Oz: Season 1

This is a stellar show, and one that I am surprised didn't last longer. Although I have never been incarcerated, from what I am told, this is an accurate representation of what prisoners face, although the killing doesn't happen so much. I am going to cover a few aspects of this movie.ACTINGIt was superb. This is a gritty, dark show. People in prison are not pretty; they're at different points of human deprivation. Although most of the fellows in here were handsome, no one had movie-star good looks. Some of them looked outright normal in their appearance. Along those lines, the acting followed suit. These guys are rough, and everyone encapsulated the rough life well. Most people weren't Shakespearean with the "thees" and "thous," yet they all exhibited well the complexity of each character.A notable standout was the fellow who played Adebisi. If you look up his resume, the fellow is fluent in five langages, has a law degree, and dresses impeccably. Yet you would never know that from his portrayal. The gentleman who played Ryan O'Reilly did a great job, too. From having challenged vocabulary skills to being a master scammer and schemer, this guy knew what he was doing.SCENERYThis was a prison. There is nothing pretty about it. The walls are dingy. The cells are restrictive and oppressive. The entire set-up is one that is committed to ensuring that the basest human behaviors of the prisoners show themselves on a daily basis. Although Oz was listed as a correctional facility, it was simply a holding place to torture and maim as many people as possible for crimes.Anyone watching this for the first time should be aware that there is a lot of full-on male nudity from most of the characters. Some of it involved intercourse between prisoners, but a lot of it was due to fighting and prisoners who simply did not care about what they were wearing, if anything. If you have religious sensibilities or are squeamish about nudity, this would not be the show for you. If, however, you can appreciate it as a natural part of prison life, a life in which people have all their rights taken from them, you'll see that it's less about seeing people's unadorned body and more about showing human depravity.I would recommend anyone to see the film. You'll really start to align yourself with the character of your choice, and you start rooting for him or her from start to finish. Caveat: It's likely that the character that you become attached to will die at some point in the series, and often suddenly.

A somewhat staggered start to what became a very strongly written and character driven series."Oz" is the nickname for the fictional Oswald State Penitentiary. The series is very much a product of its times, being aired in the late 90's and early 2000's. It has a HUGE string of notable actors: BD Wong from Law & Order SUV, Harold Perrineau from The Matrix: Reloaded and Lost, Edie Falco of Sopranos and Nurse Jackie, JK Simmons from too many things to mention, Lee Tergesen who is in tons of things, Željko Ivanek from True Blood and many other things, JD Williams who played Brodie in The Wire... Much of the casting choices carry over from the "Homicide: Life on the Street" series and "The Wire." This is likely a casting agency thing, but it is great to see some really great actors in their breaking phase. The casting is amazing and worth it just to see some great actors doing their craft before they got bigger, more notable roles, or just to point out and go, "oh, where do I know him from..."Some might complain about the dialog, but this is coming from an era where Def Poetry Jam was still a cultural thing. It's featured in the first episode. The writing varies in measures from casual dialog to stage pacing and even poetic versing. Beat poetry and spoken word performance was more of a thing then than it is now. Some parts are definitely dated, especially technology with the big, clunky CRT monitors (I don't mind though, I love those big, toxic things), but the camera work is still unique and interesting due to practical effects. No Widescreen, though, so you must suffer the outdated 4:3. (deal with it, though, the series is worth it)The play on Oz from storybooks is only skin deep. The tagline is, "it's no place like home." And the start of the series delivers that message home with the travails of Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen). Amidst this is a series of slow-moving plot twists that show the power-struggle elements of the prison system. Some try to overthink the Oz metaphor, but it's best not to. The connection is largely superficial.What you get is a measured and purposed character driven-drama about prison and all that it entails. Many of the events are true of prison sentenced inmates, especially the racial segregating. Obviously, Oz is a dramatization, but it has that distinct air of authenticity behind its writing staff that also made The Wire such a hit. There is a sense that, while played up for drama, the events aren't too far from the truth. And if you know anything about the American incarceration system, the series isn't too far from the truth at all.Don't expect to be swept off your feet with amazing camera work or hyper-realistic shaky-cam footage of fights, If you like hard boiled drama, and you have a passing interest in the crazy ins and outs of prison life for people with long sentences, then you will likely enjoy the first season of Oz. It might take a bit to get used to the delivery, but I think it is worth it to catch a glimpse of a vastly underrated series.

I have to say, I'm a bit late on watching this series; however, I'm glad I got the chance to start watching. I knew about it back when it first came out, but I was unsure of what type of show it was as I didn't get the chance to watch it due to growing up without HBO as a channel. After watching the first season, I must say, I'm very shocked at how well written and executed the shows have been thus far. I do have the rest of the series to watch, but, from what I've seen so far, I'm engrossed into the characters and what's going to happen next. Each episode you watch leaves to begging for more and you want to finish the season as quickly as possible to find if any of the characters will find resolution if they haven't died earlier. This season is a must watch for any fan of the Law & Order shows as this has many actors from that series, plus, there are some clever ideas and whatnot as to how the prisoners smuggle their drugs and shape weapons, etc. I believe, if you start watching this show, you'll be hooked.

