Oz - The Complete First Season Reviews

• OZ--The Heat Is Just Getting Started!

  
  By AQ01Q3070LT29 on 2003-03-09
  OZ--The Prison Drama that airs on HBO--Home Box Office. If you have never seen OZ, THIS IS FOR ADULTS ONLY. The episodes contain male full frontal nudity, sexual situations, violence and mature themes. The acting is incredible. The situations,the dialogue and the sets are realistic. This drama is gritty. A plus to the cast is Academy Award Winner Rita Moreno. If these episodes in the Season One collection don't get your heart startled. It's only the beginning. Get involved in the storyline. Watch every episode in proper order. And after you are finished with all eight episodes of Season One. Buy Season Two and get ready for a more mature hard-hitting season. And remember, ADULTS ONLY!
  
  

• The best show on HBO

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2004-09-11
  From Homicide: Life on the Street creator Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, Oz is one of the most compulsively violent and addicting shows to hit HBO. While the Sopranos garnered most of the attention from HBO viewers, the primal nature and sheer unpredictability of Oz made the series the definition of must see TV. Taking place in the Oswald Correctional Facility (known to the inmates as Oz) these eight episodes revolve around Emerald City: a cellblock overseen by prison reform advocate Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) and the warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson) who is desperately trying to keep the peace among the inmates as the governor bans privlages including smoking and conjugal visits. We are introduced to a cast of compelling characters whom be both pity and despise, including meek lawyer Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen) whose transformation from frightened new convict to drug raddled madman must be seen to be believed, white supremicist leader Vern Schillinger (J.K. Simmons), backstabbing and double dealing Ryan O'Reilly (Dean Winters), the cocky and self loathing Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo), wheelchair bound narrator Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau), and Muslim activist Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker) whose extreme policy of non-violence explodes in the season ending riot that sets the stage for season two. The rest of the cast, including Rita Moreno, the Sopranos' Edie Falco, and John Seda (even though he only appears in the first episode) does brilliant work, all of whom help make Oz unforgettable. If you've never seen Oz, you should definitely check it out and see for yourself one of the best and underrated shows on HBO and maybe even TV history, but do be warned, this series is not for the squeamish.
  
  

• BUY THIS ONE NOW!!

  
  By A1W5MSQZ5I1O1P on 2002-01-25
  I give this 5 stars only because I can't go any higher! Anyone who has watched this HBO original series knows that the acting is incredible, the story lines are as true to life as you can get, and is one of the most overall hard-hitting shows ever to come to American TV (albeit cable). Unfortunately, the show doesn't get the recognition of The Sopranos or Sex in the City because prison dramas don't draw the same overall audience. You have to see this to believe it! One of the most requested HBO series finally comes to DVD and I can only hope that HBO releases the other seasons as well. The best part is, the cast is filled with actors you may not initially recognize, but will later identify in other projects. Be prepared for a series that doesn't shy away from strong language, adult themes, frontal male nudity, and yes, even prison rape! AWESOME!
  
  

• The first season, the best season

  
  By A29IYGR7SNPRIV on 2002-02-18
  Oz is decidedly not for the faint of heart. That said, the first (and best) season's episodes were beautifully constructed, exceptionally well-written, and wonderfully cast. The inside/outside viewpoints offered by the wheelchair-bound narrator provide not only the backgrounds of the inmates but also the philosophical point of each episode. There is much graphic violence, moments of such painful truth (Tergesen in paricular turns in an award-winning performance throughout) and such horror, that one is utterly drained by the emotional turbulence. Next to Six Feet Under, HBO's other brave and clever award-winning show, Oz is one of the best examples of what television can be when the targeted audience is more than eight years old. Most highly recommended.
  
  

• Welcome To Oz, Bitch.

  
  By A34A7QEBMYTALW on 2005-05-23
  The first season of 'Oz' introduces the viewer to a prison filled with low-life thugs, criminals, rapists, and all around nasty men. Throw in some full frontal nudity, man rape, tons of cursing, double-cross upon double-cross and what do you get? One of the grittest, most realistic, and most satisfying shows on television.
  
  Everyone is represented in Oz: the Aryans, the Italians, the Muslims, the Gangstas, the Latinos...pretty much every facet of a prison population. The cast of characters is huge so get prepared to pay attention to who's who and who's doing what and why. Don't be deterred though...just pay attention and you will reap the rewards of this fine show. Every episode focuses on numerous different characters but most of the main ten or so receive about equal time.
  
