Best tv shows like Oz
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows similar to Oz? Provide your familiarity to help others towards movies and tv shows you've watched before that they may also enjoy. Help enlarge the group of people suggesting videos to each other. We welcome your input!
Plot Summary:
The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where ingroups - Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorizes their mutual enemies.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 105000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, bleak, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, serious, talky, dramatic, controversial
Best tv shows and movies like Oz (1997):
Similar in 80%
Bad Girls (1999)
Plot Summary:
Bad Girls is a British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1 June 1999 to 20 December 2006 and starred Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones, Debra Stephenson, Linda Henry, Jack Ellis and many more throughout the eight-year run. The series was broadcast in 17 countries and was produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road. It is set in the fictional women's prison of Larkhall, and features a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing. From 2010, the UK broadcast rights were bought by CBS Drama, and is repeated regularly – as of September 2012, the channel is re-running the series again in a late-night time slot.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
Prisoner: Cell Block H (1979)
Plot Summary:
Prisoner is an Australian soap opera that is set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. In the United States and United Kingdom it was billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, and in Canada as Caged Women. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation in Australia, and aired on Network Ten, running 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, after originally only devised as a 16 part mini-series. The series was inspired by British television drama Within These Walls, which had achieved moderate success in Australia. Prisoner producers even approached Googie Withers of Within These Walls to play the role of Prisoner's governor, an offer that she declined. Because of an injunction brought by UK-based ATV, which considered the title too similar to their own series, The Prisoner, it was originally not possible for overseas broadcasters to screen the show under the Prisoner title, which necessitated a name change. In March 2012, it was announced that the series would be "reimagined" on Foxtel in a new version entitled Wentworth.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, soap opera
Similar in 75%
Buried (2003)
Plot Summary:
Buried is a British television drama series, produced by World Productions for Channel 4 and originally screened in 2003. The programme starred Lennie James as Lee Kingley, who is serving a long prison sentence in order to protect a member of his family from a violent criminal. Critically well-received, the programme won the Best Drama Series category at the British Academy Television Awards in 2004.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 193
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, thought provoking, bleak, captivating, realistic
Similar in 87%
Civil Brand (2002)
Plot Summary:
Forced to work under slave-like conditions in a "prison for profit" program, the inmates of a mostly-African-American female prison, Whitehead Correctional, try to take over the institution. At the core of the story is Frances, who finds herself in prison after being falsely convicted of murder, and who is told that her baby has been murdered, sparking her to lead her fellow inmates in the protest.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 790
Genere: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, bleak, disturbing, thought provoking, serious, realistic, suspenseful, hood, independent film
Similar in 83%
Screwed (2011)
Plot Summary:
The film is a semi-biographical story based on the experiences of former prison guard Ronnie Thompson who spent seven years working in some of the UK's most dangerous prisons. Based on Thompson's book of the same name, the project stars James D'Arcy (Master & Commander), Noel Clarke (Kidulthood), Frank Harper (The Football Factory), Jamie Foreman (Layer Cake), Andrew Shim (This Is England) and Kate Magowan (Stardust). The story revolves around former soldier Sam Norwood who takes a job as a prison officer when he returns from Iraq and becomes exposed to the underworld of prison culture - including corrupt guards and drug trafficking.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, tense, serious, sincere, bleak, captivating, emotional, realistic, cult film
Similar in 81%
The Experiment (2010)
Plot Summary:
20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 57000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, tense, disturbing, reflective, thought provoking, stylized, visually appealing, clever, brutal
Similar in 75%
An Innocent Man (1989)
Plot Summary:
Jimmie Rainwood was minding his own business when two corrupt police officers (getting an address wrong) burst into his house, expecting to find a major drug dealer. Rainwood is shot, and the officers frame him as a drug dealer. Rainwood is convicted of drug dealing, based on the perjured evidence of a police informant. Thrown into a seedy jail, fighting to prove his innocence is diffucult when he has to deal with the realities of prison life, where everyone claims they were framed.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, suspense, intense, suspenseful, disturbing, rough, serious, realistic, scary
Similar in 83%
Bad Boys (1983)
Plot Summary:
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, realistic, disturbing, tense, serious, entertaining, bleak, suspenseful, epic
Similar in 86%
Felon (2008)
Plot Summary:
A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: brutal, realistic, tense, emotional, serious, sincere, social, grindhouse, cerebral, rough
Similar in 81%
Cell 211 (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, psychological, intense, tricky, rough, bleak, clever, dramatic, realistic
Similar in 79%
Bronson (2008)
Plot Summary:
A young man who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter ego, Charles Bronson.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 139000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: UK, Denmark
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: surreal, stylized, harsh, bloody, rough, realistic, serious, art house, grindhouse, cerebral
Similar in 86%
Animal Factory (2000)
Plot Summary:
A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, atmospheric, harsh, disturbing, intense, serious, rough, cult classic
Similar in 82%
Orange Is the New Black (2013)
Plot Summary:
A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 316000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: humorous, clever, offbeat, realistic, erotic, sexy, captivating, melancholic, funny, epic
