10 Best Episodes of ‘Oz’

‘Oz’ set the template for modern prison drama with storylines that move fast and intertwine across gangs, staff, and the system that contains them. The series uses themed episodes and a chorus of narration to connect individual choices to institutional consequences, which makes certain hours stand out for how much they change the direction of Emerald City.

This list rounds up ten episodes that drive major arcs, shift alliances, and trigger lasting fallout. Each entry notes where it lands in the season, which characters are at the center, and what events carry through later chapters of ‘Oz’ so you can jump back into the show with clear bearings.

‘The Routine’

The series premiere introduces Emerald City as a controlled experiment inside Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary and lays out the rules that will keep getting bent. Season 1 episode 1 follows Tobias Beecher from intake to his first cell assignments and shows how Vernon Schillinger and Simon Adebisi establish power through intimidation, while Kareem Said arrives and states a plan for order. The hour also sets up Warden Leo Glynn and unit manager Tim McManus as the administrators trying to balance reform with security.

Key backstories start immediately and lead to future reprisals. Dino Ortolani’s conflicts pull in Nino Schibetta and Ryan O’Reily, Beecher’s dependency makes him a target, and Augustus Hill begins narrating the show’s themes. By the end of the episode, alliances between the Italians, the Homeboys, the Muslims, the Aryans, and the Irish are clearly drawn, which frames every move that follows in season 1.

‘Capital P’

Season 1 episode 4 marks the return of capital punishment in the state and follows the case of Jefferson Keane through to execution. Inside Emerald City, political decisions from Governor James Devlin ripple across cellblocks and counseling rooms, as Sister Peter Marie protests the policy and staff scramble to manage inmate reactions. Beecher tries to intervene but faces pressure from Schillinger that keeps him in line.

The episode locks in how executions change behavior in Oz. Death row becomes a focal point for debates among inmates and clergy, and the staff must enforce new procedures. Miguel Alvarez copes with personal loss that affects his standing with the Latinos, while Ryan O’Reily continues to work both sides of ongoing disputes. The processes and protocols shown here return many times later in the series.

‘To Your Health’

Season 1 episode 6 centers on health as a theme and moves several arcs forward at once. The staff attempt a senior unit and revisit policies for vulnerable prisoners, while Beecher’s substance use escalates and leads to a direct confrontation with Schillinger. Said suffers a cardiac crisis that alters leadership dynamics among the Muslims, and Jackson Vahue arrives to complicate Augustus Hill’s past and present.

The hour ties medical care to control on the unit floor. Decisions by Dr. Gloria Nathan and Father Ray Mukada intersect with Warden Glynn’s priorities, and small choices have big outcomes. By the end, Beecher has taken a stand that reshapes his role in Emerald City, and the pressure between Adebisi, O’Reily, and the Italians tightens as they maneuver around Peter Schibetta.

‘A Game of Checkers’

Season 1 episode 8 shows how a small dispute becomes a full scale prison riot. A game in the common area sparks a chain reaction, hostages are taken, and McManus negotiates while the governor plans a tactical response. The episode tracks command decisions minute by minute and shows how control rooms, corridors, and tiers change hands during a lockdown.

The fallout sets the agenda for season 2. Investigations look at causes and responsibility, inmate leadership shifts as factions trade leverage, and security protocols are rewritten. Injuries and deaths recorded here drive court cases, transfers, and promotions, which explains why later inquiries keep returning to choices made in this single hour.

‘Works of Mercy’

Season 4 episode 4 turns on the kidnapping of Beecher’s children and the escalating feud with Schillinger. A severed hand mailed into the prison raises the stakes for everyone who touches the mailroom and visitor logs. Under new management in Emerald City, Martin Querns tests a no violence policy that quietly tolerates drug trade among Adebisi, Pancamo, and Morales.

The episode also advances the undercover assignment of John Basil as he faces a final test to prove himself to the dealers. Legal work by Said intersects with appeals and commutations in other cases, including Shirley Bellinger on death row. Each track in this hour feeds the next set of reprisals and informs why Beecher and Keller make the choices they make for the rest of the season.

‘Gray Matter’

Season 4 episode 5 keeps the focus on control and manipulation. Basil confronts an old acquaintance who can expose his identity, while Querns’s trustee model elevates Adebisi and shifts the balance on the floor. Beecher and Keller chase leads on the abduction of Beecher’s children and push against Schillinger’s narrative in ways that affect parole boards and visitation.

Ryan O’Reily moves closer to the truth about the attack on Dr. Nathan and starts a line of leverage that will matter for both the Irish and the staff. Meanwhile, campaign pressures around Warden Glynn spill into day to day decisions. The choices in this hour set up a reckoning for several characters later in the season and clarify why certain alliances hold while others crack.

‘Famous Last Words’

Season 4 episode 16 closes out the split season with multiple endings and a few buried truths. Jeremiah Cloutier’s ministry collapses inside the walls, culminating in a construction scene that becomes one of the show’s coldest reveals. On the political side, a bombing plot fails while a different explosion lands, and the ripple knocks leadership and security into new positions.

Parole decisions and denials steer Beecher and Schillinger back into direct conflict, with Said’s response to ongoing provocations changing the Muslim bloc. Sports, hustles, and hustlers all converge here to set opening positions for the next year. The episode acts as a hinge for arcs that run from season 1 grievances to season 5 power plays.

‘Visitation’

Season 5 episode 1 reopens Emerald City after renovations and adds a tragedy on the front steps when a bus carrying family members crashes en route. Inside, the administration starts interaction sessions between Beecher, Said, and Schillinger to ease tensions, which pulls personal histories into official programming. Ryan O’Reily complicates the investigation into Patrick Keenan’s murder by scripting witness statements that target other inmates.

The hour brings new oversight from the statehouse and new faces on the tiers. Suzanne Fitzgerald begins community service at Oz, which changes the daily lives of Ryan and Cyril. The show also revisits solitary and general population placements that cause short term crowding and long term grudges, explaining why several conflicts escalate quickly in the weeks that follow.

‘Variety’

Season 5 episode 6 breaks format with a full inmate variety show that replaces the usual narration with short songs. Father Mukada hosts, Omar White headlines, and the acts reveal loyalties and pressures that standard interactions keep hidden. Behind the stage, Cyril’s trial finally begins, and the legal strategy for the O’Reily family becomes an urgent subplot.

Events offstage carry severe consequences. A church fire tied to Timmy Kirk leaves two priests dead and injures Mukada, which reshapes how the chaplaincy interacts with the death row tier. Medical and dental issues push Robson toward a procedure that affects his standing with the Aryans. The hour uses performance to surface information that shapes the rest of season 5.

‘Exeunt Omnes’

The series finale in season 6 episode 8 clears the decks across every block. Political investigations reach Governor Devlin and cost McManus his job in Emerald City, with Martin Querns stepping back into leadership. A package sent outside the prison delivers a final blow to the Brotherhood, and an evacuation order empties tiers that have been full since the pilot.

Individual endings land with lasting effects on the record. Keller dies in a way that implicates Beecher and triggers legal and personal consequences. Ryan confronts family history after Cyril’s fate, Alvarez revisits old habits, and Father Mukada learns truths about Hoyt’s past. The buses that pull away close the physical space of ‘Oz’ while leaving the paperwork and case files that explain how the story reached this point.

Share your own picks for the strongest hours of ‘Oz’ in the comments and tell us which episodes you revisit most.