TV series

Oz

Name: Oz
Released: 1997
Cast: Lee Tergesen, Harold Perrineau, Dean Winters, Eamonn Walker, Ernie Hudson

1997–2003· 6 seasons· 60 min episodesTV-MA★ 8.0Ended

On HBO — From The Levinson/Fontana Company · Rysher Entertainment

Life's not a word. It's a sentence.

Create a free account to save & share

Create a free account to see where Oz is streaming, with prices and your services first.

Where to watch

Not available to stream in US

🔔 Notify me about new seasons

Synopsis

The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where ingroups - Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorize their mutual enemies.

Themes

prison experiment dystopia revenge betrayal racism drugs inmate catholicism aryan prison life abuse of power

Episodes

Create a free account to track the episodes you’ve watched.

E1 The RoutineNext upJul 12, 1997 · 56 min · ★ 8.0
Synopsis
In the "Emerald City" experimental unit of Oswald State Penitentiary, we meet some of the diverse inmates who live within a pecking order of Homeboys, Latinos, Muslims, Irish, Aryans, and Wiseguys. No clear-cut leader emerges—with the possible exception of Kareem Saïd, a Muslim author who preaches non-violence and abstinence. Saïd's arrival doesn't prevent a short-fused Mafia inmate named Dino Ortolani from ticking off just about everybody—a habit that ends up burning him.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), J.K. Simmons (Vernon Schillinger), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), Ra Hanna (Nacim Bismilla), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta), Sean Whitesell (Donald Groves), Jon Seda (Dino Ortolani)
E2 Visits, Conjugal and OtherwiseJul 14, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 7.5
Synopsis
With Schibetta and the prison brass in a race to uncover Ortolani's killer (for very different reasons), we see how inmates react to visits from both their wives and, in one case, family members who are also in prison.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), J.K. Simmons (Vernon Schillinger), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), BD Wong (Father Ray Mukada), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta), Sean Whitesell (Donald Groves), Steve Ryan (Officer Mike Healy)
E3 God's Chillin'Jul 21, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 7.2
Synopsis
As friction grows in the wake of increasing deaths, Schibetta, Saïd, and Keane are brought together by Glynn, who tells them to keep their respective groups quiet or else he'll lock the prison down. The tension increases following a visit from Governor Devlin, who was responsible for the ban on smoking and conjugal visits.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), J.K. Simmons (Vernon Schillinger), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), BD Wong (Father Ray Mukada), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta), Sean Whitesell (Donald Groves)
E4 Capital PJul 28, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 7.5
Synopsis
Governor Devlin has reinstated capital punishment in the state, and the first Oz prisoner scheduled to die is Keane.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), J.K. Simmons (Vernon Schillinger), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), BD Wong (Father Ray Mukada), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta), Sean Whitesell (Donald Groves)
E5 Straight LifeAug 4, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 7.6
Synopsis
The infiltration of drugs into Oz has reached unprecedented levels, and the undercover efforts of McManus and Glynn to find out who's smuggling them in backfires in a deadly way. Despite a lockdown in Emerald City, the drugs continue to trickle in—and the blame shifts from prisoners to corrupt officials.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), J.K. Simmons (Vernon Schillinger), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), Ra Hanna (Nacim Bismilla), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta), Sean Whitesell (Donald Groves)
E6 To Your HealthAug 11, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 8.2
Synopsis
Three generations of Alvarezes—all prisoners at Oz—are united when the partiarch, Ricardo, is found face down in his cell, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, Beecher, who as Schillinger's "prag" has been forced to wear women's clothes, flips out after taking PCP.
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Sister Peter Marie Reimondo), Kirk Acevedo (Miguel Alvarez), Craig muMs Grant (Poet), BD Wong (Father Ray Mukada), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), Ra Hanna (Nacim Bismilla), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Tony Musante (Nino Schibetta)
E7 Plan BAug 18, 1997 · 56 min · ★ 7.7
Synopsis
A recovered Saïd ostracizes Mershah for turning his back on him when he was dying—and orders the rest of the Muslims to do the same. Impressed by Saïd's power, Groves makes a deadly decision in his honor. Meanwhile, Beecher, transformed by prison life, finally gets revenge on Schillinger.
Guest stars: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Wood Harris (Officer Gordon Wood), Zuill Bailey (Eugene Dobbins), Murphy Guyer (Officer Eddie Hunt), Željko Ivanek (Governor James Devlin), George Morfogen (Bob Rebadow), Skipp Sudduth (Lenny Burrano)
E8 A Game of CheckersAug 25, 1997 · 57 min · ★ 7.9
Synopsis
Beecher is released from the hole and Schillinger is left eyeless and weak. A riot breaks out after two white punks get into a fight over checkers. Frustration, sexuality, hate, revenge, racism all rear their ugly heads, causing the violence to escalate.
Guest stars: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Simon Adebisi), J.D. Williams (Kenny Wangler), Matt Ross (Officer Anthony Nowakowski), Zuill Bailey (Eugene Dobbins), Murphy Guyer (Officer Eddie Hunt), Terry Serpico (Rebadow's Client), Željko Ivanek (Governor James Devlin), George Morfogen (Bob Rebadow)