  The first season is excellent: Tobias Beecher(Lee Tergeson)is a mild-mannered lawyer, sent to Oz on an involuntary manslaughter charge, who is befriended in a not-so-nice way by Aryan leader Shillinger(JK Simmons)who has a beef with the Gangstas who have a beef with the Italians who are all scared of the weird guy who ate his parents...and on and on and on. The season is filled with layer upon layer of conflict and gives a very real sense of what life in a maximum security prison must be like. And there's not only the prisoners, there are the employees of the prison: numerous guards(including a pre-'Sopranos' Edie Falco), the warden(Ernie Hudson), priest(BD Wong), etc. who all deal with not only the prisoners' issues but their own as well. Through the myriad of conflict over the course of the season, the tension builds up to a massive riot taking over the prison. Oh, and don't get too attached to any one character because people, prisoners and guards alike, in 'Oz' die all the time and are soon replaced with new blood.
  
  All in all, the first season of 'Oz' is great. My only qualm being that its much too short(8 one-hour episodes)for much too high a price(as all HBO DVD sets are). Even so, its still worth it. There's not much in the way of extras but the quality of the episodes make up for it. This series was one of the best on recent television and definitely worth seeing. You really owe it to yourself to check this and the four other seasons of 'Oz' out.
  
  
• The best series on HBO. Not to be missed.
  By AWUV9GX0Q6WPJ on 2002-02-06
  When "Oz" first debuted on HBO several years ago, no one was prepared for the intensity and the immense talent portrayed therein. I, for one, was blown away. You cannot watch this show and not be impacted in some way. For all of its harsh and unflinching realism, the emotion under the surface is what makes this the most well-written series on television today. These people know their craft, and they prove it season after season.

  Like so many others, I've been waiting for this DVD for a long time. Yes, "The Sopranos" is a great show, and "Sex in the City" can be very impressive, but "Oz" surpasses them all. I can only hope that HBO releases subsequent seasons on DVD much faster than they normally do for their other shows. Five Stars!
  
  

• A Gusty Series That Breaks all the Rules
  By AD9WTAOAFUZA4 on 2002-03-07
  It's easy to see why "OZ" has proven itself as the finest dramatic series on TV up there with "Six Feet Under" and "The Sopranos" (all cable, all courtesy of HBO.) For pure heart-stopping action, debauchery and in-your-face shock value, though, even the mob doesn't stand a chance! The characters here are sharply drawn and completely rendered by a cast that takes risks every week along with the plotlines that unfold. The first season is more than just a brilliant showcase for the actors, directors and writers at work here - it's also THE crucial link to understanding fully everything that comes later in years 2 and 3. Unquestionably violent, but worth it's weight in cadavers, OZ delivers unforgettable television drama. Surely the set to own this Summer!
  
  
• An Outstanding Show, A Must-See DVD.
  By A1QDQT0ZAAZHQS on 2003-01-04
  This is, by far, the most ambitious project that HBO has ever done. I've seen every episode of other HBO hit shows like Sex and the City and The Sopranos, but Oz is definitely in a class by itself. The viewer will be riveted from the very beginning of the first episode to the unforgettable season finale.

  The great ensamble cast does an excellent job of portraying exactly what prison life is like. They show that life inside Oswald State Prison (Oz) is like living at the mouth of a live volcano. You never know when the volcano is going to erupt, and it erupts quite often. While all the actors seem to share equal screen time, the character that stands out the most is Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), a lawyer serving time for killing a girl while driving drunk. He comes to Oz lacking street smarts, but he gradually learns the ropes as the season progresses. By the final episode, he's just as vicious as all the other prisoners. Another intriguing character is Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), who is a passive-aggressive black Muslim militant who acts as the main shot caller.

  All the basic troubles of prison life are addressed in these eight episodes. Drugs, sex, boredom, routine, heirarchy, racism, violence, and capital punishment are all factored into the show at some point. Though I've never been to prison, I did spend some time in county jail, so I can attest to the accuracy of this show in terms of portraying what prison might really be like. I don't know what hell is like, but it can't be that much worse than Oz. I very highly recommend this DVD.
  
