Line #53 YMMV/Oz - TV Tropes


1	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Does [=McManus=] really care about helping prisoners, or is he just doing it to feed his own ego?
3	** [[spoiler:The way Keller's death scene is shot leaves two interpretations: that he killed himself to frame Beecher out of spite, or that Beecher accidentally pushed him over the ledge while grappling with him.]]
4	* {{Anvilicious}}: The creator's thoughts on capital punishment and prison reform are made very obvious. The fact that Governor Devlin is a pretty blatant StrawCharacter based on mid-late 90's Republican governors doesn't exactly help. Then again, the very liberal [=McManus=] is also portrayed as a hypocritical, selfish man who constantly underestimates the prisoners.
5	** A large one in the overall series is calling out how difficult it is for prisoners to better themselves ''because'' of the prison system's lack of understanding of prison life. Beecher's parole is denied because of his attacks on Schillinger, but the parole board never acknowledge that if Beecher hasn't done those things, he would have either been killed, or [[FateWorseThanDeath stayed a prag for his entire sentence.]]
6	* ArcFatigue: The storyline involving Cloutier's apparent psychic powers and seemingly magical disappearance in Season 5 is widely disliked for introducing apparent supernatural elements that didn't mesh well with the rest of the show, and mostly for being a disappointing end to a well-liked supporting character. [[spoiler:The revelation in Season 6 that he was actually murdered by the Bikers was also widely disliked, mainly due to not making much sense.]]
7	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
8	** Alvarez. Some fans see him as a JerkassWoobie and a ButtMonkey who keeps getting himself screwed over as he tries to survive in Oz. Others see him as your everyday {{Jerkass}} [[NeverMyFault who blames all the misfortunes he goes through on other prisoners]], despite his impulsive decisions, like the [[EyeScream eye gouge]] incident.
9	** Ryan O'Reily. He is both disliked immensely and very popular due to how slick he is. Then you have those who believe him to be even worse than ''Schillinger'' since the latter at least loves his sons [[spoiler: albeit not enough to deter the death of his younger one]] and his granddaughter while the former [[ItsAllAboutMe is all about himself]] with his {{Morality Pet}}s being ineffective and/or dead.
10	** Burr Redding. He is often hated due to [[ToxicFriendInfluence all of the issues he causes Hill]] [[spoiler: (including his [[TakingTheBullet murder, receiving a stabbing reserved for him)]]]], being a lousy leader of the Homeboys and suffering little consequences for it. He is also liked and defended for genuinely trying to [[TheAtoner atone]] for both his own crimes and what he's done to Hill's life, especially after [[spoiler: his death.]]
11	* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The way people talk about the show you'd think the whole series was just a looping 30 minute clip of men getting it on in prison.
12	* BetterOnDVD: The arcs and loads of characters are easier to follow on DVD, though the fixed setting can feel repetitive when watching a lot of episodes in a row... or put you in the right mood to take it all in.
13	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
14	** Robson's hallucination after Beecher bites off the tip of his penis in "The Tip".
15	** The aging pill storyline. It's absolutely bizarre and out of place with the show's realistic setting, and it has no effect on the plot outside of killing a RecurringExtra.
16	* BizarroEpisode: The Season 5 episode "Variety" has Hill's narration segments replaced with various characters singing classic numbers.
17	* CatharsisFactor:
18	** Usually, seeing someone get knocked out and ''literally shit on'' wouldn't be so satisfying, just gross. But because it is Schillinger, and his attacker is Beecher (who he has tormented beyond belief), it's one of the most cathartic moments in the whole show.
19	** [[spoiler:Devlin]]'s shooting is really satisfying to watch after all the shit he's pulled, even if he comes out of it alive.
20	** As silly as his death is, it's still pretty satisfying to watch [[spoiler:Timmy Kirk]] get electrocuted.
21	* CompleteMonster: Even in this CrapsackWorld inside a HellholePrison, these characters stand out:
22	** [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Timmy Kirk]] is a soft-spoken murderer who gets by in Oz despite his mediocre intellect and physical strength. Arrested for [[OffingTheOffspring putting his own baby in a rat-infested dumpster]], Kirk begins as an errand boy of the [[Characters/OzIrish Irish gang]], but shows what he's truly capable of when introduced to religion. He seals Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier in a wall to die a slow and painful death in response to the latter casting Kirk out of his [[Characters/OzChristians Protestant congregation]], usurping control of them and preaching that using violence is justified. After Father Mukada refuses to accept Kirk's reversion to Catholicism, Kirk responds by setting fire to his church in hopes of killing him, burning two priests alive. Kirk, by now a Satanist with a DevilComplex and facing execution, is happy that he might die knowing that his absurd allegations of molestation could see Mukada permanently stripped of his priesthood. In the end, Mukada came to the conclusion that there was no reason for Kirk's behavior, he was simply pure evil hiding behind the face of a choir boy.