Similar in 88%
Lock Up (1989)
Plot Summary:
Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration was publicly humiliated by Leone, and has now arrived on the scene to ensure that Leone never sees the light of day.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: suspense, intense, realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, brutal, clever, cult classic
Similar in 77%
Wentworth (2013)
Plot Summary:
Bea Smith is locked up while awaiting trial for the attempted murder of her husband and must learn how life works in prison. A modern adaptation and sequel of the iconic Prisoner series.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, suspenseful, rough, bleak, erotic, sexy, dark, dramatic, thrilling
Similar in 90%
Sleepers (1996)
Plot Summary:
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 234000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sadistic, harsh, suspenseful, suspense, serious, psychological, brutal, intense, emotional
Similar in 76%
Scum (1979)
Plot Summary:
This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. The brutal regime made no attempt to reform or improve the inmates and actively encouraged a power struggle between the 'tough' new inmate and the 'old hands'. The film was originally made as a BBC play but it was banned before ever being shown.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, tense, serious, controversial, offbeat, depressing, art house, grindhouse, cult classic
Similar in 77%
Midnight Express (1978)
Plot Summary:
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, suspense, depressing, psychological, serious, tense, controversial, grim, bleak
Similar in 90%
The Experiment (2001)
Plot Summary:
Das Experiment is a shocking psycho thriller about the potential for brutality that humans hide. Even more shocking is the fact that it’s based on an actual occurrence—a 1971 psychological experiment at Stanford University that was aborted prematurely when the experimenters lost control.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, thought provoking, tense, disturbing, rough, bleak, suspenseful, psychological thriller, cerebral
Similar in 79%
American History X (1998)
Plot Summary:
Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two thugs who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: emotional, dramatic, serious, rough, cerebral, psychological, tense, disturbing, black and white, political
Similar in 87%
Mayor of Kingstown (2021)
Plot Summary:
Set in a small Michigan town where the only industry remaining are federal, state, and private prisons, the story follows the McClusky family, the power brokers between the police, criminals, inmates, prison guards and politicians, in a city completely dependent on prisons and the prisoners they contain.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, psychological, crime thriller, thrilling, detective
Similar in 80%
The Shield (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 47 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, suspenseful, realistic, cynical, dramatic, detective, crime drama, serious
Similar in 77%
Gomorrah (2014)
Plot Summary:
Based on Robert Saviano's bestselling book, this gritty Italian crime drama paints a portrait of the brutal Neapolitan crime organisation the Camorra, as seen through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzo, the obedient and self- confident right-hand man of the clan's godfather, Pietro Savastano.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, Germany
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, captivating, disturbing, realistic, dramatic, hood, crime thriller, bleak, rough
Similar in 80%
The Take (2009)
Plot Summary:
Freddie Jackson is just out of prison. He's done his time, made the right connections and now he's ready to use them. His wife Jackie dreams of having her husband home but she's forgotten the rows and the girls Freddie can't leave alone. His younger cousin, Jimmy, dreams of making a name for himself on Freddie's coattails.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, rough, bleak, realistic, stylized, sentimental, dramatic, twist ending, anime
Similar in 90%
Fargo (2014)
Plot Summary:
A close-knit anthology series dealing with stories involving malice, violence and murder based in and around Minnesota.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 398000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 53 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, neo noir, dark comedy, captivating, clever, detective, anthology, witty, offbeat, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
The Sopranos (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Sopranos is an American television drama created by David Chase. The series revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.
IMDB Rating: 9.2
IMDB Votes: 450000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, cynical, captivating, clever, rough, dramatic, psychological, realistic, stylized, neo noir
Similar in 78%
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Plot Summary:
Boardwalk Empire is a period drama focusing on Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on the historical Enoch L. Johnson), a political figure who rose to prominence and controlled Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s. Nucky interacts with several historical figures in both his personal and political life, including mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him. The federal government also takes an interest in the bootlegging and other illegal activities in the area, sending agents to investigate possible mob connections but also looking at Nucky's lifestyle—expensive and lavish for a county political figure. Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer Terence Winter adapted the show from Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, a book by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: serious, costume drama, atmospheric, captivating, suspenseful, tense, rough, clever, realistic, stylized
Similar in 76%
The Wire (2002)
Plot Summary:
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
IMDB Rating: 9.3
IMDB Votes: 367000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: clever, tense, cynical, detective, serious, rough, captivating, dramatic, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 76%
Prison Break (2005)
Plot Summary:
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 569000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, suspenseful, serious, rough, realistic, crime drama, thrilling, clever, enigmatic
Similar in 86%
Breaking Bad (2008)
Plot Summary:
When Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live, he becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.
IMDB Rating: 9.5
IMDB Votes: 21000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 3030 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, tense, psychological, rough, cynical, neo noir, clever, dramatic, bleak