OZ Season #1 - #6

Rating = 10/10

Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, formerly Oswald State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison (level 4) at an undisclosed location.

Its very rare that a TV series like this comes along. When I was younger I thought this show was going to be silly or gross and just not my type of show. But when I grew up a little over the years I thought to myself "Lets watch this show in order and really give it a try", and boy am I glad I did.

OZ is set up in a Prison, A Maximum Security one at that. The episodes are each an hour long (no comercials if you are watching it on tv as its on HBO), and they each feel like a full length movie to me.

Amazing stories, fantastic acting and some of the best writing you will come across EVER. How can a show that is in a PRISON be so good you might be asking? Well not only is alot of this stuff entertaining but its got a meaning/message behind the violence, curse words or nudity.

Most tv shows have a good guy, bad guy,etc.... There is no such set up in OZ. Let me say this right away, there are a ton of BAD guys here, that at first you might hate or think are gross and discusting. But If you pay attention to details and watch every season, you will begin to feel for alot of these so called "bad" characters/people. Some of the prisoners are definatly people who have done terrible things in the past, but some others where Lawyers who just made one mistake of drinking and driving and hitting a young girl while driving and then being sent to this place with people who have killed there whole family or multiple people. What would you do if this happened to you?

The way the characters try to deal with everyone else, themselves,etc... is very well done in this. The people who wrote this show spent a few years going from prison to prison across the states and learning the ins and outs of the prison system. So some of the stuff in this show was taken from real life situations, while others are made up or changed a little.

Its also not just about the prisoners, but the people who work with the prisoners. The nun, the warden, the officers, docters,etc.... The main part of the prison that we see most of the time on the show is in what is called EMERALD CITY. Which is an experimental part of prison where the inmates get a little more leway,etc.. and is kind of on a trial basis to see how it works. Also a very good cast to on this show, a very good mix of Hispanic, African American, Whites and Mexicans.

Below I will post some pictures of some of the actors in the show and a few details about them

Tim Mcmanus

The guy who runs Emerald City, and the only one ahead of him is the Governer and the Warden. He runs the Emerald City and basically is the one who wants to try this new way of doing things. A good guy at heart, who is terrible at relationships and sleeps with alot of the coworks lol.

Vern Shilinger

This guy below is a white supremist, who hates drugs and of course people that are not of his race. A very intense and hard character for alot of people to tolerate (myself included as I HATE racism). Basicall he is the leader of the white supremacy group.

Simon Adebisi

From Africa originally and is the gang leader for the homeboys as the say on the show. He is a very violent character who enjoys his drugs, but someone who is also struggles later on to find himself and his past. A very interesting character I thought. And for you fans of LOST, yes this is the same dude, only earlyier in his acting career and more of a bad dude then on that show hehe.

Sister Peter Marie

One of my personal favorite characters on the show. She is a Nun and phsycologist (Im to sleepy sorry for that) but she also struggles with the limits that being a Nun puts on here love life. She became a nun after her husband died, and still longs to be comforted and loved by someone.

Warden Glen

not much to say about him, other then he is the warden and has some interesting story lines during the 6 seasons that this show went on.

Ryan O'Reily

Member of the Irish and one of the MaIn characters that you will see on OZ. Another one of the more interesting characters on the show in my opinion. As he has done some horrible things, but he also is deeply inlove with someone on the show and also takes care of his younger brother and loves him to death aswell. Gets alot of respect in OZ from the prisoners and the workers aswell.

Miguel Alvarez

As it says above, he is a member of the Latinos and is very crazy and hard to understand for alot of the shows. He can snap at anytime and is very unpredictable.

Kareem Said

The leader of the Muslims and one of the people that most of OZ looks up to at least to some degree. Very deep character this one with alot of issues himself, although he tries to help his fellow muslims out when ever he can. He was sentenced to 18 years, eligable for parole in 5.

Tobias Beecher

Beecher is under the OTHERS category that they have in OZ. He was sentence to 15 years after he was driving intoxicated and killed a young girl while driving home drunk after work and then the bar. He is your normal everyday guy who was a LAWYER outside of prison and a dad with a good family. One mistake put him in jail with all these manicans. Very interesting characer because he could be any of us if we made ONE bad mistake. His life changed so drastically thru each season of OZ. Especially since the first day he got there to later on. He also gets into a relationship with another pison inmate while in jail.

There are soooo many more characters, but I am getting tired, so I will leave it at this. If this interested you in anyway at all, PLEASE go and buy or rent the first season of this amazing show and PLEASE give it a chance... it has some very extreme situations and themes that have to do with violence, sex, crimes, etc... but its so much deeper then all that. Give it a chance with an OPENMIND and you will be rewarded by one of the best TV shows of all time. It really is just like 8 movies each season (16 for one of the seasons. I personally own all teh seasons and its one of the best purchases Ive ever made. Its rare that I watch a show more then once over again, Ive seen OZ 9 times so far and currently watching it again, its just a perfect show if there ever was one

This show is up there with Deadwood, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rome, The Shield, Simpsons and South park as my favorite tv shows of all time.

I will leave you all with a few more random OZ pictures

One of my fav characters this guy, doesnt come in till a little later though