X
  • 1997
  • TV-14
  • HBO
  • 1997
  • TV-14
  • HBO

Summary Oz is the name on the street for the Oswald State Penitentiary. Our wheelchair-bound narrator Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) takes us through the wacky world of Emerald City, the experimental unit started by Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). There's shankin' and lovin' and cussin' and fightin' but in the end, HBO makes a damn fine prison...

Created By: Tom Fontana

  • 1997
  • TV-14
  • HBO
  • 1997
  • TV-14
  • HBO

Oz

6 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere: Jul 12, 1997
Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews
73
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 386 User Ratings
7.6
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Oz is the name on the street for the Oswald State Penitentiary. Our wheelchair-bound narrator Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) takes us through the wacky world of Emerald City, the experimental unit started by Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). There's shankin' and lovin' and cussin' and fightin' but in the end, HBO makes a damn fine prison...

Created By: Tom Fontana

Where to Watch

All Seasons

6 Seasons

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews
73
68% Positive
13 Reviews
26% Mixed
5 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews
73
68% Positive
13 Reviews
26% Mixed
5 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jun 12, 2013
If you're looking for light summer entertainment, search elsewhere. But you won't find anything more invigoratingly original on TV.
By Bruce Fretts FULL REVIEW
100
May 15, 2013
For the most part, Oz is an awesome achievement - an alternately crude and elegant attempt to expand the boundaries of the one-hour drama. If it can avoid an over reliance on prison movie clichs, stay focused on the redemption theme and give its powerhouse cast more room to breathe, it could be one of the most important works ever aired on American television. [12 July 1997, p.29]
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
83
Jun 26, 2013
You won't escape easily from this drama's grip.
By Terry Kelleher FULL REVIEW
80
May 15, 2013
Oz can also be unpleasant to watch, it is so gruesome and claustrophobic. Yet over the first few weeks, as the series moves beyond its introductory shock value, it becomes more serious, disturbing and gripping.
By Caryn James FULL REVIEW
63
May 15, 2013
If Fontana's goal is stark realism, it's undercut by the overly theatrical device of a funky narrator, an inmate who uses a wheelchair (Harold Perrineau) and who barks his thoughts into the camera. A sample commentary: "People kill to stay alive. That's as true in prison as out. But I'm wondering why in here we fight so hard to stay alive." [11 July 1997, p.3D]
By Matt Roush FULL REVIEW
50
May 15, 2013
A bleak, agonizingly downbeat and occasionally over-stylized vision of prison existence. It's about as pretty as a decaying corpse, and there is no one to root for. [11 July 1997]
By Ray Richmond FULL REVIEW
30
May 15, 2013
A pretentious exercise in cheap thrills, by great talents who've been allowed to run amok. [11 July 1997, p.D1]
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 386 User Ratings
7.6
77% Positive
296 Ratings
8% Mixed
30 Ratings
16% Negative
60 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 386 User Ratings
7.6
77% Positive
296 Ratings
8% Mixed
30 Ratings
16% Negative
60 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company:
  • Rysher Entertainment
  • The Levinson / Fontana Company
Initial Release Date: Jul 12, 1997
Number of seasons: 6 Seasons
Rating: TV-14
Genres:
All Details

Awards

Online Film & Television Association
• 2 Wins & 23 Nominations
ALMA Awards
• 4 Wins & 16 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 7 Nominations

Related Shows

Related News

What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Hulu, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Disney's streaming service, updated frequently.

  • tv show
April TV Preview (2024)

April TV Preview (2024)

Jason Dietz

The month ahead will bring a series adaptation of the videogame Fallout plus Netflix newcomer Ripley, Park Chan-wook's miniseries The Sympathizer, a sequel to Emmy winner The Jinx, Idris Elba's weirdest project to date, and more.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Find a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added to Paramount+ and Paramount+ With Showtime, plus a list of titles coming soon to the streaming services.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Amazon's Prime Video, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Max Right Now

What to Watch on Max Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Max--plus all of the titles leaving the streaming service this month--updated frequently.

  • tv show