Rating: 
Summary: Oz is not for the weak
Review: Wow! This is one of the best series I've ever seen. Like all HBO series, Oz is controversial and stirs up a lot of emotions. I'm a big fan of Sex in the City, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Oz. Oz is a series about men stuck in the prison system. This series tells it all. From crooked cops to homosexuality. It shows you the inside of a prison system with people who are only trying to survive. From the victim Tobias Beecher, to the Aryan leader Vern Schillinger. Gang fights between the Muslims and the Aryans. Problems between the Latino's and the Italians. This series is hard hitting and at times emotional. You can't help but feel the pain of the inmates. You see the hardships between prisoners and their family members. I've been a fan of this show for years now because with each new season it becomes more and more shocking. Your at the edge of your seat when it comes to Oz.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Show, A Must-See DVD.
Review: This is, by far, the most ambitious project that HBO has ever done. I've seen every episode of other HBO hit shows like Sex and the City and The Sopranos, but Oz is definitely in a class by itself. The viewer will be riveted from the very beginning of the first episode to the unforgettable season finale. The great ensamble cast does an excellent job of portraying exactly what prison life is like. They show that life inside Oswald State Prison (Oz) is like living at the mouth of a live volcano. You never know when the volcano is going to erupt, and it erupts quite often. While all the actors seem to share equal screen time, the character that stands out the most is Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), a lawyer serving time for killing a girl while driving drunk. He comes to Oz lacking street smarts, but he gradually learns the ropes as the season progresses. By the final episode, he's just as vicious as all the other prisoners. Another intriguing character is Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), who is a passive-aggressive black Muslim militant who acts as the main shot caller. All the basic troubles of prison life are addressed in these eight episodes. Drugs, sex, boredom, routine, heirarchy, racism, violence, and capital punishment are all factored into the show at some point. Though I've never been to prison, I did spend some time in county jail, so I can attest to the accuracy of this show in terms of portraying what prison might really be like. I don't know what hell is like, but it can't be that much worse than Oz. I very highly recommend this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: OZ the soap opera
Review: Coming from a person who has worked in a state prison for 15 years, stuff that goes on in OZ is absolutly ridiculous. But having said that I am hooked on the series. I enjoy the mix of strange and interesting characters, and the stories are creative enough. Again I like the series, but the writers and directors should hire someone for realistic content, oh buy the way I could be available. LOL
Rating:
Summary: OZ ROCKS!
Review: Finally HBO gets with the program and releases one of their best shows to DVD. Oz is full of interesting characters and plot twists, plus great actors who give their all and then some. Lee Tergesen (Tobias Beecher) especially does a terrific job as the naive new inmate to Emerald City, the experimental unit in the Oswald State Penetentiary. This hard-hitting, pulls no punches highly addictive prison drama is well worth owning. Hopefully, the next few seasons will be released as quickly as possible following this first season. Many more interesting characters and plot lines await! One of the best shows ever, let alone one of the best prison shows.
Rating:
Summary: Like it or not, it sucks you in
Review: I have come to find that there are very few good dramas that center around prison life. Even then, the handful of films that I think are well done, like "Papillon" or "Sleepers", aren't really about prisons (they're about penal colonies and juvenile delinquency centers, respectively). Most films just follow the same formula: not-so-street-savvy person goes in, is told to beat up the first person he can, befriends some guy, gets sodomized in the shower, et cetera.
This HBO series, however, is surprisingly good. At times it gets a little too ambitious and tends to lose focus in trying to delve into each of the diverse characters, but by the last three episodes or so the action really gathers momentum. In fact, the plot is perhaps one of the most interesting I've yet seen; the problem is in the delivery. Tacky lines (for instance, "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment", from Reilly) muddle the action, and the Aryan Nations inmates feel a little too much like "American History X" clones. The worst part of the show, however, is the wheelchair-bound guide, whose incessant gesticulations and headset and dialogue are enough to make you want to stop watching.
All in all, though, its solid. The cast is pretty convincing, the violence is intense, and the climax is unbelievable. My verdict: good to rent, but not the best buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Oz-- The Complete First Season
Review: There's a bunch of deleted scenes with an optional audio track by Tom Fontana explaining why the scenes didn't make the final cut or just commenting on the scene, the actors in it and whatnot. You'll see some familiar faces currently starring in other successful HBO shows too! Obsessive long-time viewers will notice that some of the deleted material found its way to later seasons and characters. ["Hack in Black" for one.] The first 2 episodes have an audio track by Tom Fontana and Lee Tergesen. It's obvious they are good friends off set with the little interplay between them. I just wished Tergesen had added more. Fontana contributes a lot of interesting information about his writing process and how he approaches the show. The episodes look great and the sound is wonderful. A must for fans to be sure. Non fans might want to give it a try to as this is probably the tightest and best written of all the seasons to date. I'd forgotten what great characters made up this first season -- wiseguys, cannibals, ex-pro ball players, gangtas and more.
Rating:
Summary: OZ is an entertaining drama.
Review: If you're looking for a documentary on prison life, then go find a documentary on prison life. This is a drama: it's FICTION. Don't judge it based on how realistic it is compared to prison life in Oregon--or anywhere!
The characters are generally well-drawn. The acting is top-notch and consistent with the characters. The stories are interesting and interestingly presented, and their outcomes are not usually predictable. There are enough interwoven stories to prevent getting bored with any particular one. The production elements--hair, lighting, makeup, set design--all contribute to a consistent mood and theme and so do not distract from the stories.
I think that this series, especially season 1, is engaging entertainment for those reasons (even though my favorite character doesn't enter until season 2). The violence and language are a little unnerving at first, but they are not gratuitous nor are they anything that you won't see or hear on the streets of a major American city. And it's easier to get comfortable with such elements when they are appropriate to the action and help to move the story along. They are not there just for shock.
My criticism would be the lack of "extras" that you often find on DVDs, but I bought this package for the stories, not for any expected auxiliary entertainment.
Everyone has warned you about how gritty this series is, so you know all about that. If you want to watch a show with good acting and good stories, then buy these DVDs.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Writing and Acting
Review: After seeing parts of episodes while channel surfing, I thought I'd buy this and give it a go. WHAT A MISTAKE
After watching the first three episodes I am ready to bail.
The prison staff actions and dialog are the problem...WEAK
Ernie Hudson keeps babbling "If we don't stop this...stop that.... there's going to be a riot"
The Candyarse 'Emerald City' councelor, Rita Moreno,
this show comes off more like "21 Jumpstreet" goes to prison Cussing and nudity may have made this show controversial in it's time but after watching one episode of 'The Shield' the writing is so obviously inferior and the dialog sounds downright silly.
Rating:
Summary: A bit hard to see what the fuss is about
Review: As a gritty realistic drama about what prison life is like, this macho melodrama makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. However, an average episode has better acting among all players than just about any Hollywood film. I watch it basically as a very dark comedy. One way you might interpret it is this: the people involved in the 'rehabilitation' of the prisoners are like the managers who run a company, and the prisoners are like the employees.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This series isn't for everyone.The series does portrays the stark realities of prison life and is well written. 2nd season is a must to see.
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