Orange Is the New Black Makes Surprise Early Debut

Attendees of the first-ever OrangeCon got a big surprise last night when, during a cast panel, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings agreed (via video call) to debut the third season of Orange Is the New Black six hours early. "One episode? ... Two episodes? ... What if we showed them the whole season?" said cast member Uzo Aduba ("Crazy Eyes") to much applause.

Though the season premiere started streaming at the event, Netflix released the entire season early everywhere. The Hollywood Reporter notes that many attendees of the fan convention didn't stick around to watch the premiere but instead headed home to binge-watch the dozen new episodes. The New York Times has posted its recap of the first episode, and it uses descriptions like "brilliant" and "funny and fresh and unlike anything else on television." (More Orange is the New Black stories.)