  

• If Hearing Problem..... disappointment
  By A1XO956VIJUI5A on 2007-10-05
  Im only writing this to warn anyone who has a problem hearing and needs closed caption..... IN ENGLISH.... then you are out of luck. The only closed caption on this dvd is in Spanish... I had to return this because I have a hearing problem and need the closed caption...in English..
  
  
• No Yellow Brick Road Here
  By A9I40WFF40R4 on 2006-08-17
  This DVD edition of OZ, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, complete with cast biographies and deleted scenes, is proof once again that HBO is on the cutting edge of TV drama and often is so much better than anything that you will see in your local theatre. Oz is the short name for Oswald Maximum Security Prison where in one section of it, Emerald City, Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) attempts, often with little if any success, to rehabilitate prisoners rather than just house them.
  
  We certainly are not in Kansas here although there is no yellow brick road either. The film is graphic, brutal and intense. There are rapes, drug deals, racial tension, murders and suicides and guard misconduct; but there is also a decent Asian Catholic priest as well as a nun social worker (Rita Moreno) in addition to Tim McManus who tries so hard to do the right thing. While some of the action is predictable-- we are convinced that this is the way life really is in a maximum security prison-- the plot moves quickly as the episodes are short. The story is framed by an African American inmate, confined to a wheelchair, who speaks directly to the viewer, giving his commentary on the action as well as providing the background from time to time with flashbacks as to what crime each prisoner committed to get him sent to Oz.
  
  The critics are right about this one. It is as good as this sort of drama gets. In a word, OZ is addictive.
  
  
• Highly entertaining, well-acted, well-written, but...
  By A2R1HAXRNU0QX7 on 2006-07-21
  I am very late to the world of OZ, having just watched season 1 (but ready for Season 2!). I can certainly see why this show caused such a stir. It makes THE SOPRANOS look like SESAME STREET in its depiction of violence, drug use, language, racism, brutality, abuse and its generally pessimistic outlook on everything.
  
  It is a highly entertaining show...don't get me wrong. I find it gripping, involving, well-acted and inventively executed. It is well-written and directed. The only thing I hesitate to find in it is "deeper meaning." If Emerald City, this experimental unit within the larger Oswald Penitentiary (OZ), is meant to be some sort of microcosm of the world...then I can't buy into that. These inmates have virtually no redeeming qualities. Those that look for redemption mostly find death and disillusionment. Those who fumble towards spiritual redemption usually fall short. No one has pure motives...prisoners or their guardians. I'm a cynical person...and this show is almost too cynical for me. So I don't believe it represents "all of humanity." If the show is meant to be a comment on our penal system...I'm not sure what the comment would be. My reaction to these characters is "Please never let ANY of these people walk the streets again." Are we meant to feel pity for them, or loathing? It's hard to imagine writers, actors and directors wanting me to loath most of their characters...but I pretty much do.
  
  Again, this is not to say that the show isn't fun. It's lurid fun. Sometimes it is moving. Sometimes funny. Sometime horrifying. But the characters are easy to hold at arms length.
  
  What IS great is the writing and acting. What a fabulous cast they put together for this show. B.D Wong, Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons (absolutely creepy...this guy is great at everything he does), a couple of guys who went on to star in LOST, Edie Falco (pre-Carmella Soprano, I believe), and on and on and on. You'll recognize a lot of them, even if you don't know the names. And let me not forget Rita Moreno...what a treat! A tough as nails nun...she is a very believable character in all this...and remains heroic. The writing is always excellent. Great attention to little details. Each character has a distinctive "voice" and they're all very eloquent, but always within their voice. No one suddenly busts out with a speech they would never in a million years utter. This gives the show a sheen of authenticity.
  
  So, if you want to be hugely entertained by a large group of folks doing top drawer work (and aren't put off by brutal language, brutal violence and just general wallowing in the dregs of humantity), this show is a MUST. If you're hoping for something inspirational or enlightening about the true state of our penal system...keep looking.
  
  And I hope it goes without saying: this show is NOT for kids. I can't be more blunt that that. 17 and over only, I would say.
  
  
  
• OZ-riffic
  By AL5OEDM8TPTKV on 2003-03-24
  Revolutionary, groundbreaking, intense drama. HBO proves, once again, it has the guts to provide an amazing quality of television for adults.

