Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but definitely for those who appreciate cutting-edge drama that jolts, provokes, and challenges preconceptions. The setting is a prison ward, where hardened criminals exist in... more » a heightened state of rage, revenge, and terror. What members of the various factions, divided mostly by race, do to one another and themselves forms the basis for each episode of this controversial HBO original. Potent language and no-punches-pulled violence. 8 hours on 3 DVDs. Simon Says: Though definitely modern and American, Maupin also shares something with Old World giants such as Dostoyevsky and Dickens: legions of devotees who map and tour the real-life locales of his books. And all of the above authors had their work serialized in newspapers, Maupin's in the San Francisco Chronicle. Now, which way to 28 Barbary Lane?« less
I am posting this review 6 years after the last swap review b/c this awesome show deserves an update. Each episode is very thought provoking. Scenes are realistic but not gory. I just ordered the DVD series and will post on swap when thru. Already addicted, I say this is a binge-worthy show which is still relevant today. Uptight religious folks won't appreciate some content but the narrated portions are quite compelling. The straight forward dialogue of God as a gangster (or gangsta) was intriguing! Then there is the inmate who had murdered his parents and ate mom (dad was being saved for Thanksgiving) and who then decided to go to Catholic church services in prison as he gets to "consume" Jesus. The show includes glimpses of flashbacks to the incidents which landed them in prison. Disc one offered more characters like this than the entire series of Orange is the New Black. I appreciate the fast pace to the action and the cycling of inmates thru the penal system. It was unnerving to watch the jovial insurance guts seen on tv today as nasty and devious criminals. So, hats off to Dean Winters and JK Simmons.
Jr N. from TAMARAC, FL Reviewed on 8/18/2015...
oh yeah .. watch this first season of Oz and you'll convince yourself that prison is the last place on earth that you'll ever want to go .. dark and mean!
Jessica S. (Jessie2369) from BEAVER FALLS, PA Reviewed on 2/21/2014...
Very additive show. I really love it!
1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Mary Kate G. (Marika997) from GRIFFIN, GA Reviewed on 2/4/2009...
I LOVE this series! It is so great. I own every season and I watch them over and over again. Some of the situations are a little hard to watch but it is well worth it. There is also several love stories within the series and they will suck you in. You can't go wrong with this series! It's very addicting!
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Robey S. (Robey) Reviewed on 7/20/2008...
I wasn't sure about this series when I first started watching. There are a lot of different cast members that are introduced and although there was story line going on in the mists of the introductions, it started off a little slow for me. We are in the 3rd season now and it's really moving along, I love it, I want to watch it every free moment I have. And although, these aspects don't bother me, it is a series that tells about the life of convicts in prison so there is a lot of swearing, nudity, full frontal male nudity, and man on man sex/rape, drugs etc. HBO series.