Oz was the first one-hour dramatic television series to
be produced by HBO. The show, which aired for six seasons
(1997-2003), is set in a maximum-security prison in an
unspecified locale in the U.S. Northern states. The series
was created by Tom Fontana and produced by Barry Levinson.
Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility.
Many of the plot arcs are set in Emerald City ("Em
City"), an experimental unit of the prison, where
the unit manager tries to emphasize rehabilitation and
learning responsibility during incarceration. Emerald
City is a controlled environment. There is a limited number
of members of each racial and social group (Muslims, Italian
Americans, Latinos, Homosexuals, Neo-Nazis, Blacks, Irish
Americans and others). The microcosm of Emerald City is
a metaphor for racial and economic struggles. Oz avoids
any easy answers as to the origin of violence and criminality.
Even the worst offenders are shown to have moments of
humanity, while the supposedly "normal" characters
come to commit their own atrocities.
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