Oz (1997–2003)

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

Creator:

Tom Fontana

Stars:

Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen

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

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ernie Hudson	...	Warden Leo Glynn (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
J.K. Simmons	...	Vern Schillinger (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Lee Tergesen	...	Tobias Beecher (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Dean Winters	...	Ryan O'Reily (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
George Morfogen	...	Bob Rebadow (56 episodes, 1997-2003)
Terry Kinney	...	Tim McManus (55 episodes, 1997-2003)
Rita Moreno	...	Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (55 episodes, 1997-2003)
Harold Perrineau	...	Augustus Hill (55 episodes, 1997-2003)
Eamonn Walker	...	Kareem Said (51 episodes, 1997-2003)
Craig muMs Grant	...	Poet (49 episodes, 1997-2003)
Lauren Vélez	...	Dr. Gloria Nathan (48 episodes, 1997-2003)
Granville Adams	...	Zahir Arif (48 episodes, 1997-2003)
Tom Mardirosian	...	Agamemnon Busmalis (47 episodes, 1998-2003)
Kirk Acevedo	...	Miguel Alvarez (46 episodes, 1997-2003)
BD Wong	...	Father Ray Mukada (46 episodes, 1997-2003)
Chuck Zito	...	Chucky Pancamo (46 episodes, 1998-2003)
Philip Scozzarella	...	Officer Joseph Mineo (46 episodes, 1997-2003)
Scott William Winters	...	Cyril O'Reily (45 episodes, 1998-2003)
Otto Sanchez	...	Chico Guerra (40 episodes, 1998-2003)
Robert Clohessy	...	Officer Sean Murphy (38 episodes, 1999-2003)
Christopher Meloni	...	Chris Keller (37 episodes, 1998-2003)
R.E. Rodgers	...	James Robson (36 episodes, 1998-2003)
Kristin Rohde	...	Officer Claire Howell (35 episodes, 1999-2003)
Carl DiMaggio	...	Officer Len Lopresti (33 episodes, 1999-2003)
Evan Seinfeld	...	Jaz Hoyt (33 episodes, 1998-2003)
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Simon Adebisi (32 episodes, 1997-2000)
Timothy L. Brown	...	Officer Jason Armstrong (32 episodes, 1997-2003)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Governor James Devlin (27 episodes, 1997-2003)
David Zayas	...	Enrique Morales (26 episodes, 2000-2003)
Sean Dugan	...	Timmy Kirk (26 episodes, 1998-2003)
Anthony Chisholm	...	Burr Redding (23 episodes, 2001-2003)
J.D. Williams	...	Kenny Wangler (23 episodes, 1997-2000)

Storyline

Oz chronicles life inside an experimental cell block in the Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility: Level Four called Emerald City. Under unit manager Tim McManus and Warden Leo Glynn, the inmates in Em City all struggle to fulfill their own needs. Some fight for power; either power over the drug trade or power over the other inmate factions. Others want money, either through slinging 'tits' (drugs), gambling or other scams. Others, Corrections officers and inmates alike, simply want to survive long enough to make parole or even to see tomorrow. The show gives a no-holds-barred account of prison life with all the plots, subplots and conflicts given context and explaination by the show's wheelchair-bound narrator, Augustus Hill.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | aryan | prison life | gambling | parole | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kylmä rinki

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levinson / Fontana Company, The, Rysher Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Sound Mix:

Stereo (1997-1998) Dolby (1999-)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two inmates who were brothers, Ryan and Cyril O'Reilly, were played by real-life brothers Dean Winters and Scott William Winters, respectively. Their other brother Bradford Winters was one of the writers for the show as well.

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Goofs

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...

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #26.140 (2010)

User Reviews

Towers over every show on television

With the exception of "The X-Files", "OZ" is by far the best show on TV. It is unrelenting in it's realism and the acting is phenomenal. It's too bad that HBO's other series "The Soprano's" gets all the awards that this show deserves. I have never missed an episode of this show, I always make time to watch it. I cannot say enough good things about this show, it always suprises me, I look forward to watching this show. When this show goes off the air it will stand tall among the best television series ever.