Oz

Dates : 1997 - 2003
56 episodes of 55 min
First broadcasting : 09 Décembre 1998
Creator(s) : Tom Fontana
Producer(s) : Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana
Music :

Where to watch?

Source

Synopsis

Oswald (nicknamed OZ) is a high security prison at level 4. The main unit of this penitentiary is called Emerald City and it is mainly in this place that the action takes place. This was founded by the visionary Tim Mac Manus, one of the (many) central characters in the series, in order to encourage the reintegration of prisoners, whether violent criminal or simple delinquents.

"Em City" grants great freedom of movement to detainees but also entrusts them with responsibilities. So all the profiles rub shoulders and take part in the various tasks of the prison (kitchen, cleaning, mail distribution, etc.).

And prisoners showing encouraging signs of development benefit from special follow -up from the prison team. But experience is very complicated because acts of violence between different clans and drug trafficking are generalized.

Worse, unpredictable alliances are created between detainees, see between prisoners and penitentiaries and make Mac Manus and his team all the more difficult.

Oz is an American television series created by Tom Fontana, which was broadcast on the HBO channel from 1997 to 2003. The series takes place in the fictitious prison of Oswald State Correctional Facility (hence the title Oz), an establishment of high security located in New York. The series features the different personalities and stories of prison prisoners and staff, with an emphasis on violence, interracial relations and drug and human rights problems in American prisons.

Oz was greeted by criticism for its dramatic quality and its realistic and daring approach to difficult subjects. The series has won several prizes, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Writers Guild of America Award. She also launched the careers of many actors, notably Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters and J.K. Simmons.

Despite his success, Oz was criticized for his violence and his explicit sexuality, which made it a controversial series. The series was also accused of racial stereotyping and not to represent the Latin American characters sufficiently.

In summary, Oz is an American television series acclaimed by criticism for its dramatic quality and its daring approach to difficult subjects, but which was also criticized for its violence and its explicit sexuality, as well as for its lack of representation of Latin- Americans.