Bear-VISION: OZ The Series Bear Edition
We all remember HBO's OZ, a captivating 90s series that gripped us with its dramatic tales of prison life, as well as lively individuals struggling to survive the Oswald State Correctional Facility, dubbed "OZ."
This show managed to be before of its time, offering us a casual glance into the mind of an inmate and the politics it takes to survive without losing their true feelings, from the interesting, yet dangerous convicts to the prison staff members.
Let's not forget, though, that OZ also provided us with some fantastic, well-timed comic bits as well as some legendary naked, filthy eye-candy scenes to break up the monotony of misery.
Despite the fact that OZ appears to have lost its appeal among today's viewers, the show continues to inspire new TV productions on other networks.
So, what if HBO decided to relaunch Oz and gave the casting role to a gay bear aka Me?
What if they gave me the option to replace the existing cast with whoever I chose, making it more bear-ish and big-boy-friendly?
So, I decided to accept the challenge and established a new post series called "Bear-Vision," in which I recast earlier shows with people that I believe would make excellent bear/big boy ambassadors.
Oz will serve as the starting point for this new series of blogs.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
As Glynn's philosophy in running a prison is retribution-based, he is very conservative on issues involving Law and Order, believing that the prisoners in Oz should serve hard time for hard crimes. As warden, he cares most about maintaining order in his prison and stopping the drug trade amongst other things.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Schillinger is the head of the Aryan Brotherhood inside the Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary ("Oz"). An ardent racist, he is serving an eight-year sentence for aggravated assault for beating up a black drug dealer with a crowbar for selling drugs to his sons.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Beecher, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is a successful attorney, husband and father, but also an alcoholic. One night, he drives drunk — something he had already been arrested for twice — and hits and kills a nine-year-old girl named Kathy Rockwell. He is offered a plea bargain that would have allowed him to serve his sentence in a minimum security prison, but Beecher, not wanting to do any time in prison, instead goes to trial seeking an acquittal. The effort fails and the judge, a family friend of the Beechers, decides to make an example of him and sentences him to 15 years in a maximum security prison with a chance for parole after four.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
O’Reily is an Irish American hoodlum originally sentenced to 12 years to life for killing two people while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, then 40 to life after confessing to a murder he had his brother, Cyril, commit. Before he was arrested for his original crime he was running a street gang of Irish-American hoodlums called the Bridge Street Gang, with Cyril as his lieutenant/bodyguard. When his brother is permanently brain-damaged in a fight with a rival at a funeral, Ryan, blaming himself, goes on a drug and alcohol-fueled rampage throughout the city.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Bob Rebadow is the oldest inmate on the show and a prominent member of "The Others", the group in Oz which generally stays away from trouble and gang related warfare. His age as well as experience in Oz makes his interactions with several other inmates dynamic; some see him as a mentor, others a survivor, and a few a vulnerable old man. Rebadow was a young architect sometime in the mid-1960s. With a child on the way, he was planning a large-scale architectural project. Rebadow committed his crime at a business lunch where he was displaying his blueprints to his business partner who laughs and mocks his designs. Enraged, Rebadow stabs his partner in the neck with his salad fork, killing him. In spite of the abrupt nature of the crime, Rebadow was still convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
McManus, the idealistic manager of Emerald City, is unlike the rest of the staff members at Oz as he has never been a CO, has a college education, and generally believes in the inmates as people more than the rest of the staff. Throughout the series, McManus believes that he can rehabilitate the prisoners hoping to turn them into better citizens. McManus is often questioned by Warden Leo Glynn with some of his motives but he usually comes on top of any situation he encounters.