Sumith Prasad
Tatiana Maslany leads the cast of BBC America’s science fiction series ‘Orphan Black,’ playing Sarah Manning and several other clones who share the same appearance. The five-season run of the show ends with Sarah opening a new chapter of her life with her daughter, Kira, and foster brother, Felix. Despite the protagonist being alive at the end of the series, Maslany doesn’t headline AMC’s ‘Orphan Black: Echoes,’ a spinoff series set in the same universe. Since Kira is an integral part of the new show, we were eager to find out whether Maslany will show up in the episodes as Sarah!
Tatiana Maslany Does Not Appear in Orphan Black: Echoes
When creator Anna Fishko was developing ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’ for AMC, it was clear to both parties that the spinoff wouldn’t be a repetition of the mothership series ‘Orphan Black.’ “I felt like if we were trying to do exactly the same thing over again, it was always never going to be quite right,” the creator told the Los Angeles Times. Therefore, Tatiana Maslany’s return as Sarah as the protagonist of the science fiction series was always off the table. However, Fishko did consider having the actress in the show as a guest cast member. Due to scheduling conflicts, the plan did not materialize.
“It was ultimately a little bit about schedule and availability because she [Maslany] was working on something else, but we definitely had conversations about it and thought about it a lot,” Fishko told EW about the reason behind Maslany’s absence in the series. “There was even a version of one of the episodes in the back half of the season where we tried to actually have her come back, but then it was logistically not possible,” the creator added. Fishko and Krysten Ritter, who headlines the spinoff, were able to move forward with their plans irrespective of Maslany’s unavailability. “The show is so wildly different. It’s a different structure, it’s a different DNA to the show. It’s not like I’m trying to fill her shoes,” Ritter said in the same interview.
Tatiana Maslany’s Potential Return to the Orphan Black Universe
Even though Anna Fishko couldn’t secure Tatiana Maslany’s dates for the first season of ‘Orphan Black: Echoes,’ the latter’s return to the universe is not impossible. If AMC renews the science fiction series for a second season, the creator may try to bring the actress back to the same narrative world. “I’d love to see her [Maslany] come back,” Fishko told Yahoo Entertainment. The creator and her writers may not need to work tirelessly to include Maslany in the potential sophomore installment since several of the actress’ original characters are alive at the end of ‘Orphan Black.’
The mention of Aunt Cosima in the spinoff’s premiere episode indicates that there is enough scope to accommodate the actress in the series. Having said that, Maslany previously hinted at moving on from her ‘Orphan Black’ clones, especially while voicing her original characters in the audio series ‘Orphan Black: The Next Chapter.’ “I was like, ‘Jesus. I don’t know where they are. They’re gone. They’re not in my body anymore.’ It was like trying to remember how to key into them,” the actress told Elle about her characters. Therefore, it is safe to say that her return is not carved in stone even if ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’ gets renewed for season 2.
Read More: Where is Orphan Black Echoes Filmed?