23	** [[ItsAllAboutMe Chris Keller]] is one of the few [[Characters/OzMain recurring]] villains in the show, and by far the most [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]]. A charming sociopath who killed an innocent store clerk during a botched robbery, Keller is wanted by the FBI for raping, torturing, and killing several gay men. [[{{Yandere}} Obsessed with earning the heart]] of Tobias Beecher--whom he tortured for entertainment--Keller desires "unconditional love" in a partner, which means he only feels happy with himself when those who love him are made to suffer. Taking advantage of the war against the new pro-Homeboy director of Emerald City, Keller disposes of Beecher's hookups out of sheer jealousy, including his own old friend. When Beecher receives his parole and saves him from the death sentence, Keller [[UngratefulBastard shows his gratitude]] by incriminating him of drug possession to get him sent back to Oz. Orchestrating an anthrax attack to wipe out the [[Characters/OzAryans Aryan Brotherhood]], the entire prison has to be evacuated because of his plan, and, upon being rejected one last time, Keller [[ThanatosGambit commits suicide to blame Beecher for his own death]], ensuring he faces the death penalty. While he started out as Beecher's PsychoSidekick and had many chances to reform, Keller proved to be the same dangerous predator that he described himself to be.
24	** Season 4A: [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Mark Miles]], initially nothing but a cruel bully and a friend of the [[Characters/OzAryans Aryan Brotherhood]], is the only inmate in his block to lack redeeming qualities. A fan of PaterFamilicide, Miles brutally murdered his own wife and son for no discernible reason, getting off scot-free by pleading insanity. Marrying another woman, Miles massacred her and his daughters in the same way--crimes that [[EvenEvilHasStandards manage to shock]] even the other death row inmates, with one calling herself an amateur upon discovering the truth. A DirtyCoward who fears his own well-deserved demise, Miles spends his last days tormenting everyone around him for fun.
25	** "[[Recap/OzS1E4CapitalP Capital P]]": [[FauxAffablyEvil Richard L'Italien]] is a talkative [[Characters/OzOthers inmate]] on DeathRow who quickly reveals himself to be one of the worst characters in the show despite his limited screentime. A remorseless SerialKiller since he was a [[TeensAreMonsters teenager]], L'Italien suffocated 40 young women to death, bragging about having raped and murdered his therapist back in juvie before doing the same to her daughter, all because he claims to "love" women and she told him that he actually [[HeManWomanHater hated them]].
26	** "[[Recap/OzS3E1TheTruthAndNothingBut The Truth and Nothing But...]]" [[Recap/OzS3E2NapoleonsBoneyParts through]] "[[Recap/OzS3E3Legs Legs]]": [[AxCrazy Malcolm "Snake" Coyle]], a member of the [[Characters/OzHomeboys Homeboys]], is a [[SmugSnake disgustingly smug]], hulking psychopath with a penchant for brutal sadism for the sake of it. Originally imprisoned for armed robbery, Coyle becomes a role model for the young, similarly depraved Homeboy Kenny Wangler in his attempt to take over the drug trade and delights in the fact that he casually murdered an Italian-American family one night for fun--[[WouldHurtAChild two children]] and grandmother included. Raping the mother after slitting her throat and gutting the crying baby in the crib while his friend [[SnuffFilm recorded everything on a videotape]], Coyle takes pride in how he got away with the deed and threatens anyone who would snitch on him with murder. Not feeling a hint of remorse even at the prospect of being executed, Coyle is loathed by everyone in prison, and the rest of the gangs take the extraordinary step in actually working together to protect Augustus Hill for testifying against him.
27	** "[[Recap/OzS3E5USMale U.S. Male]]" & "[[Recap/OzS3E6CruelAndUnusualPunishments Cruel and Unusual Punishments]]": [[BewareTheQuietOnes Yuri Kosygin]], introduced as a quiet and seemingly harmless inmate, is the most vicious lifer in all of Oz. A ProfessionalKiller under the payroll of [[TheMafiya the Organizatse]], Kosygin was [[PsychoForHire recruited]] after strangling his own boss to death, gaining a reputation for being the most brutal hitman in Little Odessa, a title that he takes pride in. Sent to Oz for [[NoKillLikeOverkill shooting up a restaurant in a drive-by that was meant for a single target]], Kosygin returns to his old habits and murders another inmate for money. Learning that his only acquaintance in Oz snitched on him, Kosygin immediately tries to murder him while mockingly telling him that he has the honor of being his 50th victim.
28	* CreatorsPet: Ryan O'Reily. He manipulates everyone he comes into contact with for his own personal gain (including his own brother), is treated to a semi-sympathetic battle with ''breast cancer'', is rarely in the crosshairs of anyone, arranges or is somehow connected to several deaths in the prison (including [[spoiler: Dr. Nathan's husband, [[UngratefulBastard who treated him when he had cancer)]] and ends up with her in the end.]] [[SarcasmMode On an entirely unrelated note]], Dean Winters's brother was one of the writers on the show.
29	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
30	** Donald Groves for providing comic relief in the earlier episodes and for being surprisingly affable and polite for a cannibalistic murderer. [[spoiler: His execution is also one of the biggest [[TearJerker tear jerkers]] in the series and a prime example of a TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter]].
