Oz | HBO's Original Masterpiece

[TMC]

Oz is a HBO drama that was the network's first 1 hour episode series, a precursor to the likes of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. This is my review of season 1.

Oz is praised for a great many reasons. For a TV show, especially one that first aired in 1997, it highly realistic in its depiction of prison life. I’ve seen loads of crime films and prison movies, and even still, more than 20 years later, the first season of Oz really leaves an impact with just how profane it is. The language, the violence depicted, the disregard for the value of human life by inmates and guards alike. I can only imagine how shocking it must have been back in the 90s, and the boundaries it pushed allowed other shows to pioneer and perfect the craft.

Some of the main characters are Tobias Beecher, Vern Schillinger, and Kareem Said.

[Duster76]

I didn't have HBO when the series started, but I was a subscriber to the service for about a 12 year period beginning in 2000. Yes Oz seemed realistic but as unpleasant a viewing experience as I have ever witnessed. Why people watched this series I'll never know, what I saw of it I could only describe as gross, vulgar, nauseating.