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Oz: The First Season DVD set

Hands down, HBO has got to be the best TV channel on the planet. Some of the series that they produce are the most original and exciting shows ever. For me it started out by getting my hands on the first season of Sex & The City on DVD, which I found hysterically funny in an intelligent sort of way. Then I got hooked on The Sopranos, which ranks as one of the best mob-related pieces of work… it’s easily right up there with The Godfather and Goodfellas. Then there’s the mini-series “From The Earth To The Moon”, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which tells the story of the Apollo missions. It’s about bloody time that HBO released the series that started it all…OZ.

Oz is short for Oswald State Penitentiary and is a story about life in prison. To describe it best, it’s basically a soap-opera for guys. Like you would imagine, it’s not a pretty picture and they don’t pull any punches. We see brawls erupting, riots flaming, and men raping each other. What’s so great about this series is that it shows the human side of prisoners. Yes, they’re evil, yes they’re despicable, yes they would be considered filth in society, but Oz lets you inside the workings of their minds. There’s a reason why these people are scum. Life in prison is about survival, and staying alive is the daily struggle of these characters. Each episode leaves you on the edge of your seat, biting you nails until you watch the next one.

The talent of the actors in this show is amazing. Most of them aren’t known to people, and the ones that are have probably only played bit parts in other shows. The most recognizeable face here is probably Edie Falco (who plays Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos), but this is where she got her break. The actors play the characters dead-on, and in my opinion, they’re a better overall cast than even The Sopranos.

HBO series DVDs have become like crack cocaine to me…. I can’t wait for the next installment of each season! I’m currently suffering from Sopranos withdrawal, and am probably going to experience Oz withdrawal soon. Thank God that Sex and the City Season 3 is only a month away! They also can’t release the eventual releases of Band Of Brothers and Six Feet Under fast enough. This is actually becoming more expensive than just subscribing to HBO!

Oz has quickly has become one of my favorite HBO shows, probably second only to The Sopranos. I can’t wait to see the 2nd season!

5 stars all the way baby!