Six months before Orange Is the New Black is slated to air its fourth season, Netflix is taking an unprecedented step to shore up the future of its signature series. The streaming site and Lionsgate have jointly announced that Orange Is the New Black has gotten an early renewal for three additional seasons. Series creator Jenji Kohan has also been signed to a new deal that will keep her installed as the showrunner through at least the seventh season.

“Three more years! Not quite a political term, but still plenty of time to do some interesting things. In some cultures, ‘May you lead an interesting life,’ is a curse, but I don’t live in those cultures,” said Kohan in a statement. “Here’s to keeping it interesting. Thanks Netflix! Both thanks and you’re welcome Lionsgate! And kudos and gratitude to the stellar cast and crew and writers and producers and editors and musicians and mixers and shleppers… with whom I have the pride and honor of crafting this show. Three more years! Three more years!”

A renewal of Orange Is the New Black was expected, but the length was a surprise. This extended renewal is Netflix’s most aggressive programming move to date, and it will make Orange Is the New Black the service’s longest running series (ousting House of Cards, which thus far only has the upcoming fourth and fifth seasons on the docket). The prison-set dramedy is a very valuable show to Netflix, both in terms of its popularity and its critical acclaim. Having seven seasons of this series on tap can only help Netflix if other networks continue to pull their programming from the service.

Every episode of Orange Is the New Black season four will premiere on Friday, June 17.

Are you excited to hear that Orange Is the New Black will be getting new episodes for at least the next three years? Let us know in the comment section below!

—

Image Credit: Netflix/Lionsgate