31	** Alvah Case is a one-off character who is nevertheless popular among viewers, mainly because he refuses to take shit from anyone, be it Devlin, the prison staff at Oz, or the inmates, and is one of the few honest people to be shown in the series.
32	** Agamemnon Busmalis, for similar reasons as Groves since both provide comic relief, but also because of his unique niche of being an escape artist and a manchild whose a big fan of Miss Sally's schoolyard. [[spoiler: Him being one of the few recurring characters to survive the entire series doesn't hurt his popularity either]].
33	** Enrique Morales is one of the most popular villains, for being a menacing, badass, and strangely likable MagnificentBastard.
34	** Peter Schibetta is almost universally loved by the fans, likely due to being one of the biggest JerkassWoobie in a cast full of them.
35	** Dr. Tariq Faraj, the hilariously snarky dentist who pulls an elaborately clever scheme to get back at Robson for his constant racial slurs, which results in the latter spiraling into well-deserved comeuppance after spending season after season committing every horrible deed in the book. While the doctor appears in only few episodes, his character arc laments his status as one of the biggest {{Troll}} in the entire series.
36	** Chucky Pancamo is popular among fans for his quirky but tough personality and for managing to survive the entire series.
37	** Johnny Basil, thanks to his storyline in the first half of Season 4 and being played by a pre-fame Creator/LanceReddick.
38	** The Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier is well-liked among fans for being a PlayingAgainstType role for Creator/LukePerry, and for his sincerity in his efforts to [[TheAtoner atone]] for his misdeeds.
39	** Colonel Galson is fairly popular among the fan base thanks to his interesting OddFriendship with Burr Redding. [[spoiler:His death is widely regarded as a missed opportunity.]]
40	** Alonzo Torquemada is popular despite only appearing in a few episodes of the generally disliked final season.
41	* EvilIsCool: Several characters, while still evil and/or depraved and occasionally showcasing moments of EvilIsPetty and KickTheDog, are just simply too cool to hate. Examples include:
42	** Nino Schibetta and Antonio Nappa for being [[TheDon old school wiseguys]]. The top enforcers for the Italians, Charles "Chucky the Enforcer" Pancamo and Francis "Frank the Fixer" Urbano also count.
43	** Ryan O'Reily and Enrique Morales for being [[MagnificentBastard two of the most cunning, charismatic and clever schemers]] in the entire prison. Some of the former's rivals, like [[TheMafiya Nikolai Stanislofsky]] and [[AllAsiansKnowMartialArts Jia Kenmin]] also count as they manage to outsmart him once.
44	** [[GeniusBruiser Simon Adebisi]] who is utterly fearless, incredibly strong, and maintains a [[ScaryBlackMan dreadful presence]] throughout the show, yet is also one of the funniest and wittiest characters in the series too.
45	** Chris Keller, a [[TheCharmer charming]] ManipulativeBastard who sometimes teams up with O'Reily as a BrainsAndBrawn duo, yet he's also a [[spoiler: bisexual SerialKiller who preyed upon gay men while outside of prison.]]
46	** [[ProfessionalKiller Yuri Kosygin]], a completely terrifying and absolutely ruthless hitman for the Russian mafia who makes even Stanislofsky terrified. He also has [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a shank hidden inside the temple piece of his glasses.]]
47	** [[CoolOldGuy Burr Redding]] becomes the leader of the Homeboys after [[spoiler: Adebisi's death]]. A former Vietnam veteran, he was badass enough to take down an entire police squad while dual-wielding two handguns as seen in his crime flashback.
48	** [[CampGay Alonzo Torquemada]] appears only in the last two episodes and would have become an influential inmate on his own had the show lasted longer, planning to take over the prison drug trade and make the Gays a powerful gang. His flamboyance and charismatic portrayal by Creator/BobbyCannavale makes him a memorable character nevertheless.
49	* FanonDiscontinuity: Most fans prefer to pretend the series ended with Season 5 and ignore Season 6.
50	* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Series/TheSopranos'' and ''Series/TheWire''. Both are Creator/{{HBO}} crime dramas that came after ''Oz'' as a result of its impact, and several actors who made it big in those two series made appearances on ''Oz'' prior (such as Creator/EdieFalco and Creator/LanceReddick). As a result, fans of the two shows generally tend to have respect for ''Oz'' for its pioneering status.
51	* GenreTurningPoint: Being HBO's first hour-long original drama series, ''Oz'' was one of the earliest TV shows to prove that television could compete with films in the storytelling department with season long arcs and dark storytelling that didn't treat its audience like simpletons. The show inspired countless other TV shows in that vein.
