Television junkies surely have mixed emotions about the final episodes of "Breaking Bad." It's a significant pop culture event, to be sure, but what are they supposed to do when TV's best show leaves the airwaves forever?

Find a new best show, obviously.

That "new" best show isn't technically on television. "Orange is the New Black," the female prison drama from "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan, debuted its entire 13-episode first season exclusively on Netflix streaming in July.

Based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, "Orange" centers on a middle-class, college-educated woman serving a 15-month prison sentence for transporting drug money for a former lover (Laura Prepon). Piper Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling) is now engaged to Larry (Jason Biggs), who learns of her illegal activity long after they begin their relationship.

The hook of the series is that straight-arrow Piper isn't suited for prison life alongside more dangerous criminals. Oh, and that former lover, Alex, is also serving time at the same prison, and Alex is probably the person that snitched on Piper in the first place.

That conflict, however, is only the beginning, as "Orange" expands to focus on a wide range of inmates, including the Russian "Red" (Kate Mulgrew) who runs the prison kitchen, Piper's elderly roommate Miss Claudette (Michelle Hurst), and, most memorably, an inmate known only as "Crazy Eyes" (Uzo Aduba).

The series incorporates occasional flashbacks to the characters before prison, which illuminates motivations and often changes the trajectory of how characters are perceived. Some of the hardened, more dangerous criminals have sympathetic backstories, while others, including Piper's, reveal selfish and insensitive impulses.

The series deftly mixes comedy and drama, and the diverse cast of women expertly brings life to characters rarely seen in contemporary movies and television. It's refreshing to see so many dynamic female performances that don't serve as secondary conflicts to male characters. That just doesn't happen much these days, unless you count the shallow plotlines on soap operas and reality television.

It should be noted that "Orange is the New Black" is the equivalent to an HBO or Showtime program in terms of adult content. Lots of language, sexual content and occasional violence will steer away some viewers.

With that warning, I offer nothing but the highest praise for the series. It's been a long time since I've seen such a fluid and consistently compelling batch of first episodes. Most shows take a few episodes or even an entire season to figure out a general tone or which storylines will prove to be the most compelling. "Orange is the New Black" gets things right almost immediately out of the gate.

Netflix's first original drama, "House of Cards," broke records and earned a bucket of Emmy nominations earlier this summer. While "Orange is the New Black" just missed the eligibility date for consideration this year, the show is a creative force that simply cannot be ignored next year.

The series has already been renewed for a second season. In the meantime, feel free to burn through all 13 first season episodes. You can probably get through them all before another episode of "Breaking Bad" even airs.

Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.