50 Fun Facts About Oz (HBO)

Oz was created and principally written by whom?

He had previously run Homicide: Life on the Street for NBC.

Oz holds what distinction in HBO's history?

It premiered in July 1997, a year and a half before The Sopranos.

In what year did Oz premiere?

It ran for six seasons, ending in February 2003.

How many seasons did Oz run?

The full run totalled 56 episodes.

'Oz' is the nickname of which fictional prison?

It is a level 4 maximum-security prison in an unnamed East Coast state, implied to be New York.

The experimental wing where most of the show is set is called what?

Both the prison's nickname and the unit's name nod to L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz.

Which unit manager runs Em City with an emphasis on rehabilitation?

Em City is deliberately balanced between racial and social groups to ease tensions.

Who is the warden of Oz?

Ernie Hudson played him for all six seasons.

Which inmate serves as the show's narrator?

Harold Perrineau's character delivers context, thematic analysis and humor from a wheelchair.

Who played the show's narrator?

He went on to play Michael Dawson on Lost and Sheriff Boyd Stevens on From.

How did the show's narrator end up in a wheelchair?

It happened during a 1995 SWAT raid after he shot an officer.

Which Oz gang is led by Schillinger?

Its other named members in Em City include Robson and Mack.

Who played Vern Schillinger?

He later won an Oscar for Whiplash and played Dr. Emil Skoda across the Law & Order franchise.

Schillinger insists his surname be pronounced how?

Mispronouncing it as 'Schillin-jur' is a running gag on the show.

Who played the Harvard-educated lawyer Tobias Beecher?

He had met Tom Fontana years earlier while waiting tables at New York's Empire Diner.

Beecher was sent to Oz for what crime?

He refused a plea deal that would have meant minimum security, and got 15 years in maximum security instead.

How many regular characters survived the entire run of Oz?

They included Beecher, Rebadow, O'Reily, Alvarez, Poet, Sister Pete, McManus, Father Mukada and Dr. Nathan.

Who played the sociopathic Chris Keller?

He played Keller and SVU's Elliot Stabler simultaneously until Oz ended in 2003.

Which Law & Order spin-off did Meloni star in while still appearing on Oz?

He played Elliot Stabler on both shows at once until Oz was cancelled.

Who played the Irish schemer Ryan O'Reily?

He later became Allstate's 'Mayhem' and Dennis Duffy on 30 Rock.

The creator wrote the part of Ryan O'Reily for its actor after meeting him where?

Winters appeared in all 56 episodes.

The actor behind O'Reily later became famous as which insurance-ad character?

The Allstate campaign began in 2010, the same year Tina Fey brought him back to 30 Rock.

Who played the Nigerian inmate Simon Adebisi?

He later played Mr. Eko on Lost.

Adebisi was killed off in season four so his actor could film which movie?

He played Lock-Nah in the 2001 sequel.

How many lines did Adebisi have in the Oz pilot?

Fontana liked the performance so much the character was a lead by the end of season one.

Adebisi led which Em City faction?

Other members named in the show include Wangler, Redding, Poet and Keane.

Which British actor played Muslim leader Kareem Saïd?

He won the inaugural CableACE Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series for the first season.

Who played Warden Leo Glynn?

Ghostbusters' Winston Zeddemore; his son Ernie Hudson Jr. also appeared on the show.

Which EGOT-winning actress played the nun-psychologist Sister Peter Marie?

She won several ALMA Awards for the role.

Who played Em City's idealistic unit manager?

He also directed two episodes, 'Cruel and Unusual Punishments' and 'Wheel of Fortune'.

The actor who played the unit manager was married until 2006 to which Oz co-star?

She played death-row inmate Shirley Bellinger and later Eames on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Who played the Latino inmate Miguel Alvarez?

He was promoted to series regular in season two and later played Joe Toye in Band of Brothers.

Before The Sopranos, Edie Falco played which Oz corrections officer?

She appeared on the show from 1997 to 2000.

B. D. Wong played which character on all six seasons of Oz?

He was simultaneously Dr. Huang on Law & Order: SVU.

Which Beverly Hills, 90210 star played Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier in 2001-02?

Cloutier led the Christian faction alongside Coushaine and Cudney.

Which Wu-Tang Clan rapper played Tug Daniels on Oz?

He later played Cheese on The Wire and Rodney on The Deuce, all for HBO.

Who played the mobster Chucky 'the Enforcer' Pancamo?

A former celebrity bodyguard and stuntman, he joined after a 1996 meeting with Fontana.

Which future Dexter star played Latino leader Enrique Morales?

A former New York police officer, he later played Angel Batista for Showtime.

Luis Guzmán played which inmate from 1998 to 2000?

He later played Gomez Addams on Wednesday.

Željko Ivanek played which recurring Oz character?

He had also played Ed Danvers on Fontana's Homicide: Life on the Street.

Who played Dr. Gloria Nathan, the prison physician?

She later played Elena on Ugly Betty.

Seth Gilliam, later The Wire's Carver, played which Oz guard?

The Wire's Ellis Carver was his next big HBO role.

Betty Buckley played Suzanne Fitzgerald, the mother of which inmate pair?

The Broadway star appeared in seasons four to six.

The creator's Oz logo tattoo appears where in the show?

He is shown receiving the tattoo on his upper right arm.

Which NBC drama had the Oz creator run before creating Oz?

Many Oz actors, including Dean Winters and Edie Falco, had appeared on it first.

How many episodes of Oz were made?

DirecTV's 101 Network later aired all of them uncut and upscaled to HD in 2009.

Which guest actor earned Oz one of its only two Primetime Emmy nominations?

He played riot investigator Alvah Case; the other nomination was for casting.

Which company co-produced Oz with HBO and owns its copyright?

Paramount later acquired Rysher, which is why Paramount handles international rights.

Which UK broadcaster aired Oz in a late-night slot?

Ireland's TG4 also screened it at 11 p.m.

What score did Metacritic give the first season of Oz?

Critics split between 'gripping' and 'a pretentious exercise in cheap thrills'.