Entertainment

'Orphan Black' Season 4 Is On Its Way

How to know you're addicted to television: Your most pressing question when you sit down to watch a season finale isn't who will die a horrific death before the hour's over, but how long you'll have to wait for more new episodes. If you're a member of Clone Club, then there's likely only one thing you want to know... Will there be another season of Orphan Black , and, if so, when will Orphan Black Season 4 premiere? Luckily, I have good news for you as we head into what's bound to be a pulse-pounding finale: BBC America has already renewed their acclaimed sci-fi drama for another season.

The decision didn't take the network very long — they officially announced the renewal last month, after only three of Season 3's episodes had aired. However, viewers hoping that the public's increased consciousness of the awesomeness that is Orphan Black, along with star Tatiana Maslany's back-to-back wins at the 2013 and 2014 Critics' Choice TV Awards, would result in an expanded episode order for the upcoming season are in for a disappointment. Season 4 will remain at the standard 10-episode count; but, considering Maslany basically plays, like, 37 characters, that's essentially the equivalent of 370 episodes for her. (And they say making Game Of Thrones is hard.)

So we know Season 4 will be happening, now we just need to know when so we can start marking the days off in our clone-themed calendars. (Helena is October, obviously.) Both Seasons 2 and 3 premiered on the third Saturday of April, so it's reasonable to assume we'll be seeing Season 4 on April 16, 2016. But, it's also true that Season 1 premiered a full three weeks earlier, on Mar. 30, 2013. So, would it be too much to hope that Season 4 might arrive as soon as the end of March? (Probably. We shouldn't push our luck or Season 4 will end up premiering, like, three weeks later than usual instead of three weeks earlier.)

Now that we know approximately when to expect more action from our favorite sestras, it's time to start worrying again about who's going to survive the June 20 Season 3 finale — and who won't. "No one is safe," warned Orphan Black co-creator Graeme Manson. And, given the return of James Frain's terrifying Ferdinand last week, I'm inclined to believe him.

As Chekhov's gun would have it: If you say in the season premiere that there is an operation codenamed 'Helsinki,' in the season finale it absolutely must be executed. Or something like that.

tImages: Steve Wilkie/BBC America (2); mary-eunice-mckee/tumblr