Reviewers say Orange is the New Black is about to get ugly

Orange Is The New Black's fifth season takes place during a prison riot.

Hackers have already marred the release of Orange is the New Black's fifth season.

But reviewers say Netflix has nothing to worry about because the prison drama is back to its best.

According to one reviewer, it's about to get more gruesome than ever

The fifth season of one of the streaming giant's best shows debuts on New Zealand screens today, with a different look and feel.

That's because this season's 13 episodes take place over just three days, during a prison riot and siege.

That picks up the pace of the show, and The New York Times says that's why this season works so well after a couple of wayward instalments.

"More than ever, Orange is like a speeding vehicle with a wheel missing: It doesn't always steer steadily, you can feel the chassis shimmying and straining, but the velocity is urgent," wrote critic James Poniewozik.

The Hollywood Reporter's Dan Fienberg agreed, saying "the heightened stakes of the season help deliver some of the show's best performances yet and beats of staggering emotion".

Indiewire warned fans that things at time got ugly during the siege.

"This season was almost told in real time," said reviewer Liz Shannon Miller. "It's a choice that does elevate this season and give it new focus and directive ... in later episodes the series delves far more into horror tropes than you might expect, in legitimately horrifying ways.

Not everyone rated it so highly, with TV Guide magazine calling the season "squirm-inducing" and the Boston Globe calling some plot points "dull" and "irritating".

New Zealand viewers can make up their mind when season five debuts later today.