Oz
Oz
TV-MA | 12 July 1997 (USA)

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SEASON & EPISODES
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • Reviews
    Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
    Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall
    Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
    Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
    Bene Cumb /refers to all seasons/In general, I am not into long prison series; it is difficult to find opportunities to watch them (as they are hardly for entire family), and the conditions and background of prisoners differ greatly from the ones in the EU. But due to the Oz' fame and high score at IMDb, I decided to go for it and watch all episodes in sequence.Well, at first I was not too impressed, had some thoughts of call it quits (lots of misery, flagrancy, incomprehensible punishment and imprisonment arrangements), but then I realized that several characters excited my interest, both among guards and prisoners. In short, all the main characters are somewhat special, and so are most recurring ones, often "hiding" the script's shortcomings or inconsistencies - evidently because of multiple screenwriters... At times, it was difficult to keep records who was punished or killed and why and what were the consequences (the number of flashbacks is limited), and the inclusion of serenity and religious stuff did often contradict with the rest of events. Sometimes I felt confused because many non-White performers had similar roles in other gang or police series I have seen in recent years (e.g. The Wire, The Shield).The setup of the series is distinct, with Augustus Hill as the show's main narrator, providing witty observations and background information about the US legal system and local habits, and the main crime of most Oz' inhabitants. I often felt that the creators were against death penalty, but, on the other hand, the viewers were often deprived of the views of the people whose people close to them were brutally murdered or raped... But still, after dozens of hours of watch, I have to agree that it seems to be a realistic overview of US penitentiary scene, and to recognize that the concept of uniform US citizen is a myth as the color of skin and religion have too much impact on people's lives.
    Victreebong IMDb reviewers are not wrong. Oz is phenomenal. I don't normally review a show until I've watched every minute of it, but Oz is a series that will stand tall in premium television history.This show gets compared a lot to Orange is the New Black because they're two shows centered on penitentiary systems. Where Oz waivers from OitNB is how characters have minor backstories and most of the camera time is spent with the infinite twists and turns. Both shows can be graphic, sexually, violently, with lots of drugs use, but Oz has a focal point on the visceral.This is neither a dark nor an uplifting show. It is as real as a series can get while still being acted. People come in, you get hooked on them, sympathize, and minutes later they're stabbed. A protagonist one minute, a serial offending villain the next. Nobody's ever a hero, even those touted such as the Imam.I'm huge for JK Simmons. He's a mans' man and he defined a comic book character better than the original with his patented Jay Jonah Jameson in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. And it is almost baffling how the guy we have come to expect on Farmer's commercials is a dominating (as in top) white supremacist who runs the Caucasian unit of Oz's Emerald City. Many familiar faces from other series pepper Oz, a slew of them you'll recognize from House M.D. cameos. Eddie Falco from Nurse Jackie fame is another alum to come from Oz.So if you're in the mood for tension, drama, superb acting, friendly faces, violence and lots of graphic nudity, Oz is a show that you need to dabble with. Scratch that. It's a show that you'll try and immediately bing all weekend.
    Len Leger Much like Game Of Thrones now a days, I watched this show religiously when it came out. I looked forward to every episode, and every season, and yeah I was disappointed when they ended the show after only 6 seasons, but man, talk about some great work by these actors. It's cool going back now after all these years, and seeing actors in the show, who are now known for other great roles. Yeah sure it was fake as hell when it came to what actually goes on in prisons (I have friends who are employees in a couple prisons), but it was pure entertainment, and I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters.I wished they had gone a little further with a couple extra seasons, but towards the end it was obvious, they really couldn't go any further with the plot lines without possibly "jumping the shark". Although the ending was a bit anti climatic for me, and I wish it had been done differently, but all in all, it's a great show, and I enjoyed re-watching it recently, and I may even watch it again sometime down the road. Like I said, it's a great show that left me wishing for more seasons, and is definitely binge watch worthy.
    sailorgaz How this made 6 seasons is beyond me. The acting is some of the worst I've ever seen. The set looks flimsy and like it could fall over at any time. The real issues are the story lines. They're just too far fetched and don't flow.Apparently it's an experimental cell block. Where prisoners can only stay if they conform to the rules. No one does and they're very rarely booted out. The worst bit of acting I've ever seen is in this show. When the his brother with learning difficulties /mental issues comes in. It's as if someone said to the actor "imagine an idiots perception of a adult with learning difficulties, I want you to act it like that" Utter tripe. Cast members suddenly disappearing without explanation (They got better work, like Sopranos or the wire)