I just finished oz on HBO

Submitted by TrichomeFarmers t3_z2vo8l in television

One of the saddest shows ever created. Had to be. I was tearing up a lot throughout the show and even cried a little when (SPOILERS AHEAD) Cyril gets executed. Probably one of the most realistic execution scenes for me. It wasn't like some huge jolt but more of a steady current you could barely hear. But for him having brain damage and having the mind of a child, along with his brothers reaction, I couldn't help but feel absolutely devastated. Crazy how much emotion is felt through this show. Highly recommend this to any breaking bad, law and order, Dexter, sopranos, or SOA fans. It's a downward spiral that leads into more downward spirals and just when you think maybe something good might happen, your reassured that good doesn't exist in such a tale.

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tinoynk t1_ixiewxn wrote

Awesome show, but the first few seasons are really lightyears better than the rest. There's still good stuff throughout and the finale is great, but there's soooo many really dumb storylines.

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highdefrex t1_ixjxofu wrote

I'd argue that you could put a pin in the show's timeline as to when it goes from absolutely great to trending down to good/average/weird, and that's about the episode when >!Adebisi dies!<.

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tinoynk t1_ixk1538 wrote

1000% agree, the few times I’ve rewatched it I just stop there.

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BrotherKanker t1_ixlp0db wrote

Yeah, season 4 really goes downhill with a bunch of stupid storylines. >!Rebadow going from harmless old man to crazed bloodthirsty murderer and back to harmless old man within a handful of episodes!<, >!Clayton Hughes' descent into whiny madness!<, >!Nikolai getting drowned by Officer Howell with zero consequences!<, >!Beecher's "whoops, it was all a dream" fake out release!< and of course the infamous >!aging pill storyline!<. All in season four.

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AnotherInnocentFool t1_ixjv0ui wrote

I think the last two were the ones I really sat back from and was like wtf is this

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inmynothing t1_ixl35on wrote

Agreed, I made it to S4 both times I tried watching and never finished.

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Cribbit t1_ixkqool wrote

What season should I stop at?

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tinoynk t1_ixks2pz wrote

The finale of Season 4 has an event that massively affects the show, and things seem to change from there. It's not an immediate plummet in quality, but it does definitely start to shift there.

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Fat-Villante t1_ixj0doo wrote

Dean Winters' performance as Ryan O'Reilly deserves some more love

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Corvax1266 t1_ixighjj wrote

Oz's value is that it opened the door for the potential of premium television shows. You don't get The Sopranos or The Wire etc... without Oz

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jblanch3 t1_ixjzo8j wrote

That's a perfect way to describe it. So much great TV has been made in the past twentyish years, especially on HBO. I don't think Oz quite makes that list, but as you said, it opened the door and there should always be a place in the books for Oz because of that. Prior to Oz, HBO had some half hour comedies that were decent but not great (with the exception of Larry Sanders, which was incredible). Oz broke the mold for an hour long drama that was relatively successful, and again as you said, that paved the way for stronger shows like Sopranos and The Wire.

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ForgetfulFrolicker t1_ixof8h1 wrote

Pretty sure Edie Falco left Oz to play Carmela Soprano. Of course Gandolfini gets most of the praise for Sopranos, but Edie Falco nailed her role. She probably doesn’t get enough credit.

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PropJoe421 t1_ixioo1k wrote

It's not the best of the early HBO shows, but it's my favorite, just batshit craziness in every episode. Looking back, I'd argue it has the best cast out of any of the early HBO, Perrineau, Simmons, Meloni, Winters in the main cast with so many minor/guest characters rotating in and...out: Guzman, Falco, Margolis, Carnavale, Cathey, Reddick, Perry BD Wong, Rita fucking Moreno.

So many actors who are probably best known for cop roles also got to play criminals too, anytime someone brings up L&O:SVU, I always ask if they have seen Stabler in Oz.

Best prisoners

  1. Adebisi
  2. Ryan O'Reilly
  3. Keller
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jl_theprofessor t1_ixk6mn1 wrote

Didn't they do a plot line where they originally hinted someone resurrected from the dead or something? The preacher guy.

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TriscuitCracker t1_ixjdscn wrote

Wonderful show.

I knew J.K. Simmons as Schillinger way before any of this other roles and he'll always be that one-eyed Nazi fuck to me.

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jl_theprofessor t1_ixk6p2c wrote

When I saw him in Spiderman I had a hard time unseeing scenes from Oz.

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Scottywin t1_ixk75jz wrote

Watching him in Whiplash(in my top 3 movies of all time btw) actually gave me Oz flashbacks.

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_halftongue t1_ixig3oh wrote

i absolutely love all those shows you mentioned but i’ve never seen oz. adding it to the list.

