Orange Is the New Black season 6

The sixth season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on July 27, 2018, at 12:00 am PDT in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 50 and 84 minutes. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series is created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.

This season takes place in a maximum security prison, after the inmates incite a riot at Litchfield Penitentiary during the previous season, and the season deals with the fallout from the riot. The main story arc of the season involves a gang-like war between two cell blocks which is sparked by the feud between two sisters. Meanwhile, the guards play a fantasy sport game called "fantasy inmate". Several supporting characters who appeared throughout the first five seasons are absent in this season due to change in setting, but this season introduces several new characters featured in maximum security.

Main cast
• Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman, inmate

• Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols, inmate

• Uzo Aduba as Suzanne Warren, inmate

• Danielle Brooks as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson, inmate

• Jackie Cruz as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales, inmate

• Laura Gómez as Blanca Flores, inmate

• Selenis Leyva as Gloria Mendoza, inmate

• Taryn Manning as Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett, inmate

• Adrienne C. Moore as Cindy "Black Cindy" Hayes, inmate

• Matt Peters as Joel Luschek, correctional officer

• Jessica Pimentel as Maria Ruiz, inmate

• Dascha Polanco as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz, inmate

• Elizabeth Rodriguez as Aleida Diaz, former inmate

• Nick Sandow as Joe Caputo, former warden

• Dale Soules as Frieda Berlin, inmate

• Yael Stone as Lorna Morello, inmate

• Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov, inmate

• Laura Prepon as Alex Vause, inmate

Guest stars

 * Michael J. Harney as Sam Healy
 * Lea DeLaria as Carrie "Big Boo" Black
 * Alex Trebek as himself
 * Rosal Colon as Carmen "Ouija" Aziza
 * Francesca Curran as Helen "Skinhead Helen" Van Maele
 * Willie Casper Perry as Slide Orderly

Inmates
{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
 * Amanda Fuller as Madison "Badison" Murphy
 * Finnerty Steeves as Beth Hoefler
 * Alice Kremelberg as Nicole Eckelcamp
 * Vicci Martinez as Dominga "Daddy" Duarte
 * Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset
 * Ashley Bacon as Young Frieda Berlin
 * Henny Russell as Carol Denning
 * Ashley Jordyn as Young Carol Denning
 * Mackenzie Phillips as Barbara "Barb" Denning
 * Lauren Kelston as Young Barbara "Barb" Denning
 * Sipiwe Moyo as Adeola Chinede
 * Phumzile Sithole as Akers
 * Daniella De Jesus as Irene "Zirconia" Cabrera
 * Shannon Esper as Alana Dwight
 * Lori Petty as Lolly Whitehill
 * Christina Toth as Annalisa Damiva
 * Kana Hatakeyama as Charlene Teng
 * Reema Sampat as Shruti Chambal
 * Jo Lampert as Marie Brock
 * Shirley Roeca as Vazquez
 * Rebecca Knox as Tina Swope

Staff

 * Alysia Reiner as Natalie Figueroa, interim warden
 * Emily Tarver as CO Artesian McCullough
 * Susan Heyward as CO Tamika Ward
 * Nicholas Webber as CO Alvarez
 * Shawna Hamic as CO Copeland a.k.a. Ginger
 * Greg Vrotsos as CO Hellman
 * Mike Houston as CO Lee Dixon
 * James McMenamin as Charlie Coates
 * Josh Segarra as CO Stefanovic
 * Beth Dover as Linda Ferguson
 * Nick Dillenburg as CO Blake
 * Branden Wellington as CO Jarod Young
 * Hunter Emery as CO Rick Hopper

Others
}}
 * Michael J. Burg as Agent Mark Bellamy
 * Ali Ahn as Agent Nguyen
 * Alexander Wraith as Vasily Reznikov
 * Miguel Izaguirre as Diablo
 * Karina Ortiz as Margarita

Production
In February 2016, Netflix gave the series a three-season renewal, which included its sixth season. For the sixth season, Laura Gómez, Matt Peters and Dale Soules were promoted to series regulars.

Critical response
The sixth season received positive reviews from critics, with most critics noting its improvement over the previous season. On Metacritic, it has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 14 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 83% rating with an average score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 35 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Brutality and humor continue to mesh effectively in a season of Orange Is the New Black that stands as a marked improvement from its predecessor, even if some arcs are more inspired than others."

Accolades
For the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, Laverne Cox received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.