Oz

The Pain, Pride, and Punishment of Prison

^{Review by Matt Owen}

Oz first debuted on HBO in 1997, and as a drama aimed directly at adults, succeeded in showcasing the brutality of a world behind bars. Created by Tom Fontana, this tense drama is set in the fictional Oswald State Correctional Facility in New York. Within this maximum security male prison lies a special cell block nicknamed “Emerald City”, where murderers, drug dealers, and petty criminals are free to mix and mingle instead of being locked up all day. Developed as an experimental unit with the intent to rehabilitate its inmates, Emerald City is host to numerous problems and is on the brink of failure, despite the merit of its foundation. Through the trials of Emerald City's inhabitants, Oz highlights all aspects of long-term imprisonment, and as such, is a bleak but impacting viewing experience.

Diversity is a benchmark of Emerald City, housing all manner of lawbreakers, each with their own burden to bear. Our proverbial stay in this experimental cell block is overseen by Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau), a wheelchair-bound drug addict who humbly serves as our narrative guide. From episode to episode, Augustus provides the viewer with all the dirty details on any given prisoner, while also offering words of wisdom along the way. However, Emerald City is officially run by prison staffer Tim McManus (Terry Kinney), who fights every day to keep his project afloat. Unfortunately, stress often comes from Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson), who does his best to run the prison despite the constant issues. At Oswald State, drugs, violence, corruption, and conspiracy are just a few of the ever-present problems that are waiting to erupt into greater pandemonium.

Early seasons establish the major players in Emerald City, such as the goodfella Nino Schibetta (Tony Musante), who holds power over the rest of the prisoners by controlling the contraband trade. Unpredictable inmates like the deranged Simon Adebisi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) or the literal cannibal Donald Groves (Sean Whitesell) lurk in every corner, and the guards are as friendly as you'd expect. A newly arrived prisoner, Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), experiences the torment of Emerald City firsthand when he winds up with a particularly vile and disgusting cellmate, Vern Schillinger (J.K. Simmons). Things in the cellblock become even more unstable when the self-proclaimed political prisoner, Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), starts amassing followers with his messiah-like attitude. From the start, Oz feels like a show that's always leading up to an unforeseen disaster, where every stewing problem is a powder keg waiting to explode. However, the focus is not on the chaos itself, but rather the cause of it, exposing deep-seeded issues that humanity has been facing for centuries.

For that reason, Oz isn't just a story about the inmates inside a prison, but also the people who keep the lights on. In addition to Warden Glynn and Tim McManus, we also spend significant time with other members of staff, including the altruistic counsellor, Sister Peter Marie (Rita Moreno), the resident priest, Father Ray Mukada (BD Wong), and Doctor Gloria Nathan (Luna Lauren Velez). Their jobs are made infinitely more difficult by the conservative Governor James Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), whose constant budget cuts and new laws worsen the conditions in Oswald Penitentiary. These effects are felt twice as hard by the guards, including Officer Diane Whittlesey (Edie Falco), who has the distinct pleasure of being the only female guard in an all-male prison. Unfortunately, in Emerald City, the guards are often more corrupt than the criminals. With its never-ending list of characters from season to season, Oz is a true ensemble show, where subplots often converge due to their shared location, all feeding into the grander story of Emerald City.

As an ensemble drama, Oz lives and dies by the strength of its cast, and luckily, this one is stacked to the top. In addition to notable names like Ernie Hudson, Oz stars some amazingly talented actors, often right before their careers truly took off. For example, both BD Wong and Christopher Meloni are mainstays in the series, and would later go on to star in the hit crime procedural, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Harold Perrineau would eventually gain further acclaim in shows like LOST, as well as blockbuster movies like The Matrix: Revolutions. J.K. Simmons plays his role to perfection, years before he popped up in big flicks like Spider-Man, while Edie Falco puts in a stellar performance, and would later earn starring roles in shows like The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie. High-quality acting permeates nearly every scene in Oz, thanks to one of the most impressive casts of its time.

When all elements work in tandem, Oz is a brutally hard look at life in prison, but one that's elevated by a smartly written script and nuanced acting. The show isn't afraid to get controversial, but it's never in it for shock value. Instead, explorations of these hot-button issues encourage deeper examination, with slicing social commentary baked into every plot line. Overall, Oz is hard to watch at times, but it's consistently thought-provoking, dramatic, and tense. Despite its embellishments, the show paints an unforgiving picture of prison life that most television shows would be terrified to tackle. However, it feels more honest and true-to-life than most prison shows, thanks to its focus on characters over cheap thrills.