all-things genre – all in high definition (HD). Named "Channel of the Year" in 2013 by Playback Magazine, Space is also home to Original Series ORPHAN BLACK and BITTEN. Space content is always available at Space.ca, and on Facebook, @SpaceChannel, and other social media platforms. Space is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company.

- Space -

SOURCE SPACE

Natalie Cole, Space, 416.384.2140 or [email protected]; Mary Costa, Space, 416.384.7702 or [email protected]