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The cast of oz tv series series#
Examining titles (both of the series and of episodes within the series), characters, and various choices Oz makes throughout the series, the issue of Oz being more of a play and less of a depiction of reality comes into focus, all the while combating critic opinions who may view this form of storytelling inferior to that of other dramatic series. While watching Oz, it is easy to think that the writers are attempting to create a series depicting prison life and its daily struggles (to put it very mildly) as realistically as possible to the viewer. By associating itself with one of the most fictitious forms of media (i.e., the play), Oz intentionally sets itself up in a fight against strict realism in television, something Oz’s contemporaries, e.g., The Wire and The Sopranos, would be against since each series takes great strides to portray realism. Thus begins our instantaneous introduction into how Oz is like a play. Behind it, while closed, the actors quietly prepare, and as soon as it opens, the play begins. One new inmate in the Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary (or Oz as it is called by everyone) is stabbed in the side and falls to the ground, and another new inmate stands up and yells in terror. As the camera gets closer, the door quickly opens and the action immediately starts. But by looking at the series as fighting against realism rather than for it by presenting itself as a not-so-obvious stage play, it opens up a new viewpoint and potentially opens up the mind to looking at the series in a new way and appreciating it more for what it does.Ī camera rapidly zooms up to a closed, barred, typical jail door, and everyone behind it is still. I argue that the show isn’t intentionally set up to be fully realistic, unlike its highly lauded contemporaries The Sopranos and The Wire, and that this causes people to think it an inferior show to the others mentioned. I sometimes think that the show isn’t as highly accepted as others because people are viewing it as something it’s not.
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So, in honor of its 10th anniversary, I’ve written this essay to revive knowledge of a magnificent series. In fact, The Sopranos, a series many regard as the greatest of all time, likely wouldn’t have even made it to air if it weren’t for the risk taking and boundary pushing that Oz did within the televisual medium. It doesn’t always get the same respect that other HBO shows receive, though the caliber of the series isn’t any worse than, say, The Sopranos or The Wire or Game of Thrones. ‘Oz’ as a Play: The Show’s Implicit Fight Against Strict RealismĮarlier this year, the television series Oz celebrated its 10th anniversary since ending its highly successful and groundbreaking run on HBO.