Phenomenal Series, 10/10 in Every Way

So I have just completed watching HBO's 'Oz,' which was honestly one of the most surprising TV experiences I have ever had, because of how utterly brilliant this show was from beginning to end, a 10/10 in every way.

Not only does it have an unbelievable large cast of diverse, well-rounded characters, but explores (intelligently) so many deep subjects. From (obviously) life in prison and how inmates in America are treated, to the various complex shades of morality the prisoners weave through in order to survive, powerful questions about religion, God, life, and death, the depths of human depravity and darkness, the struggles of addiction and anger in the many ways they can manifest in one's life, to the faint light of hope and forgiveness that is so important, and the enigma of what freedom really is.

This to me was the TV show equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. There are other great shows out there, a few which personally appealed to me a bit more, but honestly, if I had to give an objective opinion as to what was the greatest, most flawless TV show ever made, it could very well be Oz.

So why the surprise?

Because it was made on HBO. Otherwise known as the epicenter of society's moral and intellectual degeneration. I am confident I have seen enough recent HBO shows to make that judgment, but HBO shows are in general, for the most part, critically acclaimed, TV-ratings breaking pornography. An Emmy for every tit shown. Soulless, morality bankrupt garbage masquerading as art, the very epitome of the "emperor's new clothes" idiom. As radically different and opposite to 'Oz' in every single way.

What a dramatic down-spiral that network has had in the past 10 years. Going from 'Oz' to the "award-winning" programming they have now is pretty much the equivalent of Robert De Niro's film career - from Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to Dirty Grandpa. You know, if Dirty Grandpa won 30 Oscars or something.

But it goes to show you, give things a chance, even if they come from unlikely sources. Oz is intensely mature subject matter done right - the few times it is indeed done right.



Arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhBWDzkqEPY