Forget Ratings. ‘Orphan Black’ Had the #CloneClub.
Or as Sarah Barnett, the president of BBC America put it, “Every TV network, particularly at
a time of surfeit of content — peak TV — is absolutely driven in wanting to create fandoms.
“Their adamant vocal nature was the reason our show was anything — a success —
and seen the way it was,” said Tatiana Maslany, the star of “Orphan Black” who won an Emmy for best actress in a drama last year.
BBC America executives also saw that “Orphan Black” fans were particularly interested in drawing up art based on the show.
Though we’re not taking direction or changing story lines necessarily, it certainly gives you a direction
and it tells you what people like about characters and what they want to see from characters.”
In the last four years, as the number of scripted series on TV has ballooned, network executives have taken to saying
that they’re not trying to make everybody’s favorite show.
You have to really understand it and embrace it.”
To that end, BBC America decided to let fans create art and fan fiction based on the show, without any supervision from the network.
When “Orphan Black” made its debut four years ago, many TV networks were still
unsure how to engage with fans talking about their shows on social media.
