OZ was certainly influential, a show that helped revolutionize series dramas as we know them today. Sadly, the show does not stand out when compared to the collective body of works that defined television as we now know it. Oz suffers from a lack of character depth and linear story telling that subtracts from its overall greatness. Three main areas where Oz suffers are as follows: 1) Two Dimensional Character Depth- Take for instance the Governor, who is purely evil and self serving and lacks complexity and realism. The character plays like the classic cartoon villain and lacks the depth of an Al Swerengen (Deadwood) that you are made to hate, then somehow identify with, blurring the line between right and wrong and falling into a gray area. The Governor in Oz lacks any qualities that the viewer can identify with and is thrown in the mix to purely represent the oppressive bad guy who for a politician lacks any of the charisma that comes with being a political figure. 2) A forced social narrative that comes off as overly preachy and self serving, thus again eliminating the gray zone. 3) Poor writing - throw this in the mix and you have an enjoyable yet dumb-ed down story that is good in small doses but fails to bring the audience into a realistic and immersive world like many of its predecessors. An enjoyable show to a certain audience that loses its appeal as more and more finely polished gems present themselves and offer viewers a variety of more worthwhile ways to spend their time. Worth seeing, but not until you have enjoyed the extensive list of more worthy productions that came after.

I've heard a lot of tales and ugly things about prison life from North American friends of mine; but one could not grasp the image of the words described to you unless you watch this show (with the exception of you going to an American prison yourself, that is...)I must admit this series is the one and only show I ever watched continuously (all 6 seasons) within the week.. usually I watch other shows bit by bit, but Oz.. I watched it continuously for a whole week with the exception of food, toilet, and bedtime breaks.From the first episode, I was hooked like a magnet. The levels of intrigue; the cynical personalities; the nightmare of all offenders is presented to your eyes by HBO. I thought Sopranos was the best thing they premiered.. turns out Oz is also something else I didn't expect!Despite the nasty gay scenes, rapes and all sorts of sexual abuse; the show was fantastic. Moreorless, all the gore presented in this show is just a bite off the cookie compared to the reality of the nightmares faced. After watching the entire seasons.. I must assume that the problems with American prisons all point towards the top.. just like any company/business/corporation/sports team... bad teacher = bad students. Bad manager = bad employees. Bad owner = bad business.The Governor in this case is the one on the top chain.. with all the wasted money on useless expenditures, actual improvement can be made with focus on the bureaucracy and the simple little details that can give inmate's lives a better chance of turning that nightmare into a regular & remorseful stay @ a prison.However, even with major adjustments & improvements cannot guarantee one's safety among the "4 walls" of these prison cells. Corruption is a major factor that destroyed the lives of many (both inmates & staff).. and corruption will continue to remain. So will prison gangs, and that's another cancer that is nearly impossible to cripple without decisive action on behalf of the people "upstairs".To back to Oz series.. the only thing I hated in this show is the fact that they made O Riley indestructible.. from the first 2 episodes I expected him to fall in his own blood, yet it was very annoying to see him go through the whole show without being touched and everything going his way.. in reality a dunken mick doesn't stand a chance, not even with all that "luck of the irish" bullcrap.Another related annoyance is during final episodes with Cyral's execution.. no one really gives a crap about his execution yet all inmates managed to lock themselves in their cells and bang on the windows like a bunch of apes? (not to mention that it occurs during their only free time during the day pffft)Overall, the final execution of Cyral was a giant relief.. since I was expecting from first season some terrible thing happens to the mick.. yet unfortunately the only thing that does happen against his favor is his brother's death, which is not enough to satisfy me!Other than that, the construction of every plot and every scene throughout the seasons was fantastic; and the whole concept of Oz series is marvelous.. I couldn't say anymore than that!

I originally watched this on HBO when it first came out but watched it again recently on Amazon. The first time I watched it I really enjoyed it but the second time I didn't like it as much.I found the story too convoluted and too much happens within a very small time span. Too many people die, too many corrupt guards, too much drama with out much consideration for reality.Individually I really enjoyed the first two seasons, but after that I find that the quality of the writing goes south. Things which happen in the show are more of a condensed symbolic gesture at real life behind prison walls.This is a graphic and violent movie with sex, rape, profanity and much, much more. Keep it away from little kids and even young adults; it could cause nightmares.

When this show debuted, my friends and I would make sure our schedule was clear to catch each new episode live. I have heard it accurately described as a male soap opera. Every week, something crazy happened. Network television wasn't playing anything like this. The character development available in a mutiple-season series was impossible to achieve in a two- or three-hour film.This show constantly made me wonder how I'd fare in a maximum-security prison. It convinced me to prioritize a spot in my budget for Home Box Office (HBO). With one of the Ghostbusters at the helm, a plethora of cameo appearances by hip-hop stars and professional athletes, and an unforgettable theme song, the first hour-long drama that HBO ever produced also put Harold Perrineau, Simmons, Dean Winters, Eamonn Walker, and BD Wong, among others, on the world map.Over time, especially in comparison to HBO's later projects, some of the scenes seem a bit hokey. Also, shotgunning episodes can be a little depressing, given the subject matter. Still, this series is a pop-culture requirement.For more reviews and a kickass podcast, check out: www.livemancave.com