History Series / Oz

* EvenEvilHasStandards: A major theme of the show. Special mention must go to Malcolm Coyle. He boasts that he slaughtered a family for fun, prompting Hill to turn him in. Kareem Said [[EnemyMine enlists the help of the Latinos, Italians, and Aryans to protect Hill]] by reminding the leaders that they are family men, and Coyle is despicable even by their standards. Schillinger especially agrees once he learns the family had a war Veteran in it.

-->'''Redding:''' I believe every man deserves a fair trial... before the execution.

* {{Jerkass}}: Many of the guards, especially Lopresti.

* AffablyEvil: Enrique Morales, leader of ''El Norte'' prison gang, [[spoiler:especially the scene when he forces TheOldConvict Rebadow to murder his predecessor, El Cid. "Who'd suspect a nice old man like you?"]]

* ArchEnemy: Beecher and Schillinger, O'Reily and Ortolani, Saïd and Adebisi, Timmy Kirk and Father Mukada, Chris Keller and Agent Taylor...

* DeathByIrony: The handsome [[spoiler: Stanley Bukowski dies by getting his [[CruelAndUnusualDeath face melted off by a steam pipe]]]] by the Italians.

** [[spoiler:White]], a fairly prominent character in the final two seasons, is abruptly killed offscreen by Lemuel Idzik.

* ElectrifiedBathtub: Prison guard Claire Howell murders inmate Nikolai Stanislofsky this way, after first giving him some hand relief.

The prison's out-of-control violence, general anomie, and domination by gangs creates an environment that forces prisoners to make difficult decisions just to survive, much less avoid sexual slavery, drug addiction, or solitary confinement. Characters range from former lawyer Tobias Beecher (Creator/LeeTergesen), Aryan leader Vern Schillinger (Creator/JKSimmons), Iago-figure Ryan O'Reily (Creator/DeanWinters), senior citizen Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen), veteran criminal Simon Adebisi (Creator/AdewaleAkinnuoyeAgbaje), and many, many more. Wheelchair-bound prisoner-for-life Augustus Hill (Creator/HaroldPerrineau) serves as narrator, intermixing the events of each episode with a more general theme.

''Oz'' is a six-season (1997-2003), one-hour drama created by Creator/TomFontana that follows the daily lives of the inmates and staff of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, nicknamed Oz. Inmates are divided between the main prison (Genpop) and "Em City", a unit with more perks for the prisoners at the price of more surveillance.

''Oz'' is a six season long (1997-2003), one hour drama created by Creator/TomFontana that follows the daily lives of the inmates and staff of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, nicknamed Oz. Inmates are divided between the main prison (Genpop) and "Em City", a unit with more perks for the prisoners at the price of more surveillance.

The prison's out-of-control violence, general anomie, and domination by gangs creates an environment that forces prisoners to make difficult decisions just to survive, much less avoid sexual slavery, drug addiction, or solitary confinement. Characters range from former lawyer Tobias Beecher (Creator/LeeTergesen), Aryan leader Vern Schillinger (Creator/JKSimmons), Iago-figure Ryan O'Reily (Creator/DeanWinters), senior citizen Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen), veteran criminal Simon Adebisi (Creator/AdewaleAkinnuoyeAgbaje), and many, many more. Wheelchair bound prisoner-for-life Augustus Hill (Creator/HaroldPerrineau) serves as narrator, intermixing the events of each episode with a more general theme.

The show was HBO's first dramatic series, and was considered a forerunner of "Peak TV" series like ''Series/TheSopranos'' and ''Series/TheWire''. The series was revolutionary in being uncensored, featuring only 8 episodes per season, and featuring LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters that can become central to the story immediately, fade away, be killed, or be transferred unexpectedly.

When first released, the powerful first 15 minutes (featuring Beecher's entry into prison) forever branded Oz as "the show with prison-rape." However, the show is more complex, attempting to tackle questions of the nature and origin of violence and criminality, but continually refusing to provide any easy answers. Every character on the show is morally ambiguous, with the "good" characters of the show sometimes committing despicable deeds while the "monsters" sometimes act humanely. The show also examined the issue of prisoner's rights and the effectiveness of the American prison system, which the show depicts as inherently corrupt.

* TheTelevisionTalksBack: Augustus Hill never interacts with the other characters while speaking as TheNarrator, except for one occasion when Simon Adebisi is in the computer room high on drugs, and is dumbfounded to see Augustus on his monitor discussing the events of the episode.

-->''Galson'': The land-mines in Oz are even less visible. Friends turn on friends, enemies buddy up.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Vern keeps on correcting people's pronunciation of his name, and everybody who isn't his friend ignores him and keeps pronouncing it the wrong way. (Because let's face it, if you knew a bully/Nazi/homophobe/rapist like him, wouldn't you enjoy irritating the living fuck out of him if you could get away with it?) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-OAi7Tz718 Witness his reactions, particularly the one at the very end of the video.]]
-->"Schillinger! God DAMN IT! Schillinger! I've been here NINE FUCKING YEARS! You'd think you'd know how to say my goddamn name!"

''Oz'' is a six season long (1997-2003), one hour drama that follows the daily lives of the inmates and staff of the Oswald State Correctional Facility, nicknamed Oz. Inmates are divided between the main prison (Genpop) and "Em City", a unit with more perks for the prisoners at the price of more surveillance.

* BackForTheFinale: In most episodes of the final season Augustus receives co-narrators in the form of many of the shows past characters including ones like [[spoiler: Dino Orlanti and Jefferson Keane]] that died way back in season 1. In a more straightforward example, in the finale proper [[spoiler: Jackson Vahue]] makes an appearance after being PutOnABus back in season 4.

