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Oz was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by HBO . The show, which aired for six seasons ( 1997 - 2003 ), was created by Tom Fontana and produced by Barry Levinson .
Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison of unknown location. Many of the plot arcs are set in Emerald City ("Em City"), an experimental unit of the prison, where the unit manager tries to emphasize rehabilitation and learning responsibility during incarceration. Emerald City is a controlled environment . There are a limited number of members of each racial and social group. The microcosm of Emerald City is a metaphor for the racial and economic struggles in the present-day United States. [ citation needed ]
Oz avoids any easy answers as to the origin of violence and criminality . Even the worst offenders are shown to have moments of humanity, while the supposedly "normal" characters (i.e., the guards) come to commit their own atrocities. One of the perspectives shown by Oz is that the rehabilitation of the prisoners is impossible when the system is largely corrupt . The show also focused largely on the abuse of the prisoners' rights and on the large increase of the incarcerated population on the U.S of the late 1990s . Whenever possible, the show presented a major negative perspective over the death penalty .
The large ensemble cast included many famous actors including Rita Moreno , Ernie Hudson and Betty Buckley , as well as Law & Order stars Kathryn Erbe , Christopher Meloni , B. D. Wong , J. K. Simmons , Dean Winters and Kirk Acevedo . Many of the actors from Oz have appeared as guest stars or stars in the various Law & Order series, The Wire , and Homicide: Life on the Street .
Oz is narrated by Augustus Hill , a wheelchair -bound prisoner played by Harold Perrineau Jr. , in surreal segments that usually relate to an overall theme of the episode. Hill, a former drug dealer and ex-junkie, appeared as a recurring character in the show's storylines until the end of the 5th season, when he was killed and narrating duties were taken up by various deceased characters as well as Hill. The narrations by Hill are thus a form of breaking the fourth wall , although he did not address the camera during scenes where he was interacting with the other characters in the story.
Oz Links
Oz - Season 2:
1. Episode 1, Part 1 , Part 2
2. Episode 2, part 1 , Part 2
3. Episode 3, Part 1 , Part 2
4. Episode 4, Part 1 , Part 2
5. Episode 5, Part 1 , Part 2
6. Episode 6, Part 1 , part 2
7. Episode 7
8. Episode 8
Oz - Season 3:
1. Episode 1
2. Episode 2 part 1 , part 2
3. Episode 3
4. Episode 4
5. Episode 5
6. Episode 6
7. Episode 7
8. E pisode 8