52	* HarsherInHindsight: As time marches on, psychology, psychiatric medicine, and mental healthcare in general have improved enough that many of the problematic behaviors of the inmates are now seen as signs of untreated mental health issues, not individual moral failure. Just to name a few examples, Omar White's irritating chatter and behavior blindness would get him evaluated for anxiety and autism-spectrum disorders, Cyril's "unprovoked" violent outbursts against CO's would be recognized as a post-traumatic response if the staff had modern techniques for interviewing victimized children and the mentally-impaired, and Hoyt's deterioration into literal screaming madness would see him evaluated for a schizoaffective disorder whether anyone believed him or not. [[note]]Men with schizophrenia may not show properly-diagnosable symptoms until their mid-twenties to early thirties, i. e., Hoyt's age.[[/note]]
53	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct:
54	** Atoning phony preacher Jeremiah Cloutier was the first role that showed how much Creator/LukePerry was able to move beyond his "brooding bad boy" role in ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.
55	** [[Music/{{Kiss}} Peter Criss]] turns in a good performance as weaselly inmate [[SmugSnake Martin Montgomery]], making the character sleazily charismatic.
56	* HilariousInHindsight:
57	** CO Armstrong's helping a Christian inmate destroy the printing press that the Muslim inmates were using for a prison industry business, on orders of a rival business/gang leader, and his line "I guess this is one of those times you don't ask "What Would Jesus Do?"." The actor playing Armstrong, Tim Brown, is an ex-NYC firefighter and one of the main dissenting voices in the debate over whether to allow the building of a mosque near WTC ground zero.
58	** The main protagonist is a prisoner named Tobias and his difficulties adjusting to prison life. A few years later, ''another'' man [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment named Tobias]] who is clearly out of his element would be sent to prison, albeit this time to [[ItMakesSenseInContext prepare for the role of "Frightened Inmate #2."]]
59	*** Also the fact that Series/ArrestedDevelopment makes quite a few ''Oz'' jokes during the first season, when George Sr. is still in prison.
60	*** [[spoiler:Keller's death]] and the death of "White Power Bill."
61	*** While in prison, [[AmbiguouslyGay Tobias]] [[CloudCuckooLander Fünke]] earns the nickname "Dorothy." [[DontExplainTheJoke As in Dorothy from]] the show's [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz namesake.]]
62	** Tobias declines to fill out his swastika brand into a grid, as it meant a lot more burned flesh. Twenty years later, the lead character of [[Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack another iconic prison series]] decided to go through with this very thing.
63	** Fans of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' and/or ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' will find it funny (if not downright jarring) to see that at least one of the actors who would go on to star as a lead detective (Creator/ChristopherMeloni for the former, Creator/KathrynErbe for the latter) on both shows had portrayed a vicious killer here, particularly if they viewed/heard of ''SVU'' or ''Criminal Intent'' prior to ''Oz''. [[note]]Especially in Meloni's case, as he initially played both parts ''simultaneously.''[[/note]] Not to mention [[Series/LawAndOrder Dr. Skoda]] as the vicious Aryan leader Schillinger. TheBadGuysAreCops, indeed.
64	** This show [[Film/WhipLash would not be the last time]] a character played by Creator/JKSimmons would abuse and break down a younger man, although it ended much better for him the next time.
65	* JerkassWoobie: A trademark of the series. Every character is loathsome but is invested with a story or acting performance to show that They are still human and have suffered Their own tragedies.
66	** Schillinger stands out the most. He's crossed the {{Moral Event Horizon}} God knows how many times but Creator/JKSimmons' acting is so good and the writing is strong enough that he can still be sympathetic while ordering the deaths of children.
67	** Dino Ortolani is a violent, short-tempered bigot, but he's shown to legitimately care about his family and he's heavily implied to be suicidal because of his life imprisonment. [[spoiler:He's ultimate burned alive immediately after his first act of compassion.]]
68	** You wouldn't think a [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalistic murderer]] [[SelfMadeOrphan who ate his own parents]] would be at all sympathetic, but it's hard not to feel just a little bit sorry for Donald Groves when he's executed because of his genuine regret for his crimes after his victim's mother forgives him.
69	** Miguel Alvarez. He's a violent and callous thug, but he suffers from severe depression and is prone to self-harm, he had his beloved infant son die in his arms, he had to watch his grandfather slowly die after developing Alzheimer's Syndrome, El Cid, Glynn, and Guerra are constantly making his life hell out of spite, and he frequently winds up locked in solitary confinement, which [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes he admits is his greatest fear.]] Even his genuine attempts at redemption are met with nothing but (admittedly justifiable) hostility, [[spoiler:and he's ultimately denied parole out of spite by a man who has somewhat arbitrarily decided he deserves life imprisonment, leading to him crossing the DespairEventHorizon]].
70	** Nino Schibetta is a racist BadBoss, but [[CruelAndUnusualDeath his undeservedly horrific and slow death]] makes him somewhat pitiable.
71	** Peter Schibetta is a [[SmugSnake smug]] {{Jerkass}}, but all the shit that happens to him (being raped by Adebisi, getting driven insane and locked in Psych Ward for three seasons, being gang-raped by the Aryans, developing PTSD as a result) makes it impossible not to feel sorry for him.