  Oz is a maximum security unit with an amazing cast of characters, all acting and interacting with each other to provide many, many, tense moments. Everyone absolutely shines in their roles, both convicts and officers, and the story never lets down for a moment. Lee Turgesen is amazing as a newbie prisoner, thrown into the hell his life will become, and arcs from victim to victimizer. Each character has an equally remarkable span, until the amazing ending that both is realisitic, and horrifying.

  Rent the DVDs, buy them, if you want to watch television story telling at it's finest. If only the networks had the chutzpah to broadcast this!
  
  

• Should've gotten to this one earlier...
  By A3N5XIM9R2OQH0 on 2007-02-04
  The Wire may be the best show to ever hit HBO (or any network, for that matter), but it wasn't the network's first gritty, violent hour-long drama to examine the relationship between individuals and institutions. Back in the late 1990's there was Oz, a fierce, operatic prison drama that helped pave the way for The Sopranos, The Shield, The Wire, and a whole slew of other shows that once would've been considered too challenging for TV. In many ways, Oz is a soap opera made for and by guys along the lines of The Sopranos and Rescue Me, but with deep layers of highly relevant social commentary to accompany its explosive (if at times not too plausible) theatrics. This was HBO's first hour-long drama, and as such the production values and direction aren't quite up to the standards set by some of the channel's later shows, but thankfully the writing and characterization set the bar much higher. And if you're watching this show, chances are that's your main concern anyway.
  
  The heart of Oz lies in Emerald City, an experimental unit of Oswald Maximum-Security Penitentiary (hence the show's name) designed to prepare inmates for life on the outside, or at least improve their lives on the inside. Emerald City is run by unit administrator Tim McManus (memorably played by Terry Kinney), a well-meaning, educated liberal who tries to combat his own demons while injecting some civilization into the general atavism that surrounds him. Along with tough-minded warden Leo Glynn (the always reliable Ernie Hudson), and a determined prison chaplain (B.D. Wong) and psychologist/drug counselor/nun (Rita Moreno), McManus is charged with keeping the powder keg he presides over from exploding, a job made even more difficult by the meddling of an imperious Republican governor who wants to eliminate what few vestiges of freedom the inmates do enjoy.
  
  Of course, Oz being a prison show, it's the interactions and infighting among the prisoners that's going to provide the main attraction, and it doesn't disappoint in this regard. If this show is any indication, the guys who warned against factions in the Federalist Papers were dead-on. Emerald City is a hotbed of rampaging tensions and Machiavellian maneuverings, with frequent beatings and murders thrown in for good measure, among exactly the types of groups you'd expect to find in a prison wing-the gangstas (led by the cartoonishly vicious and menacing Simon Adebisi); the Mafia crew of shrewd capo Nino Schiabetta; the Nazis, with cruel hate machine Vern Schillinger in charge; and the looming wild card of the Muslims, whom celebrity activist and prison newcomer Kareem Said quickly organizes in his ongoing quest to overturn the American system that he despises. Throw in a few free agents (cocky Irish rogue Ryan O'Reilly; frightened ex-lawyer Tobias Beecher; cold-blooded biker Scott Ross; psycho killer Donald Groves) to shake things up, and all the elements are in place for a pressure-cooker atmosphere unlike anything else on TV. The characters cover a pretty broad range--some deeply flawed but at least a little sympathetic (Schiabetta, Latino gangster Miguel Alvarez); some enjoyably twisted (O'Reilly, Schillinger); some so evil they scarcely qualify as human (Adebisi and Ross); some just plain crazy (Groves), but all have their distinct personalities. Even McManus and Said, who at least initially appear to be the most principled of the main characters, are prone to bouts of nearly insufferable self-righteousness and moralism. The acting is almost uniformly top-notch throughout, which helps drive home the complexity and moral ambiguity of the writing even further.
  
  With the exception of the flashbacks to the crimes that landed its various prisoners in Oz in the first place, the camera rarely leaves the prison and never goes outside, which only serves to emphasize the claustrophobic effect of its environment. Most of the episodes have some sort of common theme running through them, be it love and sex, capital punishment, drug use, or death and dying, all accompanied by the philosophical, poetic narration of inmate and recovered crack addict Augustus Hill. Any show that has a wheelchair-bound cop killer providing commentary on each episode is bound to be offputting to some, but it's just such risks that make Oz so compelling to watch. Ultimately, Oz is about lives lived on the edge, whether among the prisoners or the staff, and it doesn't soft-pedal the results of making the wrong decisions, but it's not afraid to bring out the humanity of even its most demented characters (well, most of them anyway).
  
