Oz: The Complete First Season

If you want to know what turned television into a genre that rivals the best of anything in film you have to start with the masterpiece HBO series "OZ." Without "OZ" there would be no "The Wire," no "Deadwood," no "Breaking Bad," no "Downton Abbey," no extended dramas you could watch for 60 hours without being able to shut them off. This was the beginning of "binge watching" and I am sure that anybody who is into high end television could name 10 more series' that make up their own favorites that completely changed for them what television is all about. Before "OZ" I think most people would agree that "Lonesome Dove" was the greatest 6 hours in the history of TV. Then HBO came at you with the baseball bat called "OZ." I have no idea how they got it even on cable. Back when I was in my youth it would have been X-Rated. Even from the standpoint of a jaded viewer like myself the violence and horror can be shocking. But "OZ" paved the way for all those great shows in which people speak to each other as they really speak and in which events unfold in ways that are not hemmed in by convention. This is the masterpiece that started it all. Even if there was nothing other than cartoons available on Amazon Prime I would consider that I got my money's worth as a result of being able to revisit the horrific brilliance of "OZ." As I suggested above this is an adults only show and I can imagine it making quite a few adults I know very squeamish as well. Be forewarned: This great series pulls absolutely no punches and is at least as hard hitting as anything that has followed in its wake. If you want to see where the renaissance of TV began this is it. Very highest recommendation and major thanks to Amazon for making it available with all of its original content on Amazon Prime streaming video. This should be the first thing on your watch list in my humble opinion.

After seeing some raw violence and sex scenes in movies and cutting edge shows, this series is not as shocking as it once was. What is truly shocking is the twisted motives of some characters. Some characters like Arayan leader Schillenger are motivated by power. He needs his slaves to prove his authoritarian position. Many of the prisoners plot to control the drug trade, gain power, or just survive the onslaught of predators. The narrator scenes take us outside the drama and reminds us that this is just a show. However man's worst desires are shown and we know that such people exist. We get to know the characters and care what happens to them. This is not just about life and death, but about redemption and morality. A few struggle to keep their morals yet must break them in order to survive. If we know that they are doing acts that are repulsive to them, can we judge them and say that you can never harm others in order to save yourself. The show is compelling and worth a look.

The first season of Oz is little diffrent from the 5 seasons that follow it. For one thing the pace is a little bit slower than the others. Also it has a lot of memorable characters that are exclusive to the first season. Overall is is a great season. It sets up the series nicely and has alot of interesting plots going on. When its over it will leave you wanting more. What makes this show so interesting is how real it is, sure some stuff is exagerated like the number of rapes and death, but it gives everyone a glimpse into the American prison system. With a price tag of 15 dollars you cant go wrong here espicially if your a fan of the series. This season is a must for everyone.

Great old TV show

I actually own the entire series on DVD but downloaded the first season to my tablet just to kill some time one day while on the road. This is the story surrounding the Oswald (OZ) Correctional Facility. An experiment in design. The several story lines that are intertwined are gritty and not for kids. There is violence and rape and of course colorful language. You will recognize several of the actors like JK Simmons and Dean Winters. Check out series one and you will be hooked.

I’m still watching the series and I’m obsessed with it

Good acting, and a compelling storyline make this show worth watching. It's a bit repetitive with the prison drama, but I guess there's only so much you can do with a prison story before it all seems like you've seen it before. They do a good job of introducing new characters. That helps to extend the story line while maintaining the story arc.

This is a pretty solid show, better than I expected. I thought this show would probably be all about cruelty-porn: showing people in a brutal situation for the purposes of shock and titillation. I also thought it might be dedicated to the nice-white-guy trope, since the man who runs the unit the show focuses on, McManus, is an idealistic white man. But this idea is nicely complicated by the characters of Warden Glynn and Kareem Said, both intelligent and powerful black men who have their own (very different) ideas about how things should be run, and by the fact that McManus so often fails at his goals because admitting the power of larger systemic ills to himself is so difficult. The show is surprisingly political, genuinely addressing some of the most intractable problems with the way prisons and the legal system operate in the US. Sometimes it can get a bit strident, and in 2015, the narration gimmick has pretty much been murdered by Zach Braff, so the narrations that outline the theme of each episode can get tiresome. But the show is full of excellent actors, many of whom are still very relevant today. And for its time, it's a rare opportunity to see so many outstanding actors of color all at once in a drama. It's kept me watching, and I'm a tough sell.