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Mentored by his godfather Burr Redding, Hill has been selling and using drugs since his teenage years. In 1995, a SWAT team came after him on a drug warrant on a tip from a friend named Kevin Ketchum, who gave up his location to avoid going to jail on an old warrant himself (this wasn't revealed until the fourth season of the show). The details of his capture are revealed in the second episode of the show. The SWAT team busted his apartment door down while he and his wife were having sex. He escaped out the window and raced up to the roof. Cornered there, Hill shot and killed one of the SWAT officers. In retaliation, he was thrown off the roof by another cop and was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Saïd is a Muslim and Black nationalist who was imprisoned for blowing up a white owned warehouse. In prison, Saïd immediately took charge of the Muslim prisoners, who sometimes chafed at both his extreme moral code and his apparent violations of those same standards. Saïd is sometimes confused to be a member of the 'Nation of Islam'. However, this indeed is not the case. In season 4 in one of his classes, it is written 'Muhammad the last prophet of Allah'. This is contradictory to the Nation of Islam's beliefs. Furthermore, Nation of Islam members do not wear kufis or Tasbih.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
He is a heroin addict imprisoned for armed robbery and attempted murder. He composes and recites free verse poetry. He gets paroled early with the help of Kareem Said and Tim McManus. His freedom is short-lived, however, as he soon kills a drug dealer who came after him to collect the money he owed. When back in prison, he is a full fledged member of the Homeboy gang, often acting as the second in command to whomever is in charge.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Arif is a former drug addict in prison for possession of stolen goods. In prison, he undergoes a spiritual transformation into one of the most well-behaved and non-violent prisoners throughout the series. A member of the Muslim group, he is primarily a lieutenant of Kareem Said. He supports the teachings of Islam by any means possible. He is a weak leader and considered by many as a dope, however, and is disliked somewhat throughout the series by Muslim prisoner Nacim Bismilla. He is also only one of a few inmate characters to survive all 6 seasons, although a "crime scene flashback" sequence for the character is never featured throughout the series.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Since early childhood, Agamemnon Busmalis had a strange fascination with digging. Outside of prison, he was known as "The Mole", having been an expert at digging tunnels to commit various robberies. He has never been with a woman sexually, and is a huge fan of the children's show Miss Sally's Schoolyard. Every time the inmates are watching the show, Busmalis can be heard saying "This is the best Miss Sally ever." He is a childish old man, who has led a life as a loner and outcast. . He was named after a Greek hero, Agamemnon.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Alvarez is sent to Oz for beating up a 75 year old man for scratching up his car. Alvarez arrives and is stabbed in the receiving and discharge area. Regarding this very first attack, it is never revealed why it was committed and no precise information is given about the attacking inmate. He is serving 15 years and is up for parole in 2 for aggravated assault. His girlfriend Maritza is pregnant with their child and is serving in a Woman's facility in the state. He has no intention of being there for the birth of his child since he has never met his father Eduardo or grandfather Ricardo who both are serving life sentences in Oz
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Father Ray Mukada is the chaplain of Oswald State Penitentiary, also known as Oz. He is a Catholic Priest who graduated at the top of his class at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was initially serving under Cardinal Francis Abgott (Gavin MacLeod) who called him his "Great Yellow Hope". Abgott's extremely conservative views clashed with Mukada's more idealistic ones. After disagreeing with the Cardinal a few times too often, he was transferred to Oz, which "extinguished" his career as a priest. He works alongside Sister Peter Marie, trying to help the prisoners in Oz. Although Father Ray Mukada and the Christian group have some issues about religion in the series, Father Ray still tries his hardest to make life in Oz a little easier for the inmates. He has been noted for several attempts to try and straighten up the inmates from drug addictions, murders, etc. He is still the main religious authority in Oz. Although it was forced upon him, he appears to grow into the role of a spiritual guide over time and firmly believes that his work is important. However, he is not without vices, being a heavy smoker and often cussing.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Nicknamed 'The Enforcer', Pancamo is introduced in the show's second season. He is an Italian-American gangster serving time for tying a woman in a bag and throwing her into the ocean. Extremely muscular, he is primarily an enforcing member of the titular prison's Italian gang until he is asked to take over by Mafia boss Antonio Nappa. Pancamo runs the gambling and drug businesses in Oz. He is one of the most feared men in Oz, but makes several mistakes as a soldier and as a leader of the Italians. But he does find a way to come out of each situation through his toughness and is one of the few leaders in Oz to make it through the duration of the show. For some reason he's got a hell's angel tattoo under his shirt