  After a mediocre first episode hampered by its excessive focus on cliched mafia type Dino Ortolani (whose exit is the most memorable thing about him), Oz shifts quickly into overdrive and doesn't stop, culminating in the brutal riot that brings the season to an end and sets the stage for the events to follow in season two. The show has so many plots and characters that some are bound to feel underdeveloped in an eight-hour season, with some characters seemingly going through a whole series worth of plot lines over the course of a few episodes. That said, even if the plot development on Oz can occasionally feel a bit fragmentary and hard to believe, its sheer kinetic energy is more than enough to cover up any rough spots. And there are even better developments to come in season two, so anyone who sees promise in this season is highly encouraged to keep watching.
  
  
• Oz is Awesome!
  By on 2002-02-17
  Dude, this is the best show I've ever seen. As a Criminal Justice major, I can honestly say that this show portrays prison life exactly how it is. It's raw and uncut. The violence is so realistic and the storyline sucks you in after only one episode. Besides wrestling, this has got to be the best male soap-opera ever. It keeps you wondering from week to week what is going to happen next. I've never done this before, but if I somehow miss an episode I make sure someone records if for me. I can't stand to miss a single episode. Buy it! I know I will!
  
  
• Oz-- The Complete First Season
  By A8GKGFB8MBJ16 on 2002-03-17
  There's a bunch of deleted scenes with an optional audio track by Tom Fontana explaining why the scenes didn't make the final cut or just commenting on the scene, the actors in it and whatnot. You'll see some familiar faces currently starring in other successful HBO shows too! Obsessive long-time viewers will notice that some of the deleted material found its way to later seasons and characters. ["Hack in Black" for one.]

  The first 2 episodes have an audio track by Tom Fontana and Lee Tergesen. It's obvious they are good friends off set with the little interplay between them. I just wished Tergesen had added more. Fontana contributes a lot of interesting information about his writing process and how he approaches the show.

  The episodes look great and the sound is wonderful. A must for fans to be sure. Non fans might want to give it a try to as this is probably the tightest and best written of all the seasons to date. I'd forgotten what great characters made up this first season -- wiseguys, cannibals, ex-pro ball players, gangtas and more.
  
  

• This show just grabs you and won't let go!!!!
  By A15MLF38WROSWU on 2004-06-22
  You won't find ToTo here!!!! Oz is a prison where men are supposed to be rehabilitated. Instead the men are still committing crimes, being violated, fighting for their rights, their lives, and trying to maintain their sanity. Season 1 you are introduced to Warden Glynn, trying to maintain order in the prison, and keep the funding. McManus he runs the Oz section, but sometimes his best laid plans don't always work. Augustus Hill is in a wheelchair, and he narrates the episodes. Kareem Said is the Muslim leader. I love this guys character, despite being in prison, he still tries to bring a sense of discipline, order, and he does not allow anyone to mess with him or his religion!!! Do not try to cross this brother!! He tries to help other black men follow the faith even if they end up on death row. This man enters the prison, and you see people go nuts!!! Some men like him and some can't stand him and want to see him dead. Sister Peter tries to help the men with their drug problems. Beecher is the man that does not belong, he is a former lawyer who is serving time for driving while impaired, and for killing a young girl. He meets up with Schillinger and his life goes from bad to nightmare. Shcillinger makes him wear make up, violates him, and every chance he gets abuse and use him until Beecher has had enough!! Alvarez is not in prison for 5 minutes before he is stabbed. This show will have you on waves of emotion. You will be angry, you will be shocked, you will be surprised, you will be sad, you will cry, and in some cases you will find yourself laughing. You feel for some of the prisoners, you will hate some of the prisoner, and you will like or dislike some of the workers. This is a GREAT show, and I'm looking forward to seeing Season 2 of Oz.
  
