11 Years Later, Netflix Viewers Dub This Underrated Prison Drama the 'Best Series Ever'

Summary

• Netflix users have discovered a great series that aired from 2013 to 2021.
• It is a gripping Australian drama set in a women's prison.
• Users who have watched the series are raving about it.

Perhaps the most important prison-set drama series is the iconic Prison Break. But an equally high-profile show about the plight of inmates, their survival in a rigid prison hierarchy and under the constant scrutiny of correctional officers, is Orange Is the New Black, which ran on Netflix from 2013 to 2019. Love and drama, camaraderie and betrayal, life and death — despite its comedic tone, the show has enough dark moments to keep you riveted to the screen until the very end.

And if 2024 doesn't give you enough of the emotions that Orange Is the New Black evoked, we suggest you check out another series available on the streaming service. This is an Australian drama that, while released alongside the aforementioned OITNB, offers an equally compelling plot, but has proven less popular outside of Australia.

Luckily, Netflix users have rediscovered it, and some have already called it 'the best series ever,' which is a great reason to check out this underrated prison drama.

What Is This Show?

From 1979 to 1986, Australia's Network Ten aired the now-iconic soap opera Prisoner, which featured an all-female ensemble cast and a gritty setting as the characters tried to survive each day at Wentworth Detention Center. And after nearly 35 years, a modern reimagining of the iconic series called Wentworth has been released on another Australian television network, SoHo. The series was created by Lara Radulovich and David Hannam based on the concept of the original series created by Reg Watson.

Wentworth counted eight seasons ending in 2021, and the first four were built around a character named Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack), a fresh prisoner who was incarcerated after a premeditated attempt to murder her husband, who was a domestic abuser and rapist. But Bea's sentence has yet to be handed down, and for the first time she finds herself in perpetual limbo, at the bottom of the prison hierarchy.

In the first few days, Bea makes both friends and enemies, and the latter's activities extend far beyond Wentworth, as one day the son of one of the inmates gains the trust of Bea's daughter and kills her. In desperation, Bea escapes to take revenge and returns to prison. But this time with a life sentence without parole and the status of 'Top Dog' in the prison hierarchy.

But it's not just the prisoners who pose a threat. In the second season, the new governor of Wentworth Prison is the ruthless Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe), who is not only no stranger to torture, but immediately takes control of the entire prison, engaging in internal intrigue and manipulating those at the top of the prison hierarchy.

What Are Critics and Viewers Saying about It?

You won't find any critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score was an impressive 95%. Viewers commented on how smart the story was and the characters they could relate to (well, not Ferguson, but that's why she's one of the best TV villains ever).

As a result, Wentworth has proven to be an incredibly smart, intense, dark and honest show that has a lot of twists and turns and will definitely prove to be binge-worthy for many. So the fact that it is being rediscovered by Netflix subscribers is great news.

All eight seasons of Wentworth are available to stream on Netflix.