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Editorial Review:
HBO's violent men-behind-bars drama is an addictive, testosterone-driven soap opera for guys. The eight episodes of the first season set the style for the show: a massive cast of a vivid characters on both sides of the bars, four or five stories unleashed at a breakneck pace and framed by angry, oddball introductions, and a soaring casualty rate. Created by Homicide producer Tom Fontana, this drama quickly earned its rightful reputation as the most brutal show on TV. It's simple chemistry: combine volatile ingredients in a confined space, shut tight, and shake.
The yellow brick road of the Oswald Correctional Facility (affectionately known as "Oz" among the inmates) leads to "Emerald City," an antiseptic cellblock of cement and glass overseen by prison-reform advocate Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). The first episode introduces its two most compelling inmates: meek lawyer Beecher (Lee Terguson), who transforms from a vulnerable lamb to a fearless, drug-addicted wildcat, and Muslim activist Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), a fiercely non-violent leader whose campaign for reform explodes in a season-climaxing riot. The stunning first-season cast also features Ernie Hudson (the warden), Rita Moreno (a worldly drug-counseling nun), and Edie Falco (who jumped from her role as a single-mother prison guard to mob wife in The Sopranos). It carries no rating, but the drug use, nudity, and brutal violence make this highly inappropriate for young viewers and unsuited to the squeamish. Oz pulls no punches in its portrayal of prison violence and predatory abuse. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Gripping Stuff An engrossing show that is hard hitting. The narration is a bit annoying and on the whole unnescessary, although occasionally it doesn add a thought provoking point or commentary. I don't usually watch prison drmams, but decided to give this a go having read positive reviews- and I'm glad I did. It is dark and offers an antidote to syrupy sentimental drama, to implausible dramas, or to those relying on thinly drawn characters. Each episode develops the characters further, and the storylines are... more info
Brutality and humanity in OZ OZ - rough letter tattooed on an arm in Oswald Penitentiary and the prison drama about the inmates and staff in the section of OZ call Emerald City. Any connotation to Dorothy and Toto stops here. OZ is serious, tough, uncompromising, real, stripped to the bone and still manages to show the characters as people, good or bad. There are no one dimensional characters here, and all the actors step up to the challenge. I still haven't decided whether I like the show or not, but I recommend it for its... more info
OZ season 1 This series was offered to me from a friend saying it was amazing
so i gave it a watch and ever since then ive been glued to the telly for weeks i have just ordered the 3rd and 4th season. The characters the story everything about this is superb.the prisoners range from black gangs memeber,latinos,neo-nazis,gays,mafia,muslims,biker gangs,rapests then there is the couple nearly OK guys such as tobius beecher and agustus hill(who will be the host of each episode) Anybody thinking of buying... more info
Good but let down a bit with commentary I had previously watched the series on a random basis when it was shown on TV so I purchased the box sets for seasons 1 and 2. I now wish I'd looked a bit more and bought the complete series box set. Superb acting and a cast that runs through all my favourites, The Wire, Special Victims Unit, Law and Order, The Sopranos etc. Brutal, but not in a glorified way, and realistic. The only thing that annoyed me about the show was the commentary provided in the form of a wheelchair bound convict with various views... more info
