
Oz, created by Tom Fontana for HBO, was the first one-hour drama series produced by HBO and the show that proved the network could produce serious long-form narrative television. Set in the fictional Oswald State Correctional Facility's experimental unit, Oz presented an unflinching portrait of prison life with a multiracial ensemble cast navigating gang politics, racial conflict, sexual violence, and the systematic dehumanization of incarceration. Oz directly paved the way for The Sopranos and everything that followed on HBO, demonstrating that a premium cable channel could produce long-form drama that the broadcast networks would never attempt.
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