I have watched some of the best TV including The Wire, Deadwood, Dexter, Breaking Bad, Band of Brothers and Sons of Anarchy but I can honestly say that this is equal if not better to all of them. It focuses on Emerald City, a special section of Oswald Maximum Security that tries to rehabilitate the inmates. But the "rehabilitation" gets forgotten among all of the violence, drugs, sexual brutality and racism that goes on in Emerald City. This season introduces the characters, shows us the tiring routine of prison life, how dangerous life in OZ is and shows us the unspoken rules that all prisoners must obey (or end up dead).All the actors and the few actress are really good and they do a fantastic job of making us believe in them and OZ.At only 8 episodes the show is short and because of how good it is the season really does fly by but as its only 8 episodes this allows the show to keep a constant furious pace. So yeah this show is something every TV show should aspired to be almost as good as. Real good and remember stay on everyone's good side......if you can find one.

I heard a lot of chat about Oz over the years and finally bought it to see what the fuss was about. Now, judging tv shows pre Sopranos compared to some of the great stuff made since is a bit unfair and in many ways Oz was one of the first 'big' shows that had it all: great actors, great scripts, great production etc...I would say, if you watch lots of box sets and feel you've watched everything: watch Oz. However, especially post Netlix et al, if you're wanting a modern, slick box set, you mind be disappointed - as I was bit.One for the big fans, perhaps

I guess if you're reading these reviews you might be trying to decide whether to buy this series or not. I can only say that this is the most amazing, compelling drama series I've ever watched. I'm a huge fan of series such as Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Rome but this, Oz, just has something more than them. The writing of the series is first class for a start - something you ought to be able to take for granted, but can't. Are you watching that daft series LOST? Sure, I love it too, but aren't you sick to death of the increasingly silly plot, the way it seems to be written day to day with no forward planning or character development? Watch Oz and you'll be embarrased for ever finding LOST dramatic. Incidentally both Mike and Mr Eco from LOST star in OZ. Both are amazing and utterly different from the characters they play in LOST. The acting is so good all round in Oz that it's actually hard to remember that you are watching actors. I've never seen actors willing to go so far to bring a character to life, never seen scenes between men with such raw passion. It's exhausting to watch.I like the theatricality of the show which another reviewer mentioned - that they never leave the Oz set and get distracted by family or friends. It's the men we want to see - their stories.When you stand back from the show and realise that you've been made to care for rapists and murderers, racists and drug dealers you realise that you're watching powerful, compelling drama. I have series 1 & 2, 3& 4 on order and I'll get 5 & 6. You'll want to own Oz as it can be watched any number of times - there is so much going on all the time.One last thing - this isn't the usual fayre of American TV, where everyone looks plastic and beautiful. These are real men in the raw with all their faults and problems. They are only the more beautiful for that.

I first started watching Oz 2 months ago and have since seen all 6 seasons, and have to say, in my opinion it is one of the best shows ever made. The cast is exceptional, the writing is always engaging and fast paced, the storylines keep you fascinated and each new interwoven plot twist serves to further each character's development beautifully. The series focuses on the day to day lives of the prisoners incarcerated in The Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility, and primarily those in the unit of the prison, Emerald City, set up by the idealistic Tim McManus. Each episode is around 50 minutes, featuring random interludes by the omniscient narrator and prisoner Augustus Hill, and, although other reviewers have stated they feel these interludes detract from the story, I find the reverse- that they add to the storylines, and his intelligent observations and facts make you think about what you're watching e.g. "So, what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom? What makes us so different? We're the only species who put our own kind in cages." But it's the characters that really make the show exceptional, and it's a real testament to the quality of the actors that they can play men who have done such horrible things, and yet humanise them to the point where you are often sympathising with them, rationalising their actions, and hoping that each one will ultimately be saved. The main protagonists are- Miguel Alvarez (brilliantly played by Kirk Acevedo), the young Latino in for assault, whose father and grandfather are both in Oz too, demonstrating the failure of the prison system. He becomes a father which changes him for the better, but when his son dies he battles to keep his sanity living in Oz. Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), the charismatic Muslim leader in Oz, who fights against the injustices in the prison system, especially in regards to minorities. His character provides a great platform for questioning the fairness of America's legal system. Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), the ex-lawyer who is incarcerated for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The show starts on his first day in prison, therefore his character acts as the audiences' gateway into prison life. Another notable character is Vernon Schillinger (superbly played J.K. Simmons), the Neo-Nazi head of the Aryans inside Oz, and arguably one of the greatest television villains of all time. Moreover, a hoard of other talented actors makes up the rest of the multi-faceted characters within Oz. Quite simply, if you want a show that is full of action, suspense, brilliantly acted, and with a superb script which will make you question how you view the penal system and its socio-economic implications, then Oz is the show for you.

A lot of this early HBO series seems contrived and forced. It brings out some interesting themes at least. The cast are very good, but the style and tone a bit sloppy. Most of the interesting things actually happen with the people trying to run the prison. Its worth a look, but is inconsistent. I will check out S2 and see if it improves.