Oz

This is such a powerful show, superbly acted, that frankly I feel it's the best TV drama ever made. I know plenty of Hill Street Blues/NYPD Blue/Prime Suspect (etc) fans would enthusiastically argue this point, but I feel Oz is so well acted, so well realised and so darn entertaining that it's no contest. The characters are very watchable, the stories are gripping, and so much happens in each episode that the viewer has a lot of food for thought once the show is over. I'm currently at the 4th season being in UK, so I don't know the latest developments, but I got a lot of story to look forward to...

The fact it's also very satirical, particularly from Augustus Hill's commentary adds beautifully to the mix.

Nothing short of outstanding.

Oz is one of HBO's best ever series. It is gritty and violent, yet ceaselessly compelling and riveting.

The production values are consistently of very high quality, with skillful photography and an authentic setting. The writing is superb, in fact Oz is one of my favourite ever shows when it comes to written quality and the story lines are outstanding.

Oz benefits further from efficient direction, strongly drawn characters and the acting particularly Ernie Hudson and Harold Perrineau I don't know where to begin praising.

All in all, a brilliant series. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It's strange how Oz somewhat got overlooked by shows like The Wire, Deadwood and Sopranos. I guess it comes to the very dark, adult material. Cause this takes no prisoners (no pun intended) describing what goes on in the experimental prison of Oz. The start of it relates around Tobias Beacher (Lee Tergesen) a white collar ending up in max after a fatal DUI. Naive as he is, he becomes the victim of ubernazi Schillinger (JK Simmons in his breaktrough role). The rest of it is a really well made prison drama. Even Netflix own Orange is The New Black have several times mentioned Oz between inmates. It's NOT for everyone. It's extremely graphic in parts, some terrible rape scenes and the "usual" sex scenes (seeing it again, it seems HBO has censored scenes). But beneath it all, there's an excellent written show, with really good actors. My only big complaint is season 4, which is twice as long as the rest, at 16 episodes. You feel the season drags out with fluffy sidestories. Overall, one of HBOs best, and the start of the great JK Simmons.

Consistently well-written and acted, Oz is without a doubt the best thing on TV. Quality wise, it's up there with the first 4 seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street as the most compelling hour of television drama. Presenting a harsh and realistic view of prison life, Oz is a wonderful mixture of superb acting and character development; all of which rides on a nuanced and erudite core (Foucault's Panopticon is the inspiration for Em City's design...and ultimate failure). It is the only show on TV, that I can think of, that has presented characters who were intensely dislikable one moment and oddly empathetic the next. That I am repulsed by, sympathetic with, intrigued about, and involved with every character that has lived, died or survived on the show, is no small feat. Good TV exists. And, for my money, Oz is not only good TV, it is better than most films released throughout the year.

Oz is one of the best and most underrated shows of all-time!. It's one of the rare shows where just about every episode is great! HBO is known for having all these great shows over the years and Oz is right at the top of those great shows. It's about the inmates and guards at certain wing in a prison. It's easily the best pest prison series of all-time. You really get attached to the character and care what happens next. That's because the writing and acting is so great. I've watched it all the way through a few times now and probably will again in the best future. I wish they would try to bring this series and back or reboot it but with the same creator and writers.