Watch Orange Is The New Black season 4 live stream on Netflix: What lies ahead for Alex and Piper?

Orange Is The New Black is all set to return with brand new episodes this week as it premieres its entire season 4 on Netflix on 17 June. The dramedy created by Jenji Kohan will reportedly showcase racial tensions and introduce an array of new inmates to the already over-crowded Linchfield in one of the darkest seasons of the Netflix prison series.

Click here to watch all the episodes of Orange Is The New Black season 4 on the Netflix website. You can also watch the series on your computer, mobile, iPad or other Netflix-enabled devices here.

Season 3 of the Netflix series had ended on a cliffhanger as one of the key characters of the series, Alex Vause played by Laura Prepon struggled for her life leaving fans uncertain about her return.

The prison-story seen through the eyes of Alex's love interest and lead character Piper Chapman [Taylor Schilling] previously saw Alex being paranoid about an unidentified killer.

Her fears of Kubra Balik trying to kill her ultimately turned out to be true as the drug linchpin's henchman made his way to the cell disguised as a corrections officer.

[Warning: spoilers ahead]

The trailer for the upcoming season fortunately sheds some light on this mystery. Judging by the first look of the season, it seems Alex will make it out of the catch 22 situation. But she might have to forge an unexpected alliance with a bunch of inmates, who are willing to go to any length to save her, according to a TV Guide report.

Watch the trailer for the season here:

While Alex's struggles unfurl in relation to the other inmates and her girlfriend Piper (when Alex was busy looking for the killer, Piper cheated on her with Stella), the show's usual storyline is expected to reflect modern-day socio-cultural issues including Black Lives Matter.

"Danger is the underlying theme: racial tension and danger," Selenis Leyva, who plays inmate Gloria Mendoza in the series told The Hollywood Reporter.

Levya also threw light on Kohan and her team's attempt at incorporating current events into the plot to "deal with topics that people are afraid to really dive into." Against the backdrop of Alex and Piper's story and the usual prison drama, the prison itself will become a character this season. "It's a menacing season," as Levya puts it.

Watch Orange Is The New Black season 4 premiere on Netflix on 17 June.