Oz 

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

Top Rated TV #60 | Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 14 wins & 51 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
Luna Lauren Velez	...	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 48 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
Christopher Meloni	...	Chris Keller 38 episodes, 1998-2003
Robert Clohessy	...	Officer Sean Murphy 38 episodes, 1999-2003
R.E. Rodgers	...	James Robson 36 episodes, 1998-2003
Kristin Rohde	...	Officer Claire Howell 35 episodes, 1999-2003
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
Timothy L. Brown	...	Officer Jason Armstrong 32 episodes, 1997-2003
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Governor James Devlin 27 episodes, 1997-2003
Steven Wishnoff	...	Tony Masters 27 episodes, 1999-2003
David Zayas	...	Enrique Morales 26 episodes, 2000-2003
Sean Dugan	...	Timmy Kirk 26 episodes, 1998-2003
Anthony Chisholm	...	Burr Redding 23 episodes, 2001-2003
Edie Falco	...	Officer Diane Whittlesey 23 episodes, 1997-2000
J.D. Williams	...	Kenny Wangler / ... 23 episodes, 1997-2000

Storyline

OZ chronicles the attempts of McManus (Terry Kinney) to keep control over the inmates of Em(erald) City as well as the drug trade and the violence. There have been many groups of inmates during the run of the show and not everybody makes it out alive. There's the gangstas (Adebisi, Wangler, Redding, Poet, Keene, Supreme Allah), Muslims (Said, Arif, Hamid Khan), Italians (Pancamo, Nappa, Schiebetta), bikers (Hoyt), Aryans (Schillinger, Robson, Mark Mack), Christians (Cloutier, Cudney), Latinos (Alvarez, Morales, Guerra, Hernandez), gays (Hanlon, Cramer) and a whole pile of others (the O'Riley brothers, Keller, Stanislovsky, etc.). And there's a great "everyman" character called Beecher who gives a good look at a normal man who made one tragic mistake. Besides the regular inmates, there's guest stars such as Method Man, Luke Perry, Master P, Treach, etc. and a bunch of prison staff doctors (Dr. Nathan), a nun/psychologist (Sister Peter Marie), a bunch of guards some honest, some crooked...

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Plot Keywords:

male rape | prison | italian | gay | aryan brotherhood | 

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Taglines:

Life's not a word. It's a sentence.

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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:

Oz

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rysher Entertainment, The Levinson / Fontana Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Oz was created to depict what prison life was actually life for prisoners, many fans and the few cast members who had done real time in prison stated it was nothing like the series. In contrast, quite the opposite as mostly all U.S. Prisons keep inmates segregated and locked in their cells for most of the time. In the sense that this was a series; having characters and an intricate storyline, it was obvious the show be given more "fluff" to appeal to its viewers.

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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]
Ryan O'Reily: Fucking Cyril!

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Great TV Shows That Never Won an Emmy (2018)

User Reviews

Gripping TV at its very best!!!!

"Oz" is one of the best shows out there right now,and its stands up to the countless boring reruns and cheesy newsmagazine shows that's killing prime time. Its a perfect summer retreat from the norm. In Emerald City,you'll never know what these prisoners may do next or the warden for that matter. Especially the most ruthless prisoners out there,the dreated and unpredictable Nazi Schillinger,and the extreme not to be trusted sly as a fox;the African imate Adebisi,and the security guards too are always up to some evil scheme or another. Its one of the most gripping hours worth of TV that you'll see anywhere,and with each new episode its just gets better than the next,and there's always something going on each week that's not be missed by a long shot. Always Something.