ABOVE AVERAGE
Today, Oz is considered a seminal event in the history of American television. HBO’s first hour-long drama series, the first of many future classics to come. But there were also those who were offended. In an online interview in 2015, creator Tom Fontana recalled how a TV Guide critic wrote that Oz is an ”offense against God”. Fontana called the editor and asked how a critic for TV Guide could possibly know what’s on God’s mind. He received an apology from the editor, who clearly thought the critic was exaggerating.
An editor should always have his critic’s back… but Fontana was irritated because Oz took particular interest in faith and how it played a role in prison, as a source of conflict and comfort.
Carefully controlled factions
The show took place at the fictitious Oswald State Correctional Facility in New York, a maximum-security prison that was nicknamed ”Oz”. There were more references to The Wizard of Oz, since most of the action took place among the general population of Emerald City, a wing of the prison where the often warring factions were carefully controlled by warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson) and the increasingly jaded unit manager Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). There was always a great danger of Black Muslims and Homeboys clashing with the Aryans, but the Latinos and Italians were also eager to stir up trouble.
Life in Oz was brutal, with rape and home-made shanks frequently used as weapons, but there were also Catholic resources at hand, including Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (Rita Moreno) and Father Ray Mukada (B.D. Wong), whose faith was shaken on more than one occasion.
Different from typical broadcast fare
Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau), a paralyzed inmate, served as not only a character in Oz but also a narrator for us, breaking the fourth wall from his wheelchair, informing us about the background of various prisoners and how many years they were doing. His commentary on the destiny of these men and what they were going through added an intellectual touch, a dark sense of humor, a political message on the cruel nature of the American penal system, and also helped us understand how the stories from inside Oz were relevant to us on the outside. Audiences quickly noted how the show differed from the typical broadcast fare; there seemed to be no limits to the violence, profanity and sex on Oz. It wasn’t easy viewing; many of the ”worst” ideas that Fontana came up with originated from the research and interviews that he made with inmates and guards at actual prisons.
Oz lost some of its touch in the last season where a spectacular death happened in almost every episode, capping it all with a rushed, unsatisfying finale. There were better, creative ideas in the last two seasons, such as a musical episode in season 5 where the prisoners prepared for a variety show. And the relationship between two brothers (played by real-life siblings Dean and Scott William Winters) turned increasingly moving as the latter, suffering from a diminished mental capacity, neared his execution date. The cast was brilliant throughout, with a fierce Moreno, a very amusing and intimidating J.K. Simmons as leader of the Aryans, and Christopher Meloni and Lee Tergesen in a very complex gay relationship.
You could argue that the show was ahead of its time, a little too rough for the Academy’s taste.
In spite of its status and acclaim, Oz never won any Emmys. You could argue that the show was ahead of its time, a little too rough for the Academy’s taste. But to audiences, it opened the door to a greater truth than was normally seen on TV.
Oz 1997-2003:U.S. 56 episodes. Color. Created by Tom Fontana. Cast: Ernie Hudson (Leo Glynn), Terry Kinney (Tim McManus), Harold Perrineau (Augustus Hill), Eamonn Walker, Kirk Acevedo, Rita Moreno, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, George Morfogen, B.D. Wong, Lauren Vélez, Granville Adams, Tom Mardirosian, Zeljko Ivanek, muMs da Schemer, Christopher Meloni (98-03), Scott William Winters (98-03), Chuck Zito (98-03), David Zayas (00-03), Michael Wright (00-03), Edie Falco (97-99), Luke Perry (00-02), Joel Grey (03), Bobby Cannavale (03).
Last word: “I was having a hard time. Terry Kinney, who played McManus, gave me some great advice. He said, ‘When they say you’re done, don’t leave the set. Go to room and relax and have a glass of wine. Do whatever you gotta do. Leave it there. Because if you walk out of the building with what you’re doing with that day, it can be a big challenge.’ He gave me that advice the second year. The first year, I was on my own.” (Dean Winters, The Toast)