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jonatton______yeah t1_ixikl3f wrote

It's not an easy watch as a heads up. But the writing and character arcs are right up there with the best.

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Gekthegecko t1_ixk25nt wrote

It doesn't hold up well imo. I would agree that it was revolutionary and instrumental in getting The Sopranos (which I'd say is the most influential show of the past 25 years) off the ground, so it deserves credit for that. There's a lot to like about Oz, but ultimately, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone in 2022. It's way too long of a show and there's a lot of dull moments.

If there was some kind of abridged version that was around half the total length of the series (so ~25 hours), that would probably be great and worth watching.

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Radun t1_ixm2vnq wrote

Dull moments? Really? Wonder what you were watching

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Gekthegecko t1_ixmg94d wrote

Seasons 4-6

Watch the entire series again, right now, and tell me there aren't dull moments. In 2022, I would make the episodes 30-50 minutes rather than 60 minutes, and probably cut out at least half the storylines. Basically everything from Adabisi's death isn't worth watching.

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Thetimmybaby t1_ixignd4 wrote

OZ is not for everyone, that being said, I loved it. Great use of different actors throughout. Luke Perry being one that stood out to me.

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Alleycat0 t1_ixigedr wrote

Oz is amazing somewhere on top with Sopranos and The Wire imho.

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Corvax1266 t1_ixihmjd wrote

it is nowhere close to either, it is pretty mid overall, it's role in opening the door for others is its true value

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Slashs_Hat t1_ixlf8qk wrote

I found OZ to be WAY over the top, too much so. I think it gets the love it does primarily because it was the OG of graphic everything

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DiabeticGrungePunk t1_ixka92q wrote

One of my favorites, no show ever made my jaw drop at the crazy shit I was seeing like Oz did. And the performances! Every main cast member is a powerhouse performance especially JK Simmons, Lee Tergesen, and Dean Winters. And Kirk Acevedo. Fuck, all of them man. Was so happy to see JK become so successful but he'll always be Schillinger to me. What a cast.

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NorthEastNobility t1_ixitdim wrote

This was the first “renaissance of TV” show I watched (thinking about the late ‘90s/early ‘00s period when TV started becoming as high quality as movies), and it blew me away. I still reference it as one of the best shows I’ve seen. Glad you had a chance to check it out! It definitely showed what TV is capable of becoming at the dawn of the current TV show age.

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theicon77 t1_ixji66x wrote

I always get a kick out of seeing Ryan O’Reilly as mayhem in the Allstate commercial.

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Vorlx t1_ixiev2v wrote

Oz is one of my favorite shows. Have you seen The Wire? It is really good too.

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TrichomeFarmers OP t1_ixifztd wrote

The wire is a classic. I might rewatch that soon, it's been forever since I could find a good tv show and I basically binged oz in 5 days so now I'm kinda lost lol

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Vorlx t1_ixih8x7 wrote

The Wire is a great rewatch. It is just so well done.

Mad Men is good, have you ever watched that?

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BigBadZord t1_ixjc72x wrote

Snowfall on Hulu might be a good next one.

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Vorlx t1_ixkqxnp wrote

What is that about?

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BigBadZord t1_ixkrlwz wrote

Young dude starts selling coke in LA, starts moving heavy weight for the CIA who is funding the Contras and becomes somewhat of a kingpin. Eventually it deals with the crack epidemic.

Not on the same level as "The Wire", but if you are into that sort plotline, it is pretty good.

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Gurablashta t1_ixj53su wrote

It turns into a soap opera after a while but Season 1 is amazing, and up until Adebisi's reign it stands out as some of the best tv ever

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NamisteHome t1_ixjcjmn wrote

I'm glad you enjoyed this show! I've rewatched it three times; the last two times, I stopped right when >!Kareem Said gets killed!< because the show objectively went downhill and started to suck petrified old dried dogshit from that point on.

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chumchees t1_ixjt834 wrote

It spins its wheels in later seasons. And no idea why the warden was killed, like they just needed a major event for the series finale.

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empiresk t1_ixj4pj5 wrote

It's fantastic. I haven't rewatched it in ten years but still remember it clearly. Whist the first few season are much better, the latter seasons hit harder with some really powerful scenes.

Whilst I didn't like the final episode, it's still a vastly under-rated show.

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rubmypineapple t1_ixj3kba wrote

It’s also the first hour long HBO show that paved the way for everything else. The sopranos blew it away once it got going.

I really didn’t like how the guard was about to join the NBA got his tendon cut just because one of the prisoners was a bit pissy.

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tehgangsta t1_ixjatec wrote

I remember being a kid and Oz playing on cable and I was terrified by it, that dark soundtrack and the visuals really scared at the time

A few years later I discovered it was Oz and I've seen it around 6 times already

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