  
• OZ is an entertaining drama.
  By A1UNC1AF0UKDBH on 2002-05-31
  If you're looking for a documentary on prison life, then go find a documentary on prison life. This is a drama: it's FICTION. Don't judge it based on how realistic it is compared to prison life in Oregon--or anywhere!
  The characters are generally well-drawn. The acting is top-notch and consistent with the characters. The stories are interesting and interestingly presented, and their outcomes are not usually predictable. There are enough interwoven stories to prevent getting bored with any particular one. The production elements--hair, lighting, makeup, set design--all contribute to a consistent mood and theme and so do not distract from the stories.
  I think that this series, especially season 1, is engaging entertainment for those reasons (even though my favorite character doesn't enter until season 2). The violence and language are a little unnerving at first, but they are not gratuitous nor are they anything that you won't see or hear on the streets of a major American city. And it's easier to get comfortable with such elements when they are appropriate to the action and help to move the story along. They are not there just for shock.
  My criticism would be the lack of "extras" that you often find on DVDs, but I bought this package for the stories, not for any expected auxiliary entertainment.
  Everyone has warned you about how gritty this series is, so you know all about that. If you want to watch a show with good acting and good stories, then buy these DVDs.
  
  
• One Of The Most Watchable Shows Ever!
  By AYW3H5NJ56EYW on 2005-01-01
  What can you say about Oz other than watch it?
  
  Several people have described the show as "addictive" - it really is, the very nature of a prison being a barren, essentially monotone and boring place means the show has to rely 100% on engaging characters - the true anchor of any great TV show or film. This is where Oz shines, the range of colourful characters really does get you hooked, and the futuristic pod-style housing gives the EmCity wing a certain flavour that would definitely not be present if the series was set in an older, more traditional looking jail.
  
  There's no yardtime in Oz! I think these guys are just too dangerous to be let outside. There's certainly a noticable bodycount to say the least.
  
  If you're looking for a down-to-earh, realistic portrayal of prison then despite what some reviewers seem to be saying or implying: OZ ain't it. It's over the top and paints in vivid colour where real prison would be using greys and blacks, but this is what makes it entertaining.
  
  Oz has a very dark sense of humour to it which is almost hilarious at times but trust me when I say you have to have to be able to appreciate dark humour to find certain parts funny - much in the same vain as Australian celebrity criminal flick "Chopper". If you can look through the litres of prop blood and the hammed up actor screaming his head off while a steroid-infested TripleH look-alike puts his floor-sharpened spoon to wicked use then you might find a wry smile creeping onto your face - although I must admit that at times the violence crosses a line and there doesn't seem to be any sanctuary available while witnessing a character you really got to know and like being tortured to death by someone who's laughing at his face while he's doing it. You have to play it by ear in this respect.
  
  Don't get me wrong, it's not a comedy, but certain parts certainly appear to me to be deliberately blackly comic - not everyone will agree though, not everyone can see past the essentially unfunny jailhouse window-dressing. I just don't think such an over the top steroid fuelled roller-coaster of a show such as Oz should be taken too seriously is all.
  
  Watch it and enjoy it cos it is one of the most entertaining and unique shows ever to grace your TV screen.
  
  Compulsive viewing!!!
  
  
• A Must Have for Oz Fans and Lee Tergesen Fans!
  By A34SIX1FYLHRBT on 2002-04-11
  I didn't start watching Oz until Season Four, so it's a treat to be able to go back and see how the whole thing started. In case you've been living under a rock, Oz is a drama about a prison. The inmates are the stars and their stories are brutal and riveting.

  Lee Tergesen, who plays inmate Tobias Beecher, makes an amazing transformation during this season. He starts out as a meek, former lawyer, sentenced to Oz for drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. He quickly becomes the prag of evil white supremacist Vern Schillinger (J.K. Simmons). Halfway through the season, Beecher gets tired of being treated like a whore by Vern and he strikes back. Tergesen's acting is brilliant.

  Another interesting storyline is that of Jefferson Keane (Leon), an unrepetant killer who makes a 180 degree turn around under the tutelage of Islamic leader Kareen Said (Eamonn Walker). After finding God, Keane is set up by the guards and must kill to survive. He ends up on death row.

  All the characters are fascinating and writer/creator Tom Fontana does a fantastic job weaving their storylines. The viewer comes to really care about these brutal men as we get to know them.

  Worth a view even if you've never seen an episode of Oz before.
  
