'Orange Is the New Black' is in transition

The storm has passed.

Thanks to the abrupt departure of Orange Is the New Black's latest head hen, Vee (Lorraine Toussaint), Litchfield Prison finds a new world order in Season 3, which debuted on Netflix late Thursday. Last season, Vee loomed large, wreaking havoc among social groups inside the prison's walls.

This season, series creator Jenji Kohan (Weeds) "was really interested in faith and motherhood," says Laverne Cox, whose trans inmate Sofia Burset spreads her wings as a parent to her young son, Michael.

"The overall tone is lighter," says Uzo Aduba, who plays the emotionally fraught felon dubbed "Crazy Eyes" and says one of Kohan's gifts is knowing when to pull the rug out and "drop these nuggets to remind us always where we are."

Orange has danced on the the line of comedy and drama (creating debate on awards-show categories) since its debut in 2013.

"Orange has always defied categorization, and I think that's one of the things viewers really love about it," says Cindy Holland, Netflix's VP of original programming. "The variations in tone are really a reflection of the fact that the series itself is both dramatic and really funny at the same time, as life is."

Before writing each season, Kohan and her writers hunker down, sketching out themes and character arcs before inviting Netflix execs over for lunch. "Most of the time (Kohan) sticks pretty true" to that vision while writing the episodes, Holland says.

Orange has de-emphasized privileged white inmate Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) to focus on its diverse ensemble cast. "You never know what's going to happen," says Selenis Leyva, who plays Gloria, the Latina inmate and head cook at Litchfield Prison. "The beauty of being on this show is that every time I get a script it's a surprise. It's a gift. It's like your birthday."

These convicts are still realizing their new clout outside Litchfield's walls. This month, Schilling and Laura Prepon (whose Alex Vause returns to Litchfield in banged-up shape) graced the cover of Rolling Stone. Movie and Broadway offers have started rolling in for several cast members. "I finally have a retirement account. I'm trying to be responsible," Cox says. "It's hard for actors to feel security."

Aduba says the Orange experience has left the cast remarkably close. In Season 1, "it was more like classmates when we first met each other, and that very quickly evolved into friends," she says. "And then in Season 2 it started to feel like a sisterhood or a sorority. And now it feels like a family."