Oz


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

From Wikipedia:

Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by the premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons; the series finale aired February 23, 2003.

Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, formerly Oswald State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison (level 4) at an undisclosed location in the United States of America. Many of the plot arcs are set in "Emerald City" ("Em City"), an experimental unit of the prison in which the unit manager attempts to emphasize rehabilitation and learning responsibility during incarceration. Emerald City is an extremely controlled environment where there are a controlled number of members of each racial and social group. 

The large ensemble cast includes Eamonn Walker, Rita Moreno, Ernie Hudson, John Lurie, Terry Kinney, Betty Buckley, Kathryn Erbe, Christopher Meloni, Lee Tergesen, B. D. Wong, J. K. Simmons, Dean Winters, Scott William Winters, Kirk Acevedo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Harold Perrineau Jr., Erik King, David Zayas, Lauren Vélez, and Edie Falco.

Oz is primarily narrated by Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), former drug dealer, convicted murderer and former crack addict. Now in a wheelchair, he appears in surreal segments and introductions that usually relate to an overall theme of the episode, as well as setting up scenes, introducing characters, or adding epilogues. When necessary — usually when a character is introduced — Hill appears as an omniscient narrator. Used as a literary tool of the writers, he narrates the details of characters' crimes, their prison number, and their sentences. Hill appears as a recurring character within the show's story lines until the sixth season, in which narration by various deceased characters was added.

Highlights
Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo
02:06
Rita Moreno on co-starring in Oz and the freedom of working on a cable series
02:19
Chris Albrecht on programming Oz
02:41
Anne Meara on appearing on Oz
00:24
Who talked about this show

Chris Albrecht

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Chris Albrecht on programming Oz
02:41

Edie Falco

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Edie Falco on working on Oz and her character, "Diane Whittlesey"
01:31
Edie Falco on the two Oz characters Tom Fontana presented to her for her to play
00:35
Edie Falco on her interactions with the writers on Oz
01:03
Edie Falco on not doing research for her role on Oz, and how she generally does not do research for roles
01:03
Edie Falco on the relationship between her character, "Diane Whittlesey" and Terry Kinney's character, "Tim McManus" on Oz
01:00
Edie Falco on the production schedule on Oz
00:40
Edie Falco on working with the producers and cast on Oz
01:14
Edie Falco on leaving Oz
00:31
Edie Falco on her favorite moment on Oz
00:38
Edie Falco on the legacy of Oz
00:48

Tom Fontana

View Interview
Tom Fontana on coming up with the title for Oz and the opening credits of the show, which feature him getting an Oz tattoo
02:06
Tom Fontana on creating Oz for HBO
04:44
Tom Fontana on doing extensive research in prisons for Oz
04:41
Tom Fontana on the themes of Oz
00:50
Tom Fontana on feedback he received from prisoners and prison workers about Oz
01:59
Tom Fontana on Emerald City, the experimental prison unit in Oz
01:42
Tom Fontana on Harold Perrineau as "Augustus Hill," the narrator of Oz
03:50
Tom Fontana on the end of Oz
01:47
Tom Fontana on where Oz was filmed and the tone of the set
00:51
Tom Fontana on the cast of Oz
03:26
Tom Fontana on writing Oz with no network censorship 
01:26

Barry Levinson

View Interview
Barry Levinson on pitching Oz at HBO to executive Chris Albrecht and what made the show different from previous prison dramas
02:40
Barry Levinson on the opening sequence of Oz, which featured show creator Tom Fontana getting a real tattoo of the title on his arm
01:03
Barry Levinson on his involvement on Oz as executive producer
01:48
Barry Levinson on HBO's input on Oz and the show's audience
00:57
Barry Levinson on the end of Oz and the show's legacy
01:28

Anne Meara

View Interview
Anne Meara on appearing on Oz
00:24

Rita Moreno

View Interview
Rita Moreno on co-starring in Oz and the freedom of working on a cable series
02:19
Rita Moreno on the graphic nature of her then-current series, Oz
02:02
Rita Moreno on how acting for television is different than acting for films, and appearing in Oz
05:04

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