Oz rerun on CBS Action: does it still stand up?

[porp]

http://www.cbsaction.tv/uk/articles.php?feature=839

So who's watching the Oz reruns? Completely loved it when first shown on ?C4 many many years back. Now I'm watching again, still love it, but with reservations.
1. Augustus - now that guy is obviously a versatile actor, but his narrator shtick (complete with continuous heavy handed 'street wisdom') - this is starting to grate.
2. Kareem Said - yes, a character can be pompous and self regarding, but vary the tone a little? The guy doesn't have the charisma to get so many followers.
3. Muslims praying out loud. We do sometimes - but not the bits that that Oz makes loud. For crying out loud.
4. Various do gooders - what do we make of the way that McManus, Peter Marie, the priest guy - none of them learn from their mistakes and prisoners keep running rings around them. This makes them oddly one-note characters too.

On the other hand, I could watch Simon Adebisi all day.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

I did try to arrange a U75 mass-watching some years ago, in the hope that we could comment episode-by-episode as we do with Thrones, but no fucker was interested, so I didn't even bother myself.

I originally caught the series as part of Four Later too, not initially for the drama - I was a horny teenager without Internet-access and found it convenient, but I watched properly from series three (in my bedroom through headphones). By the time scifi series five reached C4 (I seem to remember a long gap) I was convinced it was the greatest thing on TV. Still think it tramples all over most of the more successful HBO series, especially the Sopranos.

I'm gonna have to disagree with most of your pointers, though. I thought the narrator-is-regular character idea was fantastic, but then I thought Hill was great so I would say that.

As for the do-gooders, I'll single out McManus for criticism, but I think it was almost entirely an ego-trip and a desire to prove his snooty detractors wrong and not a sincere wish to 'do good' on his part. Throughout the show all I kept thinking was, why is this allowed to continue? Emerald City is an absolute failure, just give the man his cards and stick everyone back in general population and watch the violence stats drop. Sister Pete I thought was great, loved her scenes with almost everyone. Father Ray, I'm less sure of (this could be because I haven't watched the show in 5+ years) all I remember is he didn't much care for his bishop and possibly/probably fancied the arse off Alvarez, that's about it.

Deffo gonna have to dig out the DVDs very soon. I shouldn't be working my way through a boxset of My Family when I could be watching Oz

 

[porp]

I did try to arrange a U75 mass-watching some years ago, in the hope that we could comment episode-by-episode as we do with Thrones, but no fucker was interested, so I didn't even bother myself.

Strange that Oz hasn't gathered the devoted fanbase that other HBO imports have. Knocks spots off the Wire, IMHO. Has all the ingredients - pace, wit, decent writing, swastikas burned onto bums...I'll join your DVD session in spirit.

 

[cypher79]

Strange that Oz hasn't gathered the devoted fanbase that other HBO imports have. Knocks spots off the Wire, IMHO. Has all the ingredients - pace, wit, decent writing, swastikas burned onto bums...I'll join your DVD session in spirit.

I think the reason Oz doesn't get talked about like other HBO shows, is because it started to all get rather stupid towards the end, with ludicrous storylines galore.

The first few seasons were great though, shame they couldn't stay on course.

 

[mack]

I think the reason Oz doesn't get talked about like other HBO shows, is because it started to all get rather stupid towards the end, with ludicrous storylines galore.

The first few seasons were great though, shame they couldn't stay on course.

Very true - it's sometimes hard to recommend a TV show to people when you know it went a bit shit towards the end, see also Dexter, West Wing, 24.

 

[5t3IIa]

I think the reason Oz doesn't get talked about like other HBO shows, is because it started to all get rather stupid towards the end, with ludicrous storylines galore.

The first few seasons were great though, shame they couldn't stay on course.

Also I don't think there was the same boxset/catch-up culture there is now.

I have the boxset and watched the whole thing when I was unemployed in 2010 It stands up, imo, but I alwasy liked it. Initially for similar reasons to Nine Bob Note - a cock per ep But watching it in a binge gives it something else (obvs). Eg the first ep is dedicated to Alvarez (?afair) then he's in the background then he's back by s3 or whatever then he's back again near the end... the circle of doing life, type thing.

Spoiler: NSFW

 

[Pickman's model]

Very true - it's sometimes hard to recommend a TV show to people when you know it went a bit shit towards the end, see also Dexter, West Wing, 24.

you could always say ' it starts really well but gets a bit tired by season (x)'

 

[krtek a houby]

Strange that Oz hasn't gathered the devoted fanbase that other HBO imports have. Knocks spots off the Wire, IMHO. Has all the ingredients - pace, wit, decent writing, swastikas burned onto bums...I'll join your DVD session in spirit.

Don't forget the spooning scene