Cult favorite while I was at college. Prison-chic TV isn't for me but I'll give it three stars for keeping me motivated to study and stay out of a place like that.

I didn't watch it when it was on tv (no HBO) but God I wish it was still on. I loved every episode once I saw it on DVD. If I had known about it while it was on TV I would have gotten HBO.

At it's peak, brilliant, gripping, brutal, insighful. Last seasons: not fit for compost.

Incredible show. Although extremely graphic and sometimes hard to watch, the plots and characters are strong and the acting solid. The only reason this did not get a 5 from me is that the last season was un-watchable. Hands down the worst series finale of all time. Still 4 seasons of solid entertainment before it crumbled, one of my favorites.

Dark, dark drama about life in prison. If you want to scare kids straight, make them watch Oz, if that does not turn there life around nothing will.

This was an entertaing & original show, but near the end it wasn't that good.

Really, really good for the first three seasons. Really, really corny for the last three. In the beginning it was a realistic, thought-provoking, heart-tugging look at prison life. By the end, it had devolved into a non-directional murder fest. It was like the writers said, Okay, we've run out of ideas, let's just start killing people. At its peak it was one of the best shows on TV. I am a huge fan and I have every episode on tape. But if you've never seen the show and want to watch it for the first time, watch an episode from Seasons 1 or 2.

One of my all-time favorite shows. Do inmates really run around naked like they did on this show? Great cast, especially Chris Meloni, Dean Winters, Lee Tergeson, and JK Simmons as the intolerant Schillinger. Adebisi's little hat was such a staple of the show that it was practically a supporting character.

i started watching this late in the series. but i was hooked from then on and had to do some catching up. i still havent seen the first season. its episodes were intense and i would look forward to next one. it was at times to graphic for me but it could scare some kids heading down the wrong path straight. if oz doesnt scare them then nothing will. i know it would scare me.

Very well done and thought out. Makes you look deeply into how society treats the forgoten ones.

One of the best shows EVER!

OZ is one of the best dramas ever presented on television. Some scenes, like some real experience in life, are hard to watch, but there is no violence for violence sake. The script is wonderful and the acting superb. OZ will outlive virtually all other series produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

One of the finest programs on HBO. Well written and equally well-acted.

More HBO BS. Another black-good , White-evil show , where most blacks are good ,moral , highly intelligent beings ,misunderstood (By evil , racist ,White Society )victims , and totally justified in attacking/assaulting/killing Whitey ,who is almost always racist , psychotic , twisted , sleazy , and stupid.You know - propaganda.

It was way too hard for me to watch! But my husband loved it! What does that tell you?? Ha ha

an amazing show, which, because i'm poor, is only in it's second season for me as i await the dvd release! screw you HBO!

Another HBO Shamefest, this TV-MA drama lacked any redeeming qualities.

I wish this show wouldn't have ended. I loved it so much. The drama was unbelievable, and breathtaking at times.

Oz is a very compelling prison drama that is incredibly underrated. Despite its frequent graphic violence and sex scenes, the characters and the situations that they are involved in are quite compelling. Oz has a to-notch cast and brilliant writing, which is a must for any TV drama to be successful. The characters are well-developed and you sometimes find yourself rooting for one of them when they get into a challenging situation. There are many reasons to like this show, but for me, I guess I enjoy watching it because it is quite compelling to actually see what goes on inside a prison. Oz successfully provides a compelling look at prison life, and the frequent dangers that inmates must face. After six years, the show has come to an end, and it was truly an explosive and shocking ending to a good show. There are some elements of the show that I find annoying, such as the frequent (and in many cases, unnecessary) sex scenes. Overall, though, Oz is a very gripping and compelling drama and a realistic look at life in prison.

A well acted show, extremely well acted actually, but the subject matter was one that I could only take so much of. It also seemed to get darker and darker as the show went on.

Well written, superbly acted. Raw, gritty, and brutally honest. One of the best dramas on TV.

very realistic! i could not handle it late at night.

Despite the butt-rapes and gay blow jobs, it was a good show.

Wow. This is one of those shows that you can't get out of your head, the kind that sticks with you even when you're taking a stroll through the grocery store. I've only had the pleasure of seeing two episodes of "Oz" but those two episodes made me look at prisons and prisoners in an entirely different light. "Oz" is an extremely powerful show, set in a prison where every day is a struggle to survive. I think one thing that makes this show so unique is the fact that it's basically confined to the prison. The viewer begins to feel the same claustrophobia and sense of unease that the characters feel. I was especially impressed by Kirk Acevedo's portrayal of Miguel Alvarez -- a very interesting but complex and difficult character to become.

nasty but funny and interesting

THIS SHOW WAS DEEP, I COULD HARDLY WAIT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE. WE NEED MORE STUFF LIKE THIS ON TV SO PEOPLE WILL THINK TWICE ABOUT COMMITING A CRIME.

