Summary
- HBO's Oz was a groundbreaking crime drama that revolutionized modern television with its explicit content and deep character studies.
- The success of Oz paved the way for other iconic HBO series like The Sopranos and The Wire, shaping the format and genre for decades to come.
- Despite its flaws, Oz's impact on television cannot be overstated, introducing LGBTQ+ themes and pushing boundaries in of sex, nudity, and realism in drama series.
HBO's revolutionary original series Oz not only changed the celebrated entertainment network but the entire scope of modern television as well. The pivotal crime drama was released in 1997 and took a gritty in-depth look at the lives of the inmates and staff of a fictional prison. The show placed a number of famous actors on the map, including J.K. Simmons, Christopher Meloni, and David Zayas. Oz has since become a staple of HBO's content and a landmark in television history.
One of the best crime dramas on HBO, Oz broke new ground in of explicit dramatic content, length, and stylization but to this day remains largely overlooked. It holds the credit of being HBO's first successful hour-long scripted drama series that came to define the format of the genre and medium for decades to come. Before Oz, there was simply nothing on , cable, or network television that could compare to it, making it incredibly influential on other popular HBO series such as The Sopranos and The Wire.
Without Oz, The Sopranos & Other HBO Series Wouldn't Exist
Without the foundational dramatic elements of Oz, The Sopranos and other exceptional HBO drama series probably wouldn't exist. It's one of the first quality drama shows that HBO would become known for, pre-dating The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire, and dozens of other series. Oz offered a comprehensive inside look into the fictional "Emerald City" and allowed for deep character studies into the psyches of criminals while introducing progressive themes of morality and retribution through an unprecedented lens. It's this type of unique vantage point into an untapped world that made Oz incredibly compelling from episode 1.
The critical acclaim of Oz helped HBO distinguish itself as a paid-for service, cementing a foundation that prominent shows like Six Feet Under, Game of Thrones, and Westworld could build upon. Oz was the first of its kind in that it combined gritty elements and unlikable characters with sophistication and maturity in its creative approach that had yet to be condensed into hour-long episodes of television. The implementation of an ensemble cast that lacked a singular heroic protagonist is also a major feature that Oz brought to the forefront of the small screen, which ultimately generated enough confidence in HBO's new direction to greenlight The Sopranos.
Oz Wasn't Perfect, But It Helped Change What TV Could Be
Oz ittedly has flaws that often separate it from the prestige of The Sopranos and The Wire. However, the dramatic shift it instigated in the outlook of television is more than enough reason to overlook some of Oz's weaknesses in plot and character. Oz broke new ground with the introduction of LGBTQ+ themes in short-format scripted entertainment as well as the amount of sex and nudity permitted on television. Oz also set a new precedent with two-part seasons, having 16 episodes in season 4 with two separate story arcs. This is similar to how The Sopranos and Breaking Bad would eventually have two-part final seasons before their series finales.
The most significant impact that Oz had on modern television was its tone, which was consistently dark, nihilistic, and without hope. These themes applied heavily to the actual state of the fictionalized world of real-life prison and created a new representation of 'realism' in entertainment. Oz decided to go against the grain in its relentless and unapologetic transparency of the harsh realities that take place inside a prison, feeding on the natural voyeuristic tendencies of modern audiences who shied away from heavy topics in their daily lives. For the first time ever, Oz normalized peaking into the shadows and underbellies of society on television.
Why Oz's Legacy Isn't As Big As The Sopranos & Other HBO Shows
The legacy of Oz likely feigns in comparison to that of The Sopranos and other great HBO drama series because it was so controversial for its time in combination with the reality that the quality of the show wasn't as good. Oz failed to become a cultural phenomenon as many HBO shows ended up being immediately after their premieres, suffering from the fate of being a controversial yet groundbreaking new installment of television. Fortunately, Oz is still available to stream in its entirety on HBO and MAX and could gain the revitalized momentum that it once deserved for the incredible impact that it has had on HBO and modern television.