The women of Litchfield Prison are back with an all-new season of “Orange is the New Black,”starring actress Taylor Schilling as the main character Piper Chapman.

Laura Prepon and Taryn Manning are among a long list of supporting cast members.

The third season of the 2013 Netflix original series takes a less aggressive tone with no obvious villain character.

Season three is less dangerous than seasons past with the lack of shanks and volatile race wars.

However, there is much to keep viewers from bored-browsing the extensive Netflix catalog.

Another year in Litchfield means another year of inmates; it also means changes in prison personnel.

Assistant warden of Litchfield Joe Caputo has been promoted to warden and has inherited among other things a bug problem that could prove to be much worse than expected.

Season three relies on a more subtle approach, which helps the overall plot.

The lack of a true villain this season brings a very real aspect to the series that shows more of the corporate side and how much the prison system relies on the inmates to keep it afloat.

This absence makes for a more psychological drama as the inmates deal with more emotional pain than physical threat and harm.

It’s a more realistic prison experience on-screen without someone getting shanked every episode; after all, it is a minimum-security prison.

Piper’s relationship with flame Alex Vause is official, but this season seems more geared to getting viewers involved with the other supporting characters than the first two seasons, which focused primarily on Piper’s adjustments to life in prison.

Piper’s story, while still important takes a backseat this season, but that doesn’t mean that it gets any less interesting.

The new shipment of inmates brings new faces to Litchfield and it could cause a riff between Piper and Alex’s relationship with a love triangle that proves to be quite essential to Piper’s life on the inside.

The inmates are excited to hear of a new celebrity coming to Litchfield and the mystical chicken returns. Piper starts a business, and Alex fears for her life.

Overall, season three of “Orange is the New Black,” is well written making it worth the watch, and the backstories of this season introduce viewers to some of the fan-favorite and background characters.

Josh Saxton can be reached at 581-2812 or jlsaxton@eiu.edu