When Jennifer Euston was casting Orange Is the New Black, it stands to reason that she was selecting interesting performers first and, given the show’s evocative opening credits, interesting faces second. But somewhere on the opening page of criteria, there must have been a listing that read: “Must also be capable of fronting a Columbo-esque mystery procedural.”
In the case of Kate Mulgrew, she’d already starred in the iconic spinoff series, Mrs. Columbo.