By Oluwadamilola Oshewa ’16, Staff Writer

Despite having very busy Newark Academy schedules, many students make sure to find the time to watch a few of their favorite television shows every week. Nowadays, there is such a large and varied selection of television shows to choose from that it seems there is something for everyone.

In a survey of Newark Academy high school students, Orange is the New Black and The Walking Dead tied for the top spot as the Academy’s Favorite TV Show of 2014. Orange is the New Black is a Netflix original series based on the memoir of Piper Kerman, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. The plot revolves around a woman by the name of Piper Chapman, played by Taylor Schilling, who was sentenced to fifteen months in a women’s federal prison for transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her girlfriend Alex Vause, played by Laura Prepon. The television show has acquired several accolades. The series has been nominated for People’s Choice Award for Favorite Streaming Series, several Writers Guild of America Awards, and it has also won the 2013 Peabody Award and a Satellite Award for “Best Cast in a Television Series.” Courtney Cooperman ’16 named this show as her favorite because “it’s original, intense, entertaining, and addictive.” This show is an embodiment of the perfect balance between a suspenseful drama and entertaining comedy.

The Walking Dead also holds the title of Newark Academy’s Favorite TV Show of 2014. This show is based on a comic book series about a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The television show stars Andrew Lincoln as deputy sheriff Rick Grimes, who wakes up from a coma in a post-apocalyptic world ridden with flesh-eating zombies. During his journey to find his family, he meets

many other survivors. Similarly to Orange is the New Black, The Walking Dead has also acquired a number of accolades. The show has won an award from the Writers Guild of America and the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series–Drama. Because the Season Five premieres exceeded 17.3 million views, it is also the most viewed drama in cable television history. Alena Zhang ’18 said that it was her favorite because it is “suspenseful and has an interesting storyline.”

It seems as though Newark Academy students are looking for TV shows with a unique and interesting storyline that combines the best parts of comedy and drama. Suits, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Scandal were also among the plethora of shows that students named as their favorite show of 2014. Though these shows did not claim the title as the Academy’s Favorite TV Show of 2014, they are still representative of the wide range of viewing interests among the Newark Academy student body.