By the end only 5 of the many prisoners that appeared in the pilot are alive and even Warden Glynn has died. Anyone Can Die: this show routinely killed off well-established characters.Played for Laughs when Mayor Wilson Loewen is killed there follows a montage of various characters saying in a deadpan voice, "Oh well.".Mostly because everyone else is terrified because Tarrant went on a shooting spree inside the prison. The killing of Kenny "Bricks" Wangler, Junior Pierce, Lou Rath, and CO Joseph Howard by timid French inmate Guillaume Tarrant.Mainly this is because more so than anyone else in Em city, Hill had become the most philosophical and accepting of the bad things that he had done. Burr Redding is overcome with grief, and most of the prisoners are shocked. When feared Nigerian gangster Simon Adebisi is killed, the initial reaction is a shocked gasp of disbelief from both inmates and guards, as Adebisi seemed so Bad Ass he couldn't be killed by anyone.And There Was Much Rejoicing: Any act of violence witnessed by the inmates is greeted by cheers and jeers, depending on their sympathy (or lack of) for the one being attacked.An Arm and a Leg: Shupe has his arm cut off by the Latinos at O'Reily's orders.Vern ends up getting suspicious and has Hank murder Beecher's son, and Beecher has Hank murdered. For example, Beecher's attempt to reunite Vern with his son, Hank. All of the Other Reindeer: There's a lot of bullying in this show, and many attempts to graciously help those bullies however, these attempts tend to backfire.Hanlon: I only suck the cocks I wanna suck. All Gays Are Promiscuous: Defied in Richie Hanlon's case, though some of the other inmates do treat him like he's one.Affably Evil: Enrique Morales, leader of El Norte prison gang, especially the scene when he forces The Old Convict Rebadow to murder his predecessor, El Cid.Acid Attack: Alonzo de Torquemada, a prominent LGBT nightclub owner, is convicted of 1st degree assault and sent to Oswald Prison for throwing a flask of acid into the face of somebody he had an undisclosed personal beef with.AB Negative: When a prison guard is stabbed in the eyes and needs a blood transfusion, the only donor immediately available is inmate Ryan O'Reily, who makes it a condition of his helping that Cyril be moved into Em City with him.Not to be confused with a certain other Oz.
The series received a sequel short film, Zo, in 2021, in which Tergesen and Winters reprised their roles. The show also examined the issue of prisoner's rights and the effectiveness of the American prison system, which the show depicts as inherently corrupt. Every character on the show is morally ambiguous, with the "good" characters of the show sometimes committing despicable deeds while the "monsters" sometimes act humanely. When first released, the powerful first 15 minutes (featuring Beecher's entry into prison) forever branded Oz as "the show with prison-rape." However, the show is more complex, attempting to tackle questions of the nature and origin of violence and criminality, but continually refusing to provide any easy answers. The series was revolutionary in being uncensored, featuring only 8 episodes per season, and featuring Loads and Loads of Characters that can become central to the story immediately, fade away, be killed, or be transferred unexpectedly. The show was HBO's first dramatic series, and was considered a forerunner of "Peak TV" series like The Sopranos and The Wire.
Wheelchair bound prisoner-for-life Augustus Hill ( Harold Perrineau) serves as narrator, intermixing the events of each episode with a more general theme. Simmons), Iago-figure Ryan O'Reily ( Dean Winters), senior citizen Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen), veteran criminal Simon Adebisi ( Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and many, many more. Characters range from former lawyer Tobias Beecher ( Lee Tergesen), Aryan leader Vern Schillinger ( J. The prison's out-of-control violence, general anomie, and domination by gangs creates an environment that forces prisoners to make difficult decisions just to survive, much less avoid sexual slavery, drug addiction, or solitary confinement. Inmates are divided between the main prison (Genpop) and "Em City", a unit with more perks for the prisoners at the price of more surveillance. Oz is a six season long (1997-2003), one hour drama created by Tom Fontana that follows the daily lives of the inmates and staff of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, nicknamed Oz.