SummaryOz is the name on the street for the Oswald State Penitentiary. Our wheelchair-bound narrator Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) takes us through the wacky world of Emerald City, the experimental unit started by Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). There's shankin' and lovin' and cussin' and fightin' but in the end, HBO makes a damn fine prison drama. I... Read More
Created By:Tom Fontana
Oz
6 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere:
Jul 12, 1997
Metascore
Generally Favorable
73
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
73
68% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
26% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Jun 12, 2013
100
If you're looking for light summer entertainment, search elsewhere. But you won't find anything more invigoratingly original on TV.
May 15, 2013
100
For the most part, Oz is an awesome achievement - an alternately crude and elegant attempt to expand the boundaries of the one-hour drama. If it can avoid an over reliance on prison movie clichs, stay focused on the redemption theme and give its powerhouse cast more room to breathe, it could be one of the most important works ever aired on American television. [12 July 1997, p.29]
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.4
89% Positive
261 Ratings
261 Ratings
5% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
6% Negative
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
Mar 28, 2022
10
Oz is one of HBO's best ever series. It is gritty and violent, yet ceaselessly compelling and riveting. The production values are consistently of very high quality, with skillful photography and an authentic setting. The writing is superb, in fact Oz is one of my favourite ever shows when it comes to written quality and the story lines are outstanding. Oz benefits further from efficient direction, strongly drawn characters and the acting particularly Ernie Hudson and Harold Perrineau I don't know where to begin praising. All in all, a brilliant series. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Nov 4, 2024
8
This was a decent show for its time; it had memorable characters, storylines, and acting; however, something about the show didn't fully work. They had Edie Falco from The Sopranos before she was really famous, and her character didn't have anything close to the charm she brought to The Sopranos. Some characters act brilliantly, while others just feel like they were thrown in for diversity or to drive the story. Overall I would say in 2024 anything from the 90s is going to be pure gold compared to what we have on tv.
May 15, 2013
80
Oz can also be unpleasant to watch, it is so gruesome and claustrophobic. Yet over the first few weeks, as the series moves beyond its introductory shock value, it becomes more serious, disturbing and gripping.
May 15, 2013
63
If Fontana's goal is stark realism, it's undercut by the overly theatrical device of a funky narrator, an inmate who uses a wheelchair (Harold Perrineau) and who barks his thoughts into the camera. A sample commentary: "People kill to stay alive. That's as true in prison as out. But I'm wondering why in here we fight so hard to stay alive." [11 July 1997, p.3D]
May 15, 2013
50
A bleak, agonizingly downbeat and occasionally over-stylized vision of prison existence. It's about as pretty as a decaying corpse, and there is no one to root for. [11 July 1997]
May 15, 2013
30
A pretentious exercise in cheap thrills, by great talents who've been allowed to run amok. [11 July 1997, p.D1]
Aug 29, 2024
7
The ground-breaking series hit its stride in seasons 3 and 4 - by the final season, melodrama had softened the impact, coupled with both predictable and repetitive story lines. However, to have created this ensemble project with such talent and the capacity to sustain even 4 seasons is remarkable. I was far less compelled to watch the series run down and several characters' lives become soap opera.
Oct 11, 2021
7
The brazen pioneer for a more risky form of tv ,that lay the groundwork for the golden age of tv to come. Despite it's obvious trappings which include the heavy atmosphere and sometimes unnecessary vulgarity it stands well on it's own. Featuring great character's you can never really hate or love or a love story so twisted it will make you rethink how you think "love " reveals itself. This drama and the success it culled proved that HBO was not only the house of "real tv" but an exciting platform where ideas could roam free even in improbable high security prisons.
Production Company:
- Rysher Entertainment
- The Levinson / Fontana Company
Initial Release Date:Jul 12, 1997
Number of seasons:6 Seasons
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Online Film & Television Association
• 2 Wins & 23 Nominations
ALMA Awards
• 4 Wins & 16 Nominations
CableACE Awards
• 3 Wins & 7 Nominations