Loud,gritty,brutal,mad,bad,gripping,funny...and thats just the opening credits. US tv that rises above the dross and floats unaided into a sea where few programmes my even hope to find themselves

Very strange.

OZ...1 of tv's most underrated shows!!! Whose to blame!?!? HBO & the so-called "fans"!!!

I was intrigued by this show at first, but after just a few viewings its repetitive formula and ridiculous plot lines killed it for me. For a show that packages itself as a kind of hyper-real, socially relevent statement of sorts, it is almost laughably unbelieveable. The inmates simply have too much access to drugs, weapons, and unsupervised areas in this supposedly high security prison. Similarly, is there a penal colony anywhere in the world where so many people are murdered so often? Couple that with the pretentious "issue" spots through out the program and you have a really silly hour of television. It does get some points for the Toby/Kellor relationship that managed to feel somewhat real and compelling in a sea of nonsense. And then there's all that beefcake. I watched OZ for a few weeks on the level of soft-core porn, but even that got tired after a while. Silly, silly show.

watch this show. it is very, good. i watch it with my father all the time.

This show makes prison look like a 5 star hotel and they do a great job at it.

Oz is probably the worst HBO program...it's just soooooo unlikeable and uses so much graphic material, that it becomes unwatchable and you feel uncomfortable while watching it. The characters have no personality and the plotlines for the episodes are totally mushy.

one of the best shows on tv. the acting is amazing, lee tergesen and chris meloni being my favorites. i dunno if it shows how prisons really are but i dont care. tom fontana is a genius.

Makes you wonder if it's really like that in jail.

The BEST show on TV. Great stories and cast. This is probably its' last season cause they lost their lease and the set is too large to move. Too bad.

Oz is my favorite show of all time. My dad introduced me to it, and I was hooked from day one. It was from this show that I found out what I want to do in life, I want to be just like Sister Peter. I want to use my Psychology backgound to help those in Prison. Well, anyway about the show, I love Beecher, and O'Reilly, they are two very creative guys who just want to have fun. Another fun charecter is Said, I just love the fact that he went after Shilinger because he deserved it. I also like Poet and his little rhymes. The only thing that makes me mad about the show is that the season doesn't last all year! Two thumbs up for HBO's OZ!

This show is absolutely great! It totally captures the idea of how brutal and depressing prison-life is. I would like to see something positive come out of this show however. It seems like everytime something good happens it is almost immediately destroyed by something bad. I know a show about a ficticious prison is not suppose to have fairytale endings, but give us at least one or two happy endings somewhere.

Um, OK. All I have to say is, "Chris Meloni, YUM!"

This is one show you can't miss! Oz is thrilling and in a way kind of disgusting, but they don't hide what "doing time" is really all about.

I love OZ. I watch it everytime it is on. It is a very tasteful show.

EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN. UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS. GUT-WRENCHING VIOLENCE. EVIL, TWISTY PLOTS. DUPLICITY. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

COOL SHOW. LOTS OF ACTION AND KEEPS YOU ON YOUR FEET.

The real life thought(knowing it's only drama). Just the thought that this really happens in prison. Makes you think, are jails really this clean and does the staff really walk around that freely?

This show is really entertaining, but makes me never want to go to jail. Every episode is jampacked with some gruesome situation. Someone always gets stabbed in the eye, makes a deal with the enemy, or starts a riot. This show is entertaining because it's very unpredictable.

The gritty feel of this drama brought to viewers by the producers of the critically acclaimed show Homicide continues to address the dark realities of prison life. Homosexuality, drug abuse, power struggles are not candy coated in any way.

I think that Oz is gound breaking. It gives you a raw yet realistic look at the prison system. Being able to watch it on HBO allows TV to be more real in allowing entertainment and reality to mix and still have a great show.

Great show, not for those with weak stomachs...If someone was contemplating committing a crime, they should take a look at Emerald City, then see if the crime is worth the time.

good acting, to much violence

This HBO show is addictive. It features fine acting and compelling story lines. While I am sure it does not accurately portray prison life, it is a very intense hour long drama that is very well written. Anyone who watches this show will tell you the same thing... " I love Adabese and his crooked little hat." This is a great show but children should not watch it.