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Cyril was a Black Irish hoodlum like his brother Ryan (who's actually his half-brother, as was revealed by Suzanne Fitzgerald). Cyril was Ryan's bodyguard in their street gang, called the Bridger Street Gang, until he was injured in a fight, suffering brain damage and becoming mentally handicapped. In the second season of Oz, Cyril murdered the husband of Dr. Gloria Nathan on orders from his brother, who was in love with Dr. Nathan. Upon arriving in prison, Cyril was originally housed with Vernon Schillinger, head of the Aryan Brotherhood. After Schillinger raped Cyril, Ryan got his brother transferred to his own cell. Throughout the series Cyril struck a discordant note as a very innocent and childlike personality in the body of a physically powerful and sometimes violent man. His brother Ryan tried to protect him, and the relationship between the two served as a way of humanizing the otherwise completely amoral Ryan. In the last season of the show, Cyril was executed despite Ryan's multiple attempts to save his brother, and despite Cyril's low mental capacity.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Guerra is one of the four Latinos let into the newly rebuilt Em City and spends most of the time following the orders of Miguel Alvarez, their default leader. He grows impatient with Alvarez throughout the season as Chico wants the Latinos to be more forceful in the drug trade. Miguel is sitting on the sideline of a war between the Italians, led by Peter Schibetta, and the Homeboys, led by Simon Adebisi, wondering who to work with. As the Homeboys gradually dominate the Italians, Adebisi refuses to be partners with Alvarez, as the latter refused to help in the takeover.
Chico grows impatient after Adebisi disrespects Alvarez, who refuses to have the Latinos go to war against the Bikers. Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez, a legendary Latino inmate, arrives and takes charge. Guerra uses this opportunity to berate Alvarez, who has been cast out of the gang for being "too white." Alvarez then asks Hernandez what he has to do to get back in, and El Cid tells him to blind a new Latino CO, Eugene Rivera, who was once in a rival gang on the outside. Alvarez does as he's told, earning him Guerra's respect.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Upon his arrival, Keller allies himself with the Aryan Brotherhood "owing" the gang's leader, Vernon Schillinger, who protected him as a 17-year-old during a previous sentence, in exchange for sex. Schillinger arranges for Keller to meet Tobias Beecher, Schillinger's former sex slave, with the intent of gaining his trust and seducing him. A mutual attraction instantly forms between them, and the two eventually exchange confessions of love. Unbeknown to Beecher, however, Keller has betrayed him to Schillinger and the Aryans, who beat him so mercilessly that they break both his arms and legs. Keller obviously enjoys the beating, but is briefly seen experiencing a moment of regret when he returns to his empty cell.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Sean Murphy is an Irish American Correctional Officer on the HBO drama OZ, played by Robert Clohessy. A fair and honest officer, Murphy is handpicked by Tim McManus to act as the head CO of Emerald City as he and McManus are lifelong friends. Throughout the series, he is highly regarded by both McManus and Warden Leo Glynn as he displays honesty, integrity, a lack of bias, and a belief in justice much more than the rest of the Correctional Staff. As a result he is one of the best COs in Oz and does a better job commanding the COs than most anyone else. He does, however, form a relationship of mutual respect with fellow Irish American Ryan O'Reily, an inmate. While he at times shows preferential treatment to O'Reily, he also discovers Ryan's scheme to drug his brother's boxing opponents and puts an end to it.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
A sadistic racist, Robson is imprisoned for murdering a black man whom he saw walking home with his wife/girlfriend. In Oz, Robson acts as Vernon Schillinger's main lieutenant and is one of the most savage members of the Aryan Brotherhood. He is highly regarded by Schillinger until after a dental operation, the dentist tells Robson that he had implanted the gums of an African American into Robson's mouth. Once word gets around, Schillinger casts Robson out of the Brotherhood even though Robson rips the skin grafts out of his mouth. This dental operation results in Robson becoming completely unhinged
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Jaz Hoyt was adopted by a wealthy family. His birth mother abandoned him at an orphanage, while his real father died in prison. He demonstrated anti-social behavior as a child, he tortured and killed animals. According to psychiatrists who had worked with him in the past, Hoyt even sodomized a playmate. His adopted parents did all they could for him. Hoyt graduated Phillips Exeter, and dropped out of Harvard.