  

• Like it or not, it sucks you in
  By on 2004-02-21
  I have come to find that there are very few good dramas that center around prison life. Even then, the handful of films that I think are well done, like "Papillon" or "Sleepers", aren't really about prisons (they're about penal colonies and juvenile delinquency centers, respectively). Most films just follow the same formula: not-so-street-savvy person goes in, is told to beat up the first person he can, befriends some guy, gets sodomized in the shower, et cetera.
  This HBO series, however, is surprisingly good. At times it gets a little too ambitious and tends to lose focus in trying to delve into each of the diverse characters, but by the last three episodes or so the action really gathers momentum. In fact, the plot is perhaps one of the most interesting I've yet seen; the problem is in the delivery. Tacky lines (for instance, "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment", from Reilly) muddle the action, and the Aryan Nations inmates feel a little too much like "American History X" clones. The worst part of the show, however, is the wheelchair-bound guide, whose incessant gesticulations and headset and dialogue are enough to make you want to stop watching.
  All in all, though, its solid. The cast is pretty convincing, the violence is intense, and the climax is unbelievable. My verdict: good to rent, but not the best buy.
  
  
• Brutal, Graphic, Excellent
  By A3HM5G9IV1FTFP on 2003-10-06
  Oz, HBO's first hour-long drama, tends to not get a lot of attention, mostly because of the wild success of "the Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under". But it is an excellent series. Prison really is the perfect place to set a drama series, because there's just so much drama inherent in the situation: violence, sexual abuse, mental illness, guilt, shame, redemption ... the list goes on and on. The writers and actors of "Oz" make excellent use of all the opportunities to explore the darker sides of human life. Aside from being an engrossing drama, "Oz" also serves as an excellent public service announcement, in a way ... because after watching a few episodes, a person would probably think twice about doing anything that could possibly put them in such a horrific situation.
  
  
• Dark History
  By A1TU24JYREXJBC on 2003-02-11
  Either you are fascinated and blown away by this remarkable groundbreaking series, or it horrifies you to the core of your being. I myself am fascinated, own this DVD set, and plan to acquire the entire series (just concluding on HBO as of this writing). The interactive menus, zooming through Emerald City, Gen Pop, Solitary, etc., are lots of eerie fun. The brief "making of" short is excellent as far as it goes, but WAY too short for my tastes. The disk's best supplement is the round table discussion with cast members and Tom Fontana. Again, I could have used about 10 times as much of this as is included on the disk...but not everything can be the LOTR Deluxe DVD set, I suppose! Just to have a permanent high-quality record of these searing episodes is enough.
  
  
• The best TV drama ever, even better than "Homicide."
  By A5BAE3SEOGND5 on 2002-12-03
  I'm with James Fearn, Oz is the best TV drama ever. So why does this series, with its harsh, violent, brutal characters and unrestrained language and violence rate so high?

  Oz is about the two most important issues we all face: sin and redemption. And not sin and redemption in a Catholic or Christian sense, but in the sense of how we all belong to and participate in humanity. To address these issues most directly, the writers (most of the time, the brilliant Tom Fontana) and producer (Barry Levinson) go to the worst sinners of all and those most in need of redemption, the prisoners (and their jailers) at Ozwald State Correctional Facility, a mythical maximum-security prison in New York.

  Fontana and Levinson have dealt with these issues before, most notably in "Homicide," but this time all the stakes are doubled. In Oz, violence and survival are minute-to-minute issues. So how, in the midst of such violence and brutality, does one find one's way back to a place in humanity? Some of the characters struggle to redeem themselves, some get by from day to day, some have just given up, and some go mad, like the chronically depressed and desperate Alvarez.

  Of these, some even attain true redemption, coming at last to a kind of peace and reconciliation. And then Levinson and Fontana remind us of the true dilemma of redepmtion: it's just so damn fragile. Some of the most dramatic and heartbreaking moments of all are when we see the best characters, those who have found their fragile peace, descend once again into the violence they (and we) thought they had escaped. Because redemption isn't absolute. Like the prisoners and jailers in Oz, it lives moment to moment, and at any time we can lose our grasp on it and fall back into pit.

  It's safe to say that no television drama has ever addressed these issues so directly or in such harsh, unremitting terms. Oz should stand as a classic in drama, right along with the works of Shakespeare and the ancient Greeks. Besides, once you start watching it, you just can't stop.
  
  

• Maimum Entertainment
  By APHCADEZUSZFN on 2002-12-13
  I always thought it was hilarious when the guy who play Schillinger said in an interview that it's a little unsettling to hear himself described as the guy who plays the bad guy in a show set in a prison. I mean, aren't they all bad guys? But he does play a bad guy- the worst guy- and he plays him well.

