HBO’s first television series Oz is a series I’d heard good things about and had always wanted to see. If you haven’t seen Oz it is a must see series. Oz (Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary) is the landmark series about prison life in its experimental wing Emerald City, showcasing violence, sex, social status, race and power struggles prisoners face every day. Within the brutality there are moments of social commentary, humor, redemption and glimpses of true humanity in the series.

Oz may be a an experimental part of the prison but confrontations and danger continue even in an ideal situation. Augustus Hill, former convicted murderer, drug dealer and former crack addict, narrates to the camera the daily life of the prisoners in Oz. Augustus is an omniscient narrator, the conscience of the prison. We watch the actions of the prisoners and staff at the prison, sometimes finding it difficult to know who is good or bad at any given moment. Gangs seem to rule the day, separating prisoners between Muslim, Latino, Italian, Irish, Christian, Gay, Aryan, Homeboy and Biker inmates.

Nothing is candy coated in this series for the audience. This is not a series for the timid, with violent scenes, nudity, rape and racial tensions. Oz touches on every possible human topic within prison life. The cast is uniformly excellent and the writing top notch. There is some creative license taken here and there relating to what could possibly happen in prison, but overall the series covers the reality of prison life like no other series has done before.

Standout performances include J.K. Simmons as Vern Schillinger, the leader of the Aryans; Lee Tergesen as Tobias Beecher; Eamonn Walker as Kareem Said, the leader of the Muslims; Dean Winters and Scott Winters (real-life brothers) as Ryan and Cyril O’Reilly; Christopher Meloni as Chris Keller; and Harold Perrineau as Augustus Hill, the narrator of the series.

The cast also includes excellent performances by Terry Kinney as Tim McManus; George Morfogen as Bob Rebadow; Rita Moreno as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo; B. D. Wong as Father Ray Mukada; Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Simon Adebisi; Lauren Vélez as Gloria Nathan; Kirk Acevedo as Miguel Alverez; David Zayas as Enrique Morales; and Michael Wright as Omar White.

The well-written characters, obstacles within the scripts and superb acting keep this HBO series utterly compelling to watch. This is a brilliant television series, its not an easy watch but absolutely worth watching. This is one of the best television series I’ve seen, and I’ve seen many series. Rent Oz now if you haven’t seen it and be prepared to be mesmerized.

1997-2003. Creator and writer Tom Fontana. Starring J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Eamonn Walker, Dean Winters, Scott Winters, Christopher Meloni, Harold Perrineau, Terry Kinney, George Morfogen, Rita Moreno, B. D. Wong, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Lauren Vélez, Kirk Acevedo, David Zayas, Michael Wright, Robert Clohessy, Ernie Hudson, Chuck Zito, Kristin Rohde, Sean Dugan, Edie Falco, Betty Buckley and Patti LuPone.

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