** Of all things, the inmates also [[PeripheryDemographic lust after a children's show host]] (Miss Sally) because of her large breasts. Though in this case it's a bit more understandable, given that she's played by a live-action actress.

** Omar White. He is genuinely trying to improve his behaviour, but being somewhat naive and hyperactive at the same time he gets into trouble constantly.

* EnsembleCast: The entire main cast gets equal screentime and importance, as well as having equal claim to being the protagonist. Supporting characters also often get the same treatment, and even background characters can suddenly surge into relevance.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Most of the prison staff; [=McManus=] is a secret pot smoker, Diane murdered an inmate in order to keep him from incriminating her in a scheme to get her to smuggle cigarettes into the prison, Sean Murphy helped cut Morales' Achilles tendons as payback for him having another guard's tendon cut, and reoccurring straight-arrow prison guard Armstrong took money to let a man destroy the Muslims' printing press equipment. In addition, Glynn makes no effort to hide his disdain for prisoners or his bullying of Alvarez.

** There's a single episode character Richard L'Italien, who is a SerialKiller known to have murdered several women. Days before his execution he confesses to there being many more victims than were known about, complete with a long list of names.

* TheOldConvict: Rebadow, who's been in for 30 years and was handed the last death penalty in the state (before Devlin re-instated it). Busmaslis to a lesser extent, but he was old before he came to Oz.

* PosthumousNarration: Augustus [[spoiler:does his usual narrations in Season 6 despite being killed in the Season 5 finale. He's joined by other dead characters such as Jefferson Keane, Dino Ortolani, Antonio Nappa and even the Schillinger brothers (who never appeared together onscreen while alive).]]

* TheVerse: The appearance of ''Miss Sally's School Yard'' places it in the same convoluted universe as ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'', ''Series/TheXFiles'' and ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' among many others.

** Schillinger is constantly reacting to Beecher's attempts at revenge as though they were the most heinous things ever, in spite of the fact that Beecher only wants revenge because Schillinger had put him through a hellish period of abuse and [[spoiller:murdered his son]] when he tried to bury the hatchet.

* ABNegative: When a prison guard is stabbed in the eyes and needs a blood transfusion, the only donor immediately available is inmate Ryan O'Reilly, who makes it a condition of his helping that Cyril be moved into Em City with him.

* BatmanGambit: Most of Ryan O'Reilly's ploys. He fails sometimes, but never completely.

* TheBigDamnKiss: A few throughout the series. Beecher and Keller's kiss in the laundry room in season 2. Keller (again) when ex-wife Bonnie comes to visit. And [[spoiler: Dr. Nathan kissing O'Reilly when she admits her feelings for him]].

* BreakTheCutie: Several characters apply but Beecher...Hoo boy Beecher... And Dr. Nathan, whose [[spoiler: husband is murdered, because O'Reilly has a crush.]].

* CrazyJealousGuy: Keller's obsession with Beecher which leads him to kill Beecher's prison lovers and [[spoiler: and sets him up to be sent back to prison after he gets a girlfriend on the outside]], the equally obsessive Ryan O'Reilly over Gloria Nathan leading him to have her husband killed, the character Li Chen was doing time for the attempted murder of his girlfriend and the man he saw her kissing and Enrique Morales' abusive brother in law towards his sister.

** Claire Howell abuses her authority as a prison guard to molest male inmates, and murders [[spoiler:Nikolai Stanislofsky]] in order to please O'Reilly. In the end, she never faces any punishment, with the closest she gets being [[spoiler:having to give up her violent ways in order to raise her daughter by one of the inmates.]]

** O'Reilly kills Patrick Keenan for raping Dr. Nathan.

** Invoked when Dr. Gloria Nathan is raped on her way home from work by an Irish criminal, and she suspects that inmate Ryan O'Reilly, who was [[{{Yandere}} obsessed with her and had already arranged her husband's death]], was behind it. When she confronts him, he gloats about the rape until she physically attacks him, but he later admits to Father Mukada that he was lying so she could truly hate him and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy move on with her life]]. He later kills the rapist personally.

* WildCard: Ryan O'Reilly was a prisoner in the Oswald State Correctional Facility who was often involved as part of some scheme with various other inmates (or even the guards), but with no true allegiances except to himself. The Irish weren't really organized as a major gang like El Norte (Latinos), the Homeboys (blacks), or the Aryans (neo-Nazis), so he only really had his mentally disabled brother Cyril as muscle. His audacity and charm allowed him to become one of the leaders of the prison riot in Emerald City, for one.

** Ryan O'Reilly towards Dr. Nathan. After Nathan helps him recover from cancer, he falls in love with her and arranges for her husband to be murdered.

* PerverseSexualLust: In a late season 6 episode, an inmate in Emerald City is seen playing one of the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games in the computer rec room. It shouldn't come as a surprise that [[ThirdPersonSeductress Lara Croft]] is one of the main draws.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: even the most 'innocent' characters- Beecher, Cyril and Rebadow- are killers. With Beecher doing something even worse than that before the end of the series. Although he has a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment shortly after that and tries to make things right, it's too little, too late.

* DeckOfWildCards: Pretty much all of the Homeboys have engaged in some kind of backstabbing and betrayal. The entire gang ousts Jefferson Keane after he has a HeelFaceTurn, [[MoleInCharge Paul Markstrom]] and [[TheMole Johnny Basil]] are undercover cops trying to bring the gang down, Adebisi murders Markstrom and takes over once this comes out, Wangler and Pierce turn on Adebisi so they can take over [[spoiler:which leads to him orchestrating their deaths]], and Poet's loyalty is always shifting depending on who he thinks has the better chance.