It was hard to not notice the absence of a certain fan favorite character in Orange Is the New Black Season 6. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Orange Is the New Black Season 6. Maritza Ramos has been a source of comic relief and one half of one of TV's most iconic duos — Flaritza — since the show's inaugural season. A handful of Litchfield's longtime inmates didn't make it to the series' latest installment, but will Maritza be in OITNB Season 7? Actress Diane Guerrero has a major new role on the horizon, so fans are obviously questioning her character's future.
Following Season 5's tumultuous prison riot, many inmates were hauled off to alternate facilities away from Litchfield while others were transfered to Max. The move was a convenient way for the show to trim the cast and introduce new faces (what's up, Badison, Barb, Carol, and Daddy!) without having to explain why certain people were mysteriously missing. In the show's fifth season finale, Flaca and Maritza were tragically separated and ushered into different busses, prompting viewers to wonder if either of them would return for more. Flaca, or DIY Fly Flaca (Jackie Cruz), enjoyed a lot of screen time in Season 6 hosting Max's radio show alongside Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore), but Maritza was unfortunately nowhere to be found.
There's always the chance Diane Guerrero could return to reprise her role in Season 7, although that possibility is looking less likely by the day. The actress was just cast in the live-action DC Universe series Doom Patrol. She'll be portraying Crazy Jane. Per Deadline, Jane "is unlikely hero suffering from the world’s most severe case of multiple personality disorder. Each of her 64 distinct personas manifest a different super power making Jane the Doom Patrol’s most powerful member…and also its most unstable." Doom Patrol is set to premiere in 2019 on DC Universe.
Guerrero starred in Superior Donuts, which premiered on CBS in February of 2017. Her commitment to filming the sitcom probably accounts for why she didn't appear in OITNB Season 6. Superior Donuts was canceled in May of 2018, but it appears Diane landed her next big TV project shortly after that news broke. If fans are lucky, she'll make room in her busy schedule to come back for OITNB's seventh season — it could be the show's last!
"#flaritza4eva," Diane captioned an Instagram photo featuring her co-star and bestie Jackie Cruz just last week. Don't tease us so!
Even if Guerrero doesn't return for a seventh season of Orange Is the New Black, being a part of the show has clearly had a lasting impact on her. She explained to Marie Claire in 2017:
The show itself has only enhanced my personal perception of feminism, and who I am in that context. I am a feminist. I have been a feminist. I'm stepping into my power as a woman, and as a woman of color. The show has solidified those thoughts and feelings, and helped me shape my political view. I used to be afraid to talk about politics at a dinner party. Being on this show, it's like this is what we are. We are a show about political and social commentary.
Orange Is the New Black Season 6 is currently streaming on Netflix.
