"Oz" (1997) TV series 1997-2003

Creator:

Tom Fontana

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

12 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Violence | Aryan | Christian | Gay

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 11 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

Ernie Hudson	...	Warden Leo Glynn (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Harold Perrineau	...	Augustus Hill (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Lee Tergesen	...	Tobias Beecher (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
J.K. Simmons	...	Vern Schillinger (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Dean Winters	...	Ryan O'Reily (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Terry Kinney	...	Tim McManus (55 episodes, 1997-2003)
Rita Moreno	...	Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (52 episodes, 1997-2003)
George Morfogen	...	Bob Rebadow (51 episodes, 1997-2003)
Eamonn Walker	...	Kareem Said (50 episodes, 1997-2003)
B.D. Wong	...	Father Ray Mukada (47 episodes, 1997-2003)
Kirk Acevedo	...	Miguel Alvarez (46 episodes, 1997-2003)
Philip Scozzarella	...	Officer Joseph Mineo / ... (46 episodes, 1997-2003)
Scott William Winters	...	Cyril O'Reily (45 episodes, 1998-2003)
Lauren Vélez	...	Dr. Gloria Nathan (42 episodes, 1997-2003)
Chuck Zito	...	Chucky Pancamo (41 episodes, 1998-2003)
Otto Sanchez	...	Chico Guerra (40 episodes, 1998-2003)
Tom Mardirosian	...	Agamemnon Busmalis (39 episodes, 1998-2003)
Christopher Meloni	...	Chris Keller (38 episodes, 1998-2003)
Granville Adams	...	Zahir Arif (37 episodes, 1997-2003)
Craig muMs Grant	...	Poet (37 episodes, 1997-2003)
Carl DiMaggio	...	Officer Len Lopresti / ... (34 episodes, 1999-2003)
Evan Seinfeld	...	Jaz Hoyt (33 episodes, 1998-2003)
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Simon Adebisi (32 episodes, 1997-2000)
Robert Clohessy	...	Officer Sean Murphy (32 episodes, 1999-2003)
Timothy L. Brown	...	Officer Jason Armstrong (32 episodes, 1997-2003)
Kristin Rohde	...	Officer Claire Howell (30 episodes, 1999-2003)
R.E. Rodgers	...	James Robson (29 episodes, 1998-2002)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Governor James Devlin / ... (27 episodes, 1997-2003)
David Zayas	...	Enrique Morales (27 episodes, 2000-2003)
Steven Wishnoff	...	Tony Masters (27 episodes, 1999-2003)
Sean Dugan	...	Timmy Kirk (26 episodes, 1998-2003)
Edie Falco	...	Officer Diane Whittlesey (23 episodes, 1997-2000)
J.D. Williams	...	Kenny Wangler (23 episodes, 1997-2000)

Runtime:

100 min (series finale) | 60 min (53 episodes) | 63 min (season 4 finale) | 68 min (season 2 finale)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (1997-1998) | Dolby (1999-)

Certification:

Australia:MA | Israel:18 | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (video rating) | USA:TV-MA

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Levinson / Fontana Company, The

Trivia:

The full name of the prison known as "Oz" was Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary. The name was later changed to Oswald State Correctional Facility, Level 4

Goofs:

Continuity: When Doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Velez) talks to Ryan O'Reilly (Dean Winters) about his cancerous tumour in his chest, she says that the lump is "under the left nipple". However, he was clearly bleeding from the right nipple and ever clutching the right one while in the infirmary...

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Agamemnon "The Mole" Busmalis: This is the best Miss Sally ever.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Grounded for Life: Lily B. Goode (#1.1)" (2001)

Truly tremendous - my favourite drama

This is such a powerful show, superbly acted, that frankly I feel it's the best TV drama ever made. I know plenty of Hill Street Blues/NYPD Blue/Prime Suspect (etc) fans would enthusiastically argue this point, but I feel Oz is so well acted, so well realised and so darn entertaining that it's no contest. The characters are very watchable, the stories are gripping, and so much happens in each episode that the viewer has a lot of food for thought once the show is over. I'm currently at the 4th season being in UK, so I don't know the latest developments, but I got a lot of story to look forward to...

The fact it's also very satirical, particularly from Augustus Hill's commentary adds beautifully to the mix.

Nothing short of outstanding.