Voilà une série carcérale qui nous met franchement KO ! On se plonge dans le décor d'OZ, et au début on s'imagine que c'est juste une autre série avec ses clichés, les guerres entre les gangs, les sadistes ... mais que finalement, le gentil, il va l'emporter. On s'attache alors à l'un ou l'autre des héros, pensant le suivre longtemps .... ERREUR !!!! N'oubliez pas, ceci est une série HBO ! Si dans les séries TV "habituelles" les héros s'en sortent, ce n'est pas le cas ici. Si vous aimez que dans une série le "gentil" soit sauvé des mains du sadique, que les efforts et sacrifices soient récompensés, que l'innocent ne meure pas ... et bien, passez votre chemin. A Oz,on oublie les Happy Ends ! Ici, c'est la "vraie vie", avec ses injustices ... et bien, injustes. Bref, cette série est géniale. Mais violente, tout de même, ce serait peut-être bien de le signaler.

リージョンコード１なのでこのDVDをみるためだけにオールリージョン対応のDVD再生機に買い換えました（￥３９８００！！）でも、はっきりいってその価値ありです。刑務所OZの一角、新しいスタイルの監獄エメラルド・シティで繰り広げられるドラッグ、セックス、人種、宗教などのなかのあらゆるタブーをハードかつ哲学的に映像化、いまのアメリカが抱える問題をとりあげているにもかかわらず、きれい事なし、弱肉強食！はっきりいってはまりまくりです。アメリカ国内でも(特にRAP)ARTISTの支持が高く、それに賛同した大物BLACK ARTST多数参加のサントラ（CD)もかなりかっこいいです！！

it took a while until I got it but I did get it, it must of been lost in the mail or stolen or something but I when I called Amazon up they replaces it and it arrived a few days later. my only complaint really is the case, 1. it was damaged a bit in shipping but that's ok these things do happen and the damage is minimal, 2. the case is not the same as all my other seasons of OZ, its almost the same so its not to bad...if you never watched OZ and you are thinking about buying this it is an awesome show you will be addicted. I don't think there has ever been a show like this before and if there was it wasn't done right, OZ is a beast of a show and no one is safe from it lol

I first started watching Oz 2 months ago and have since seen all 6 seasons, and have to say, in my opinion it is one of the best shows ever made. The cast is exceptional, the writing is always engaging and fast paced, the storylines keep you fascinated and each new interwoven plot twist serves to further each character's development beautifully. The series focuses on the day to day lives of the prisoners incarcerated in The Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility, and primarily those in the unit of the prison, Emerald City, set up by the idealistic Tim McManus. Each episode is around 50 minutes, featuring random interludes by the omniscient narrator and prisoner Augustus Hill, and, although other reviewers have stated they feel these interludes detract from the story, I find the reverse- that they add to the storylines, and his intelligent observations and facts make you think about what you're watching e.g. "So, what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom? What makes us so different? We're the only species who put our own kind in cages." But it's the characters that really make the show exceptional, and it's a real testament to the quality of the actors that they can play men who have done such horrible things, and yet humanise them to the point where you are often sympathising with them, rationalising their actions, and hoping that each one will ultimately be saved. The main protagonists are- Miguel Alvarez (brilliantly played by Kirk Acevedo), the young Latino in for assault, whose father and grandfather are both in Oz too, demonstrating the failure of the prison system. He becomes a father which changes him for the better, but when his son dies he battles to keep his sanity living in Oz. Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), the charismatic Muslim leader in Oz, who fights against the injustices in the prison system, especially in regards to minorities. His character provides a great platform for questioning the fairness of America's legal system. Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), the ex-lawyer who is incarcerated for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The show starts on his first day in prison, therefore his character acts as the audiences' gateway into prison life. Another notable character is Vernon Schillinger (superbly played J.K. Simmons), the Neo-Nazi head of the Aryans inside Oz, and arguably one of the greatest television villains of all time. Moreover, a hoard of other talented actors makes up the rest of the multi-faceted characters within Oz. Quite simply, if you want a show that is full of action, suspense, brilliantly acted, and with a superb script which will make you question how you view the penal system and its socio-economic implications, then Oz is the show for you.

Muy buena serie