72	** Jefferson Keane is a cold-blooded killer, but [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his genuine and surprisingly sweet love for his wife]] makes it heartbreaking when she leaves him out of fear. His subsequent quest for redemption results in him gradually turning into a StoicWoobie.
73	** Andrew Schillinger is a cruel Neo-Nazi, but only because the ideology was beaten into him by his abusive father. [[spoiler:Not only that, but he's killed by his own father right after he renounced his racism and stopped taking drugs.]]
74	** Burr Redding after [[spoiler:Hill]] dies. His grief is palpable, and he starts making an effort to be a better person, even if he winds up being a WellIntentionedExtremist.
75	** James Robson in Season 6. While he undoubtedly deserved some comeuppance, the absolutely horrific things that happen to him and [[HeelFaceTurn his subsequent redemption]] make him rather pitiable, as does the reveal that [[FreudianExcuse he was sexually abused by his own father and his life of crime started after he ran away from home.]]
76	** Shirley Bellinger is a racist madwoman who killed her own daughter, but it's impossible not to feel any sympathy for her [[spoiler:when she breaks down and panics as she's brought to the gallows]].
77	** It's hard not to feel at least a little compassionate for Carlo Ricardo. as his connection with his family slowly fades away completely. His humanity and sanity aren't far behind sadly.
78	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [=McManus=] is admittedly a hypocritical jerk, but he never sinks to the lows of the rest of the main cast and even at his worst he remains merely a {{Jerkass}}. Yet he's widely considered TheScrappy and hated in a way even objectively worse characters like Adebisi or Schillinger aren't.
79	* LoveToHate: Scum and despicable doesn't begin to describe Vern Schillinger, but J. K. Simmons' performance is so good that he turns a repugnant rapist into a surprisingly fascinating character.
80	* MagnificentBastard:
81	** Ryan O'Reily is an Irish convict in the Emerald City wing of the Oswald State Correctional Facility. More than any other inmate, O'Reily is frequently at the center of whatever intrigue is going in the prison, forming alliances with other inmates to take over the drug trade inside Oz by arranging the deaths of various gang leaders and even becoming a major figure in a prison riot. O'Reily also gets Dr. Gloria Nathan to fall in love with him after putting out a hit on her husband, later personally murdering a criminal who raped her, uses various dirty methods to ensure that his brother Cyril will win the prison boxing championship, and has Officer Claire Howell--whom O'Reily is sleeping with--kill his rival Stanislofsky after a dispute over a contraband cell phone turns sour. Ryan O'Reily possesses a sense of charm and bravado unmatched by many of the thuggish inmates in Oz, and his uncanny ability to get others to do his dirty work for him and turning his enemies against each other makes him one of the few characters to successfully survive the entire run of the show.
82	** Enrique Morales establishes himself as one of the most cunning and pragmatic prisoners on the show. After arriving in Oswald State prison, he usurped control over the Latinos by forcing the kindly old prisoner [[TheOldConvict Bob Rebadow]] to kill his unpopular predecessor El Cid, then takes over the drug trade inside the prison with the Homeboys and Italians and proves himself more wary to attempts by the authorities to infiltrate the organization than his associates. When Morales develops a feud with Homeboys leader Burr Redding, he manipulates Chinese refugees housed in the prison against him with false claims of race hatred and attempts to have Redding framed for a murder. A [[GeniusBruiser capable fighter as well]] when the chips are down, Morales swiftly foils an attempt on his own life by killing the assassin, and lulls his late sister's abusive husband into a false sense of security before pounding the everloving crap out of him. Always a persuasive and purpose-driven man despite being a murderer and gang leader, under the clever rule of Morales, El Norte truly became a force to be reckoned with within Oz.
83	* MemeticLoser: [=McManus=]. From the comment sections for clips on Website/YouTube to the episode recaps on the late, great ''Website/TelevisionWithoutPity'', if the fandom is united on anything it's in dissing [=McManus=] for his incompetency, unreliability, and inability to ''not'' ask just about every female character out to dinner. Compilations of his lowest moments (be it getting shanked or otherwise insulted) are not uncommon.
84	* MindGameShip: Chris Keller/Tobias Beecher. Ryan with whomever he is manipulating, to an extent.
85	* MisaimedFandom: Especially during its original run, there were some viewers who thought the PrisonRape scenes were funny, mostly the ones involving Peter Schibetta. This is despite the fact that the subject is treated very seriously by the show, and is never PlayedForLaughs. Most disturbingly, the only characters in the show who find rape funny are the most despicable prisoners (like the Aryans), which says a lot about these fans.
86	* MoralEventHorizon:
87	** ''Hoo Boy..'' Schillinger and Ryan O'Reily both could fit a whole page with this. But here's a try at their best examples.
88	*** Schillinger manipulating Beecher into being his sex slave and repeatedly humiliating him, and later trying to have him killed when he gets bored of Beecher.
89	*** O'Reily having his disabled brother Cyril murder Dr. Nathan's husband, so he can have her for himself.
90	*** Schillinger orchestrates the murder of ''his own son'' when Andrew disowns him.
