To date, three SVU regulars (or semi-regulars) have steady jobs on the HBO prison drama Oz.

Chris Meloni plays Detective Stabler on SVU, also plays Prisoner #98K514 Chris Keller on Oz.

Dean Winters who played Detective Brian Cassidy through to episode 13 plays Prisoner #97P904 Ryan O'Reily (speaking of whom, can they PLEASE kill this mother •••••• next season?)

J.K Simmons who play Dr. Skoda on a semi-regular basis, plays the racist Prisoner #92S110 Vern Schillinger.

I find this range interesting. All three actors go from playing compasionate, law abiding citizens on SVU, to the scum of the earth on Oz.

Another note; Homicide co-star Jon Seda also appeared on this show in the pilot episode "The Routine" as Prisoner #96C382 Dino Ortolani

Me? I'd like to see Schillinger AND O'Reilly get shanked.

Did Adebisi get shanked? I think so, since he fell down dead in the last episode, killed apparently by Said. Keep this up, guys. This may be as close as we get to an "Oz" board. Don't forget-season 5 starts in January, to fill the gap left by the delay in that Jersey mob show. I think there will be a sixth season, as production recently moved from Manhattan to Bayonne, N.J.

I've already asked (begged) Phil to allow a board for Oz. Hopefully my arguments was convincing enough (fat chance) to overcome Phil's initial fears.

I would like to see boards for "St. Elsewhere" and "E.R." I would also volunteer to moderate, but I am not on line enough. I was told that you have to check the boards each day. I am surprised there is not a board for "E.R.", for seven seasons TV's top-rated show.

Chris Meloni's tattooes must be genuine, as the same ones show up on both "Oz" and "SVU."
Where is Alvarez? Will he be recaptured? The thing about "Oz" is that it is realistic-you can be the big shot one week, and stone cold dead the next. See Adebisi, Mobay, Nappa, Scott Ross et al.

Adam: I'm not here every day!

First-Adebisi is missing from the previews now airing on HBO. Hint-he paid the ultimate price OR this is a come-on for Oz fans to think Adebisi is dead. (In one of TV's most preposterous plot turns ever, in "Crime Story", the character of Ray Luca [Anthony Denison] survived ground zero of a nuclear blast, so I guess writers could dream up anything.) Sax-Do you need intimate knowledge of the episodes to moderate? I am re-familiarizing myself with "St. Elsewhere" only now; this is the first time I have caught it since its original NBC run. (It still holds up.) As for "E.R.", these shows seem to be a TNT staple (three hours a day of repeats, while 22 new shows still air yearly on NBC.) If I get up the nerve, maybe I'll ask the Chief-I think he sets up the boards. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, and Happy 2001.

My advice: Go ahead and ask!

I forget. Just how did Luca survive the bomb?

BTW, they got the period right, with the people at the casinos and such watching the explosion and "enjoying the show".

Is the actress who plays mean prison guard Claire Howell the same actress who plays sincere cop Faith Yokas on "Third Watch?" The N.Y. Daily News gave four stars to the season premiere of "Oz", calling it unpredictable, and the equal of "The Sopranos." In my opinion, "The Sopranos" gets far too much press, while "Oz" is basically ignored, especially at Emmy time.

Adam: Agrred. Sopranos sucks!

Whoa. Don't misunderstand me. "The Sopranos" is a good show, with good writing and acting, light years ahead of the dreck the networks used to foist on us-"Dallas" comes to mind. However, I live in New Jersey, where the show is filmed, and they overload us here with coverage. Our paper kisses the "Soprano's" butt. "Oz", however, is ignored almost all the time. Personally, I think any actor from "Oz", especially the actors who play Schillinger, Said and Adebisi (J.K. Simmons, Eamonn Walker and Adewale-I can't spell the rest) are the equivalent of Gandolfini & Co., and should be recognized at Emmy time. However, the Television Academy is very clubby, wants the same old-same-old to win all the time, and can't take to anything different and unique, like "Oz". Maybe now that "Oz" will be filmed in Jersey (Bayonne) we "Oz" fans will get our fair share of coverage.

So, anyone been watching the new season so far? Oh man! heavy! Ciril(sp?) attacks that reporter, Leo destorys the tapes; AND THAT'S JUST EPISODE ONE! Oh man this is gonna be great. It's just too bad it's opposite another show I enjoy watching. Queer As Folk.

To Sax: Both shows are on enough (especially Oz if you have HBO plus-almost daily) that you don't have to choose. I would have done better by the Chinese refugees than to house them in the prison. Luke Perry, for now, still seems like he is playing Rev. Bev. Hills 90210. Dr. Nathan is really in love with Ryan O'Reilly? This should be really interesting. BTW, Where is Father Ray? It stinks that they only do eight shows a year, but then most British shows do only six.

