"OZ, that's the name on the street for the Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary. OZ is retro, OZ is retribution. You wanna punish a man? Separate him from his family, separate him from himself, cage him up with his own kind." ~ Augustus Hill
So my girlfriend and I
just finished watching the full series of OZ
and I realize I miss the hell out of it. I have seen the whole series a number of times,
but she was an OZ virgin. Like so
many prisoners in Oswald State Correctional Facility (Level 4), she was gripped
by the gritty, prison drama and beaten into submission. It did not take long
for her to become an OZ fan.
I have been a fan of many
shows that have received a stay of execution at the zero hour. I love Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place
(even without the pizza place). Roswell
was the best show about high school aliens ever. I still hope that somebody will see the
awesomeness in Jericho and finally
give us some answers. And now we have shows like Family Guy and Futurama that
get cancelled and come back for round two.
That all got me thinking
– Why not my OZ? The shows I
mentioned were cool shows, but they are pretty much forgettable. That is not
the case with HBO’s OZ. This is one
show that really does deserve a second chance. Why was it cancelled, you ask?
As far as I can tell, the
show was too gritty and pushed the envelope too far for a mainstream audience
by 2003. Plus, the stars were all moving on to higher paid and better gigs.
Finally throw in The Sopranos really
getting big, and there was just too much stacked against OZ.
The fans want OZ back, though. That is why I started
an online petition to bring OZ back
on the air. To kick off the launching of this petition, and the launching of
this site, I am going to do a five part series showing how awesome it would be
for everyone to bring this great show back to the masses.
Today I just want to
familiarize everyone with the basic story of OZ. Stay tuned for posts talking about other aspects of the show;
including writing, cast, style, and even my suggestion for new season
storylines. Make sure you sign the Bring OZ
Back petition and tell your friends, family, and pets.
OZ told the stories of the inmates and workers of the fictional
Oswald State Correctional Facility. Inside this maximum security prison was an
experimental unit nicknamed ‘Emerald
City’. This special unit of OZ was meant to concentrate more heavily on the
rehabilitation of the prisoners. It did this by allowing them more freedoms
than the general population; but it also had a much tighter control over many
aspects of the prisoners’ daily lives.
In charge of Em City was
Tim McManus, a dreamy-eyed man who really wanted to help the inmates of the
prison. His philosophy was that every man, no matter how violent his crime, can
be returned to the public a better person. It was this blind optimism that
really kept the Em City project from being shut down.
Warden Leo Glynn butted
heads with McManus a lot, but usually gave in to most demands. The warden was a
good man, but he was hardened from busting his ass all the way up from a
correctional officer. He also had a boss that he had to deal with, and that
boss was a real douchebag.
Governor Devlin is the
poster-boy for corrupt and evil politicians. Every decision this creepy, little
man makes is for his own benefit. Em City, and Oswald State Facility in
general, is always a thorn in his side. There are only two people in this
series that you do not end up rooting for at some point, and Devlin is one of
them.
The inmates of Oswald are
just trying to survive. Most of them fall into certain groups within the prison
walls, generally centered on race. Each group is battling for the drug trade,
money, power, or just simply waving their junk around to show whose is bigger.
This is where a lot of the drama in OZ
comes from.
While you are waiting for part two of my Bring OZ Back series, please head on over and sign the petition and tell HBO what we really want.
While you are waiting for part two of my Bring OZ Back series, please head on over and sign the petition and tell HBO what we really want.
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