91	*** O'Reily driving Cyril into a rage during his boxing match with Khan, which leads to Khan becoming brain-dead, and then O'Reily gloats about it to Cyril.
92	*** Schillinger ''raping Cyril'' for no reason except pure sadism.
93	*** Schillinger having [[spoiler:Beecher's children kidnapped, and later, his son murdered.]] All because of a misunderstanding.
94	*** And lastly, Schillinger ordering the murder of Beecher's father.
95	** Beecher selling off Adam Guenzel to the Aryans in Season 5. While there are plenty who say it was a completely justified thing to do after Gunzel humiliated Beecher, and that Guenzel merely got what was coming to him, there are many others who feel like [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil nothing could justify letting something like that happen]], especially after Beecher's experience in the first season.
96	*** Beecher's manipulation of Andrew (who was a jerk) would normally count, but doesn't because Beecher's responsibility is a bit cloudy, and the realization of his contributions causes Beecher to feel genuinely guilty.
97	** Adebisi likely crossed the line when he brutally raped Peter Schibetta after his failed assassination attempt.
98	** Kenny crossed it in the Season 2 finale when he killed Jara. Before then, Kenny was starting to go through CharacterDevelopment and actually seemed like he could redeem himself. But when Season 3 started, he became an irritating and despicable punk with a stupid nickname who only cared about himself. He crosses the line further by orchestrating the murder of his wife and best friend.
99	** In-universe, [[spoiler:Coyle's murder of an innocent family, including the rape of the wife and the murder of small children,]] is treated as such. You ''know'' you've spectacularly blown past the MEH when the black Muslims, the white supremacists, the Latino gang and the Italian Mafia all pre-emptively get together and agree to protect the guy who snitched. And when someone pulls a PayEvilUntoEvil on [[spoiler:Coyle by brutally murdering him in his cell]], no one including the prison staff particularly seems to give a shit.
100	** Clayton Hughes murdering [[spoiler:Johnny Basil]] [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he called him out on being an asshole]] and laughing about it to Glynn's face.
101	** In general, played with. While many appear to have crossed theirs (Keane, Adebisi and William Cudney being some examples) by virtue of the crimes they committed, the show's themes of morality and redemption work it in such a way that they are not as evil as they may have been portrayed otherwise. While most cross theirs while in prison (Schillinger, Robson and Keller to name a few), they are never explicitly viewed as beyond any redemption.
102	* MorePopularReplacement: Robson was Schillinger's ''third'' [[TheDragon Dragon]] after Scott Ross and Mark Mack, but is by far the most popular for being a KarmicButtMonkey with a surprisingly touching redemption arc.
103	* {{Narm}}:
104	** Often Hill's narrations verge on this.
105	** Thy name is Cyril O'Reily, especially in later seasons. The forced tender moments start seeming ridiculous after he kills or incapacitates multiple people.
106	** There was quite a bit in the last season, but the "Men of Death Row" photo shoot and [[spoiler:Hoyt electrocuting Kirk with a light fixture]] was over the top even by Oz's standards.
107	* NarmCharm: The series has tendency towards the melodramatic and can feel over-stylized at times... but most of the drama is compelling enough to make it work.
108	* NeverLiveItDown: The show itself is mostly remembered in pop culture as being "that show with PrisonRape" and not for much else.
109	* OneSceneWonder: Creator/EricRoberts' performance as a death row inmate at the end of the fourth episode is simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing.
110	* RonTheDeathEater: [=McManus=] can be a bit of a petty dick and has problems with ego and his treatment of women but he often tries to help the inmates, even ones who despise him like Said and tries to stick to his morals. The way some fans talk though you'd think he was as evil as Vern.
111	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Robson. After the gum incident at the end of Season 5, he became a prag. From that point on, Robson TookALevelInKindness (no, really) and was the center of a realistic subplot involving [[RapeAsDrama prison rape]].
112	* RetroactiveRecognition:
113	** Oh my God, [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Elliot Stabler, Brian Cassidy]] and [[Series/LawAndOrder Emile Skoda]], what are you guys doing? Additionally, [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Dr. Huang]], when did you join the clergy?
114	** The show features several actors who were later cast on ''Series/TheWire'', some in quite different roles. [[Creator/SethGilliam Sergeant Carver]] even ends up shanking [[Creator/LanceReddick Lieutenant Daniels]]! And there's [[Creator/WoodHarris Avon Barksdale]] as a Correctional Officer! And [[Creator/JohnDoman Commander Rawls]] gets killed in an elevator shaft!
115	** As for other actors starring in future HBO shows, there's [[Creator/EdieFalco Carmela]] [[Series/TheSopranos Soprano]] as a prison guard, and [[Creator/BobbyCannavale Gyp]] [[Series/BoardwalkEmpire Rosetti]] as a gay nightclub owner/prisoner.
116	** The person Chico Guerra [[spoiler:hurls off a building in his crime flashback]] is none other than Creator/PeterDinklage in his first TV role.
117	** [[Series/TheDailyShow Aasif Mandvi]] as Robson's fucking dentist.