BTW-Is Busmalis getting married before or after he escapes with Reabadow, in their freshly dug hole? We should have thrown a welcome back party for Alvarez. Will Schillinger make peace with Beecher? Stay tuned.

I was only able to see the last 10 or so minutes of last week's episode. Why would Schillinger make peace with Beecher?

Anon: He had a "religious" experience and decided he wants to focus all his energy on loving his unborn grnadchild. If you ask me, I think this turn around might actually happen. I have a good eye for these things.

Busmalis is now in the hole for digging one. I guess the wedding is off. I was appalled at the scene where the sick f**k puts his baby in the dumpster with the rats, but "Oz" is not pretty. One nit-in one scene, Glynn (Ernie Hudson) was growing in his mustache, a bit later, it is all the way in. Personally, he should shave it altogether. I think Floria is after him (I could go for her, too.)

Is there really a pill that can age you 30 years so quickly? From the previews, it looks like O'Reilly will just about go off the deep end if the pill works on Cyril and not him.

In my opinion, this pill thing is totally ridiculous. I thought the idea of prison was to segregate prisoners from the rest of humanity for a certain amount of time while they're supposedly reformed. A pill that ages prisoners doesn't take care of the mental aspect.

I don't agree, Bcohen. A person's mental abilities deteriorate as they age. My father-in-law is almost 77 and has Alzheimer's, and it gets continually worse. He is now getting lost and does not recognize his own family. I am more forgetful and clumsy than I was in my 20's (I am now 46.) I do agree that the aging pill is preposterous, and that subplot detracted from an otherwise excellent ep.

Kristin Rohde, whp plays oversexed hack Claire Howell on "Oz", was in last night's "SVU" about kidnapped girls, as a Queens detective who investigated prior cases. One of "SVU's" best, BTW. A real nail biter to the end.

The actor who played (the late) Mobay/Basil was in last night's SVU as a coroner. I don't know the actor's name, though.
The actor who played Colonel Galson was also the psychiatrist on "ER". Of late, they have brought in an actress (I think Elizabeth Mitchell) to play a shrink who is also a lesbian. The sole purpose for this was to introduce a lesbian subplot for Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) to give the rigid, stiff-necked and career-minded Weaver some vulnerability.

Here's something odd; on Oz, in the credits he wnet as Chris Meloni. On SVU it's Christopher Meloni. Why?

I would like to see boards for "St. Elsewhere" and "E.R." I would also volunteer to moderate, but I am not on line enough. I was told that you have to check the boards each day.

You wanna here a secret? I don't check every day. Never have. Hell I'm lucky if I get on more than three times a week, so don't worry 'bout it.

My wife lately crabs about my being on line. She wants to check with her e-mail pen-pals and has no use for boards like this, thinking we get too involved with TV shows. She is suffering from major depression, takes loads of medication and uses her e-pals for therapy. She also has given out our address and (unlisted) phone number to at least one of her e-pals, going against common sense. (She was hospitalized eight times last year, once for two months. She is resisting hospitalization now, as the docs last time wanted to start ECT.) We have an 11 year old son, and divorce is not an option. I am speaking with a therapist and have used these boards to unload, although I am trying to cut back on that. I enjoy reading the posts; the level of intelligence of the posters is one of the highest I have seen.
That said, I will continue: There is now a "Third Watch"-"Oz" connection: Kirk Acevedo (Alvarez) played Paulie, the childhood friend and eventual killer of paramedic Bobby Caffey (Bobby Cannevale.)
How would I go about getting the "ER" and "St. Elsewhere" boards? As NitCentral is on a new server, with hopefully more space, should I just ask the Chief? Who posts episode descriptions? How do you find them? Help!

Oh, yes-my wife sleeps a lot, due to her meds. However, she tells me (after the fact) that she wanted me to wake her up to see Luke Perry's full frontal nude scene in the last "Oz".

should I just ask the Chief?

Yeah, just e-mail him at chief@nitcentral.com. He should be happy to oblige, just as long as you don't want to moderate a Simpsons forum.

As for episode synopses, I don't think you really have to worry about that. Some boards (MST3K for example) have far too many episodes to have descriptions of every one. You could however probably easily obtain accurate synopses of every episode from every series that ever existed via the miracle of the web. Just go to google and search.

I think IMDB also has info about any movie, TV series or actor. I plugged in the name of an obscure film ("Spitfire Grill") and there were over two dozen messages posted.

On the "Law and Order" board, Sax is trying to post synopses of all episodes. A daunting task, to be sure, as "L&O" began in 1990, and has been renewed through at least 2005!

B.D. Wong (Fr. Ray Mukada from Oz) had a guest appearance on tonight's SVU as an FBI profiler.

B. D. Wong is now a regular on the show.