Fans of HBO's Oz may be spending more time behind bars if a revival series happens, as has been teased by one of the show's stars. The tease comes ahead of the YouTube release of a sequel short film made for the show.

Starting from the show's very first episode that aired in 1997, Kirk Acevedo played inmate Miguel Alvarez. While he was able to spend some time on the outside during the series, he was back in Emerald City in the series finale. It wasn't the happiest ending for the character, though he was still one of the very few original characters to make it to the end of the series alive. In a recent X post, Acevedo teased that fans may be able to check back in with Alvarez if the sequel short generates enough buzz online.

"I’m sure you guys all remember a show I did on HBO called Oz…," the actor said. "Well my good friend Tom Fontana who created Oz and many other prolific TV shows made a short film about Oz after prison. It will premiere on YouTube starring Dean Winters and Lee Tergesen! It premieres May 1, 2024 on YouTube and if it gets a good buzz…. You might see a series!"

The Sequel Short Is Years Old But Hasn't Been Released Publicly

Acevedo is referring to a short film called Zo. The actors mentioned, Dean Winters and Lee Tergesen, respectively played inmates Ryan O'Reily and Tobias Beecher. The short imagines the two reconnecting on the outside after their time inside the walls. It was actually made years ago, as it was made to be screened at the ATX Festival's cast reunion panel in 2021. The short has not been released publicly.

Oz gets its name from the show's fictitious prison, the Oswald State Correctional Facility. It aired for six seasons on HBO from 1997 to 2003, exploring the lives of the inmates and staff at the maximum security prison. It primarily focused on Emerald City, an experimental unit created to see if improved living conditions and additional freedoms would result in better rehabilitation for prisoners. Spoiler alert: it doesn't, as the series developed a very high body count during its run, shocking viewers by killing off main characters before other HBO shows like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.

Oz is streaming on Max, while Zo will premiere on YouTube on May 1, 2024.

Source: Kirk Acevedo X