118	* TheScrappy:
119	** Out of the main characters, the only one who is universally disliked is [=McManus=]. A lot of this stems from him being a hypocritical, vindictive, and incompetent {{Jerkass}}, yet rarely being called out on his worst behavior.
120	** Clayton Hughes and his character's rapid slide into insanity were poorly received.
121	** Omar White probably embodies this trope better than anyone. While it's clear we were meant to have some kind of affection for him at times, his habit of always getting himself into trouble (despite given numerous "last chances" by [=McManus=] and Said to get his act together), blaming others for his own messes and generally spending a lot of time being an ungrateful jerk to those trying to help him meant that an awful lot of people end up glad to see him go by Season 6.
122	** Similarly to both Hughes and Omar, there's CO Dave Brass who spends his overtly long character arc doing the same mistakes over and over again and blaming others for his own {{Jerkass}} tendencies. While having his achilles tendon cut would normally earn him some sympathy points, Brass goes well over his head being an obnoxious individual to even those who try to help him frequently. His frequent drips into insanity were also fairly disliked.
123	** Huseni Mershah was probably the most widely hated character in the earlier seasons, not least because of Roger Guenveur Smith's poor acting. Mershah's character served also little to no purpose, besides making Said question his virtues. Adding to that, Mershah suffers from being an insufferable personality, being a thuggish gangbanger who tries to aim for better, yet ends up leaving Said to die of heart attack and generally being a cowardly weasel willing to sell anyone out for his illogical and often contradictory self-righteous beliefs.
124	** Jia Kenmin was not well-liked, mainly thanks to the show trying to prop him up as O'Reily's new arch-nemesis for no real reason and his actor's lackluster efforts to act intimidating.
125	** Lemuel Idzik is widely despised by the fandom, mainly for killing [[spoiler:Saïd]], a universally beloved fan-favorite, and for having a poorly-written nihilistic character arc that serves absolutely no purpose and doesn't really go anywhere.
126	** William Giles is not well-liked by the fandom, mainly thanks to his story arcs generally being non-plot relevant padding and not having any real personality to speak of. Not many complained when he succumbed to ChuckCunninghamSyndrome.
127	* SeasonalRot:
128	** Some fans felt that show's increasing usage of bizarre elements, most infamously the "aging drugs" straight out of a sci-fi story, jarred with the quirky but still generally gritty and realistic tone set in earlier seasons. A few fans also felt that the loss of [[spoiler:fan-favorite Adebisi]] hit the show hard.
129	** Season 6 is widely reviled thanks to having a large amount of {{Narm}}, completely jettisoning any sense of realism, and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim dropping bridges]] on most of the cast.
130	* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus on Season 5. It's good outside of a few bizarre storylines, but it doesn't match the heights of previous seasons.
131	* SpoiledByTheFormat: To modern audiences, [[spoiler: Beecher getting paroled in the 4th season finale]] is very obviously a fake-out, seeing as [[spoiler: there are still 2 full seasons left after it.]]
132	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Quite a few because AnyoneCanDie, especially at the beginning and end of the series.
133	** Season 1 was probably the biggest offender, killing off [[DecoyProtagonist Dino Ortolani]], [[HeelFaceDoorSlam Jefferson Keane]], [[ImAHumanitarian Donald Groves]], [[KillTheCutie Eugene Dobbins]], and [[ItsPersonal Scott Ross]], in spite of how fascinating they were to watch and their great dynamics with the rest of the cast.
134	** Colonel Edward Galson has a great dynamic with Redding and Beecher, an interesting and menacing personality, and he seems to be set up as a major character. [[spoiler:Instead, he gets killed by Morales in his fourth appearance.]]
135	** Several characters introduced in Season 6, such as Torquemada and Jafree Neema, seemed to be placed for a prominent place in the storyline if the series continued.
136	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
137	** Many fans were disappointed that the "Crazy Beecher" arc was cut short by the end of season two. While Tobias still has his badass moments in later seasons, the persona he cultivated in the first two made him one of the most interesting characters. Overall, he simply reverts to a GenreSavvy and more assertive version of how he was in the first few episodes, which is a far cry from his reputation as TheDreaded in season two.
138	** One can forgive the writers for not wanting to touch this with a 39 and a half foot pole, but a plot where Said and the other Muslims face increased discrimination in the wake of 9/11 would have been potentially brilliant, especially since Oz was one of the only shows running during the attacks to feature prominent Muslim characters.
139	** Jia Kenmin's desire for vengeance against Morales is set up and then almost immediately forgotten.
140	** At the end of Season 4, O'Reily starts to make a HeelFaceTurn during his collaboration with Connolly. It's absolutely fascinating CharacterDevelopment that's immediately ignored in the next season.
141	* TrappedByMountainLions: A chronic issue, possibly due to the large cast. Most prominent in Seasons 2 (Ryan's breast cancer and Peter Marie's dealings with Giles), 4 (Ageing drugs) and 5 (Alvarez and the dog training program, Omar's singing).
