If you’re really attached to Laura Prepon’s Alex character on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, some potentially troubling news has come out. According to a report from BuzzFeed, she will not be a series regular in the forthcoming second season.
The report indicates that Prepon will return only for a limited number of episodes to resolve her story, and will have the option to return at a later time, but if this report is accurate, we’re going to be seeing a lot less of her.
BuzzFeed cites “sources close to the show” as the providers of this information, but Netflix said in a statement to The Huffington Post that rumors of Prepon’s departure are “not accurate,” and that the season is still developing and nothing is confirmed.”
Obviously, if Prepon does indeed leave, the show is going to have to take on a different dynamic, as she has been a central character as lead character Piper Chapman’s former lover and fellow inmate.
On a show of many fan favorites, Prepon has certainly been one of them. We recently looked at some Bing search data related to the show, and a spokesperson for the search engine told us that Prepon is searched for even more than lead actress Taylor Schilling. Prepon is the most-searched-for cast member (at least on Microsoft’s search engine).
Just remember Netflix’s statement. Nothing is confirmed, and even if BuzzFeed’s report is right, she could be back. And while not many would be happy to see her go, it would at least leave more room for the development of some of the show’s other fan favorites.
Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes), Taryn Manning (Pennsatucky) and Danielle Brooks (Taystee), for example, have all been promoted to series regulars, and should have expanded roles in the second season. At least one new character is being added with the addition of cast member Lorraine Toussaint, who will play a character named Vee.