Kohan is creator of Orange Is The New Black, one of the first Netflix original series, and executive producer of the 1980s-set GLOW. Kohan was there right from the beginning and is a key part of streaming giant’s shift to producing its own programming, which it has now been doing since 2013. Last year, Netflix renewed Orange Is The New Black for three more seasons after confirming that it remained the service’s most-watched original series. GLOW, which has received rave reviews since it launched this June, has been renewed for a second season.
Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, calls Kohan “bold, outspoken and totally fearless.”
“Jenji has constantly raised the bar for storytelling at Netflix,” Holland said. “She possesses a rare and special talent to say what’s unspoken, choose the unexpected over the safe, and drive the cultural conversation — and audiences love her for it. She has been with us from the beginning, and we could not be more thrilled to continue working together over the coming years.”
In speaking of the new multiyear deal, Kohan said “current climate aside, it’s great to be in bed with Netflix.”
The 48-year-old, LA-born Kohan has also had success outside of Netflix. Prior to her work with the streaming service, she was best known as creator of the Showtime series Weeds, which aired for eight seasons from 2005 to 2012. During its tenure, the series, which starred Mary-Louise Parker as a widowed mother who starts selling marijuana to support her family, received numerous awards, including a Golden Globe and a pair of Emmys.
Kohan has a total of nine Emmy Award nominations to her credit, and one win as a supervising producer of comedy series Tracey Takes On… early in her career. She has also written an episode of ’90s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and held writing jobs on series like Mad About You and Friends. Her brother, David, created the series Will & Grace, and Kohan collaborated with him on that project as well. The series has since been revived, with the original cast members.
Given Kohan’s string of successful series, we can expect to see more content along the dark comedy lines coming for Netflix.
Kohan is the latest big name to commit to Netflix on a multiyear deal. In August, Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit ABC series Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and How To Get Away With Murder, signed a multiyear deal with the streaming service, for future projects. And in 2014, Adam Sandler signed an exclusive four-film deal with Netflix, a deal that has since expanded to include another four films.