142	** Cyril momentarily acquires a sock puppet named Jericho who speaks and behaves the way Cyril did before his brain trauma, and seemingly becomes consumed by it with some kind of split personality... Then Sister Marie says that's creepy, took it away and it was never addressed again.
143	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: This is bound to happen due to being a very cynical drama about an extremely violence-infested prison. Most characters are hardened criminals who are simultaneously sympathetic and unsympathetic (but mostly unsympathetic), and they constantly perpetuate a never-ending cycle of despair against each other. It seems that nobody, not even the surviving characters, are allowed to have a happy ending by the time of the series finale. The idealists in Oswald's staff ([=McManus=], Mukada, Peter-Marie, etc.) really want to believe they can rehabilitate the inmates into better human beings. But in the end, only a few of them can be considered decent or redeemable people; most of the prisoners, even if they have some sympathetic qualities, are still largely unrepentant scumbags who just won't even bother to reform their evil ways.
144	* TooCoolToLive: Due to the nature of AnyoneCanDie, this is to be expected with despicable, but still enjoyable characters, some include: [[spoiler:Simon Adebisi]], [[spoiler:Enrique Morales]], and [[spoiler:Kareem Saïd]], to name a few.
145	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: [=McManus=] is clearly intended to be sympathetic and to be seen as the liberal voice of reason compared to the hardline conservative Glynn. However, he frequently comes across as unlikable, mainly since he just as often vindictively punishes the prisoners under his care out of petty spite, and he's often glaringly incompetent. He is intended to come off as flawed, but the fact he's never called out on his worst behavior - something even [[CreatorsPet O'Reily]] wasn't safe from - makes him quite unlikable.
146	* TheWoobie:
147	** Beecher. He's a kind, shy man who is immediately forced into becoming Schillinger's sex slave and subjected to a hellish cycle of abuse that drives him insane, his wife, son, and father are murdered, and he's betrayed multiple times by his boyfriend Keller who ruins his chances of ever leaving Oz.
148	** Cyril was left mentally disabled following a head injury, leaving him with the mind of a child. He's thrown into prison after his brother Ryan manipulates him into killing Dr. Nathan's husband and gang raped by the Aryans. He then spends the rest of the series being used as a pawn by Ryan, who at one point tricks him into beating another inmate so severely it leaves the guy brain-dead and mocks a guilt-ridden Cyril over it. [[spoiler:He's eventually sentenced to death row for having killed another inmate in self-defense and executed while he desperately cries out for his mother and brother.]]
149	** Hill. After being paralyzed [[PoliceBrutality when a cop threw him off a building]] and given a life sentence, Hill just wants to quietly serve his sentence and [[TheAtoner atone]] the best he can. As thanks, he's abused by his fellow prisoners who frequently use him as a pawn, and often receives little sympathy from the staff in turn. Eventually, his wife leaves him and his beloved mother dies in a bus crash, which causes him to relapse back into drug addiction and nearly die of an overdose. And when he recovers from ''that'', [[spoiler:he's accidentally shanked during an attempt on Burr Redding's life.]]
150	** Alvarez, whenever he isn't being a JerkassWoobie. He especially counts in the final season, where he's reformed but is still subject to his usual amount of suffering and [[spoiler:is ultimately condemned to spend the rest of his life in Oz]].
151	** Diane.
152	** Also Father Mukada, [[ReassignedToAntarctica sent to Oz]] because he questioned the conservative views of his powerful church patron, is clearly out of his depth in the madness and brutality of a maximum security prison.
153	** Omar White could count as well, considering the fact that [=McManus=] decides to stop giving him chances very soon after he actually begins ''earnestly'' heading in the right direction, and sends him back to solitary begging for forgiveness.
154	** Eugene Dobbins. All he did while in Oz was play his cello and entertain everyone, and he became close friends with Augustus. But after his cello is destroyed simply because [[JerkWithAHeartofJerk Vahue was angry]], Eugene distances himself from everyone (including Hill) and just watches TV. And during the riot in Season 1, he's stabbed multiple times ''for no reason'' and ends up bleeding to death, despite Hill's desperate attempts to save him.
155	** Guillaume Tarrant, while only appearing in the season four premiere, could be considered one of the most tragic characters: Sent to a maximum security prison because of a minor crime (destroying a statue at a museum), he is instantly targeted by the stronger inmates (particularly Wangler). Then, he is manipulated by Adebisi into killing his tormentors (and a CO), and commits suicide immediately afterwards.
156	** Of the Correctional Officers, Eugene Rivera and his wife, Tina. Rivera's eyes are gouged out by Alvarez in mere days after starting in his new job due to a dispute between him and the current leader of El Norte, Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez, and is forced to live the rest of his life blind and being taken care of by Tina which further complicates their economical issues. Eugene even suffers from suicidal thoughts, contemplating on ending his life so that his wife could live a normal life again and is torn by the fact that he can't see the person dearest to him anymore. The couple gets at least some kind of closure eventually after Eugene accepts the guide dog given to them by Alvarez himself.

Context YMMV / Oz