Hoyt eventually took up with joining biker gangs, and from there on out he was a biker. It would be a quick temper that would get him in Oz. He was renting a tape from a video store, but the clerk continued to yap away on the phone, ignoring his customers. Hoyt grew impatient, and beat the clerk with the videotape he was renting out of anger and frustration. He was sent to Oz on convictions of assault in the first degree.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Serving a life sentence for beheading an undercover cop with a machete, and as the leader of the Black gang in Oz (dubbed the "Homeboys"), Simon Adebisi was considered one of the prison's most dangerous inmates, and became one of the most recognizable characters on the show. Some of his visual characteristics were his muscle shirts, stereo headphones, long striped socks, slippers, and the knit hats he wore far back up on his shaved head. On the show, he portrayed one of the fiercest, most powerful, and most violent inmates inside of Oz, feared by virtually everyone in the prison.
Adebisi is a native of Nigeria, of the Yoruba people, and speaks with a strong accent, but had been in America for about fifteen years prior to his incarceration. Little is known of his life as a free man. Even his marital status is conjectural: in a scene where he is in restraints in the prison infirmary, he tells Dr. Nathan that "the last time a woman tied me up like this, I married her!" However, since Simon was heavily sedated at the time (courtesy of Miguel Alvarez) it is possible he was not being serious. In season 1, Adebisi signs up for a conjugal visit, for which (according to Sister Peter Marie) marriage is a requirement.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
A Corrections Officer in the prison, Lopresti is a mean-spirited, racist bully who terrorizes non-white inmates. It is also shown that he has an alliance with the Aryan brotherhood in Season 3, having snuck in the heroin to Andrew Schillinger that he would OD from and die, on orders from Vernon Schillinger after Andrew "renounces" his father and gets thrown in the hole after fighting him.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Arrested and convicted for putting his baby in a rat infested dumpster, he was part of Ryan O'Reily's Irish prison gang and colluded with O'Reily on several occasions regarding possible friction between both the Irish and the Homeboys, as well as in the aftermath of the prison riot. He for a while worked on janitor duty in Death Row, and delivered messages between Simon Adebisi and Shirley Bellinger.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Devlin, the governor of the state, is hated by most of the inmates and some of the staff members at the Oswald State Correctional facilities as he proposes several anti-prisoner acts of legislation through his election campaign promise of "No perks for prisoners." Throughout the series, he is also on trial for various political charges but then things eventually get worse when the mayor who helped him get elected, Wilson Loewen arrives in Oz. From there Oz's staff learns some of Devlin's secrets that could lead to his eventual imprisonment. Devlin is frequently shown as opportunistic and morally dubious, often passing strict legislation in order to increase support. Despite his political image, Devlin is shown as a bullying sadistic elitist only out for himself, an image he doesn't bother trying to hide in private. He knows that the public views him as such but will vote for him because he gets the results they want.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Tony Masters, prisoner 98M922 was sent to Emerald City in 1998, when it reopened after 1997 riot. As the leader of the prison's gay population, Masters is almost always seen with fellow gay inmates Fiona Zonioni (his cell mate), Pinkerton and Downing. Also, Masters was a friend of Jason Cramer and was his corner man in the boxing episodes.
When Alonzo Torquemada came to Oz in Season 6, Masters became infatuated with him. When the series ended, Masters was handcuffed to Torquemada and they were evacuated from the prison together
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Morales is one of the most powerful Latinos in Oz, incarcerated for killing another man in a fight. In Oz, he assumes leadership of El Norte by ordering the death of Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez.
