"This Isn't Oz" Orange and OTHER Prison Shows

[Chaos Theory]

I really enjoy prison shows and I have been watching a few other ones lately and I thought I would open a topic to talk about Orange Is The New Black and how it compares to other prison shows.  The most obvious is HBO's OZ which was mentioned on the first episode of the show.  Which I think can be still seen on HBO and Amazon Prime.

 

There are some others as well.   

 

1.  Bad Girls  1999–2006  which was a British television show.  It was actually pretty good but I am not sure if you can see it anymore.  I have not been able to get it anywhere.  

 

2.  Wentworth.  (2013– )  Austraillian women in prison show.  This is highly compared to OITNB so much so that many people think the Aussies are piggybacking on Orange but this is actually a remake of an old 80's tv show called Prisoners of Cell Block H.    I actually think Wentworth is slightly better but OITNB has a better ensemble.   I like the gritty nature of Wentworth.  However be aware that this is not an American show so certain aspects and laws are different.  There is actually a storyline about a woman who has her daughter in the prison with her.  I looked it up and under certain situations women are allowed to keep their children in prison with them in Austriallia which is never true in American prisons so that is at least interesting and something to compare between the shows.  Oh an it can been watched on Netflix. 

 

4.  Prisoners of Cell Block H.  (1979–1986)  Can be watched on Youtube.  It is most definitely a show of its time.  But it is interesting to watch.  

Edited January 7, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[eXiled]

I'll add Dangerous Women (1991-1992). I was a sophomore in high school when this came out, and I was addicted to it. Super campy. Bad production values and acting. Yet I recall it fondly. Very few people recall it now. Watch the pilot here.

 

Wentworth is so great. I breezed through the first two seasons in less than two days and I'm anxiously waiting for Season 3. I almost ignored this show when I noticed it on Netflix, but I"m glad I didn't. I believe it premiered months before OitNB, so I realized it was its own thing. It's gritty, dark, and more in line with what I imagine prison life would actually be. I was always on pins and needles as I watched this wonderful show. It took some time for me to care about the heroine, though. I felt like the show was telling me of Bea's greatness instead of showing me. Now, I love her. It took awhile. Meanwhile, my esteem for Franky started out really high, before crashing into the dirt. She's as bad as Jaqs (who, in my home, we called Aussie Martha Stewart. At first, we called her Mean Aussie Martha Stewart. Then we realized that the "mean" part was a given.)

 

I watched OZ every week during its original run. It was one of my favorites. Now that I have access to it again, I've yet to re-watch. My stomach isn't as strong as it used to be, I guess. I tend to recall the violent parts more so than the rest of the drama. Adebisi and Schillinger were hardcore. The things these men did with food, drugs, each others bodies.... I'm just not ready yet. I was tougher in my 20s.

 

Orange Is The New Black is totally its own thing. I don't even particularly look at it as a prison drama. Is that good or bad? Don't know. I still enjoy it. Plus, I've found a romantic couple to ship--something I've not done in twenty years. Vauseman's dysfunction is a pull for me. I guess I see the show as a well-made soap opera, with moments of compelling drama and soaring comedy.

 

I fell for Piper within the first ten minutes and love her for the very same reasons many fans of the show detest her. Male antiheroes have ruled the airwaves for years. They get sympathy, Us vs. Them forum wars, and tumblr sites created in their honor to discuss their Man-Pain. This happens because the predominately female fanbase finds the male attractive.

 

Women don't usually get this treatment. We're quick to tear a less than virtuous female lead apart, flaying her flesh bare for her sins. I love Piper and Alex and all the rest because of their sins. But I'm also not much influenced by "nice." I'll always be more influenced by what and who entertains me.

 

For instance, fan favorite Lorna bugs me. Sure, she seems "nice." But her shallow affect, casual racism, and seemingly adorable vagueness masks the heart of a true psycho. To me, she's one of the most dangerous people in there. Anyone who can lose track of reality the way she does is not to be trusted. Even the dastardly Vee lived in the real world and knew right from wrong. Vee just didn't care. Lorna Morello can't be trusted to know right from wrong or reality vs. fantasy. As long as she remains chipper, though, she will be loved by the masses. Guaranteed. Her bomb-making in the name of love will be laughed off and excused.

 

Prison shows, when done well, are great insights into human nature. When people are trapped together 24/7, without the usual accoutrements of outside life, we get down to the nitty-gritty of survival. Who's the toughest? The smartest? The most cunning? The most empathic? Who will be revealed as a psychopath? A loser in life, while a winner in prison? And so on. We learn so much about their struggles when people are caged and forced to create their own communities. It shows what humans are at the core--both good and bad.