  OZ is scary. Oz is uncompomising. And Oz is unstoppable. WHo'd have believed this show would last more than one season? It's a soap opera set in prison. Pretty near unresistable.

  The best part of this set is the unfolding of the Beecher Saga. And with voice-over from Lee, you get insight as to how the charactarization took form.

  You won't watch this just once.
  
  

• Best Tv Drama Ever
  By A2N1CESSVCCWR on 2002-11-09
  Oz is hands down the best tv drama series ever! I started watching it midway through and on the Showcase network (Don't get HBO in Canada) and I instantly became hooked. The storyline is something you just don't see anywhere else on television. It is hard hitting and very raw. What I like best is that no one person is the star. It is an a large cast and everyone is important to the show.

  The first season sets a lot of seeds for future happenings, but it is a fine season on it's own. You just never know what will happen. I never saw the first 3 seasons, I watched 4 and 5 and have seen some repeats of the first 3 so watching this DVD set was a huge treat for me. The Show is very easy to follow, has a ton of great acting and is just plan amazing.

  I would suggest this to anyone who likes drama's. Yes the language is hard and there is some nudity (mostly male) people need to remember that this is a prison setting and that is what would happen in any prison. Sit back and enjoy. I can't wait for season two to come out in January.
  
  

• Amazing storyline, gripping characters...
  By AVIGJ8JJX6AHB on 2002-04-24
  This DVD set was well worth the wait (and what a LONG one it was)...I admit that I am a true OZ fan and have been waiting for it to receive the same notoriety as "Sex and the City" and other HBO dramas have. One must realize and know that the storyline, and basic reality, of prison life is graphic and terrifying in itself and HBO's OZ captures it magnificently through the bends and twists of its characters and plots. There is NEVER a dull moment and I would suggest this DVD to anyone who likes an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, addictive ride into the life of these prisoners. You'll develop your own favorites, but who knows if they will last long in the concrete jungle known as Emerald City. You'd be crazy not to pick this one up if you enjoy good drama -- it is and will forever be a classic of our times!
  
  
• Late to the Party, but the series is timeless
  By A2PGWGM46T530A on 2007-04-24
  After seeing some raw violence and sex scenes in movies and cutting edge shows, this series is not as shocking as it once was. What is truly shocking is the twisted motives of some characters. Some characters like Arayan leader Schillenger are motivated by power. He needs his slaves to prove his authoritarian position. Many of the prisoners plot to control the drug trade, gain power, or just survive the onslaught of predators. The narrator scenes take us outside the drama and reminds us that this is just a show. However man's worst desires are shown and we know that such people exist. We get to know the characters and care what happens to them. This is not just about life and death, but about redemption and morality. A few struggle to keep their morals yet must break them in order to survive. If we know that they are doing acts that are repulsive to them, can we judge them and say that you can never harm others in order to save yourself. The show is compelling and worth a look.
  
  
• Great Show!
  By ATUPZN6SZRZG2 on 2007-04-22
  Well I first got into the show when I had HBO years ago. It had just started and I seen two episodes and I was hooked. Then they shut it off. The show stood in the back of my head for years and now I got this season and saw it all. It's a really great show. Everything said about it in the reviews below are true this season sort of does an intro for us of the people in this prison. I just watched it all and order season two and it's on it's way. Watch the show and you will be hooked!!
  
  
• Pretty Good Show
  By A16GC474OY2F8U on 2007-02-01
  This is one tough nail of a show -- it clearly shows that prison life is no picnic in the park. It's violent and has a lot of coarse language. Yet, it's also intelligent. It does make to walk the straight line so you don't end up like these guys. My only dislike is the character telling us very 15 minutes or so what we are looking at and what the moral of each story -- I think viewers are intelligent enough to figure it out.
  
  
• If a fan-you must have this
  By AFLK5BKD8JQJX on 2007-01-18
  This is a must see. For any OZ fan, definately. But even for new comers who may have not even heard of OZ, it was a great series lasting six seasons on HBO. It is great. Watch this season and get hooked to watched the others.
  
  

• Oz - The Complete Second Season
• Oz - The Complete Third Season
• Oz - The Complete Fourth Season
• Oz - The Complete Fifth Season
• Oz - The Complete Sixth Season