Often allied with Chucky Pancamo, he is a true businessman who only makes decisions based on how to get more political influence within Oz. He is also less hotheaded than the rest of the Latinos. With Morales in charge, the Latinos prosper in the drug trade.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Redding arrives in Oz and the Homeboys have been in disarray since the death of Simon Adebisi,the former leader of the Homeboys, and unit manager Tim McManus believes that Redding can bring them back into order immediately. Introduced to Kareem Said and McManus, Redding congratulates Said not for his intents to change Black men but for murdering Adebisi (given that Adebisi was one of the most dangerous inmates in Oz). He lets McManus know that he knows the prison routine better than anyone given his criminal history. Upon arrival, he reunites with his stepson Augustus Hill who tells him that the gang he wants to run, the Homeboys are being led by inmate Arnold "Poet" Jackson. Poet is not that great of a leader and is in no position to deny leadership from Redding.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Wangler is sent to Oz for murder and is immediately seen as a target. After he compliments Kareem Said, Said tries to convert him to Islam but his heroin addiction keeps him off the straight and narrow path. Adebisi suggests to current Homeboy leader, Jefferson Keane to let him in so that the Homeboys can wipe out the Italians. Wangler and Adebisi ambush Joey D'Angelo, Nino Schibetta's right hand man, in the kitchen and proves that he has a place in the gang. He robs elderly inmate Bob Rebadow for no apparent reason other than it is easy to do so and is choked by Unit Manager Tim McManus for his behavior and lack of respect. Throughout the season up to the riot, Wangler remains a key drug dealer and user who goes insane during the riot from withdrawal.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
He is a drug addict sent to Oz for shooting a witness in his cousin's murder trial to death. He first appears in Part II of Season 4 and seemingly takes over the role of the wayward inmate who Tim McManus attempts to rehabilitate - a role previously held by Miguel Alvarez. Eventually, McManus gives up on Omar and returns to helping Alvarez in Season 5.
At this point, Kareem Said steps in and takes over McManus' role with Omar. Said manages to keep Omar on the straight and narrow path until he discovers that Omar has been secretly dealing drugs on Burr Redding's behalf. After this, Said also gives up on Omar and Omar is sent to solitary and, with no one left to vouch for him, is forced to stay there after the biannual solitary review.
Fortunately for Omar, the cells in solitary are contaminated and he is allowed to live in Em City again. He initially agrees to kill his cellmate Lemuel Idzik, seeking to avenge Kareem Said, but when he changes his mind - Idzik murders him instead
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Hughes started out as a corrections guard at Oz. Warden Glynn did not want Clayton working in Oz, though. The main reason was that Clayton's father, Samuel Hughes, was murdered in Oz. Glynn and Clayton's father were best friends and fellow C.O.s working at the same time when an inmate killed Sam. It was later revealed that Samuel Hughes died because of Warden Glynn's mistake as a C.O. Clayton is a very troubled person who has been watched over by Warden Leo Glynn growing up.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
El Cid arrives in Oz for murder, and is one of the most respected inmates amongst the Latinos. He immediately ousts Alvarez, the current leader, whom he considers to be "too white." Alvarez is light in complexion but what El Cid really means is that he doesn't think he is man enough to be among El Norte. He is fully supported by fellow Latino Carmen Guerra. While managing El Norte, a new Latino CO named Eugene Rivera is hired. Rivera was in Los Diablos, a rival gang of El Cid's, and promises to make Hernandez's life a living hell while working in Oz. Alvarez wants to be in El Cid's good graces and El Cid then tells him that he can be in El Norte again if he blinds Rivera. Alvarez is stunned that he must do this but will eventually do so. In the meantime, Rivera is looking for any excuse to brutalize Hernandez, nearly beating him for the most minor infractions. Hernandez then tells Alvarez to hurry up, calling him "white boy" and the anglicized version of his name, "Michael." Alvarez blinds Rivera and then is let back in by Hernandez.
Character Summary From OZ TV Wiki
Nappa was an Italian mob boss sentenced to prison for killing a man in a strip bar. He takes control of the prison's Italian gang after Peter Schibetta is sent to the psych ward. He also works in the kitchen. He partners with Kenny Wangler to sell drugs and is often advised by Chucky Pancamo. Nappa's life is ruined when Simon Adebisi, leader of the rival Homeboys gang, infects him with HIV
OZ Trailer
[TV-14] MATURE AUDIENCES
There’s no place like Oz. From creator Tom Fontana, all 6 seasons of Oz are available to watch on HBO NOW: http://itsh.bo/hbonowyt
Oz is an HBO drama series about the Oswald State Correctional Facility that premiered in 1997, starring Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, George Morfogen and Terry Kinney.
Sources
IMBD: www.imdb.com
IMDB OZ: www.imdb.com/oz
OZ TV Wiki: https://oztv.fandom.com
HBO OZ Cast: www.hbo.com/oz/cast-and-crew
HBO YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/hbo