Ozark (TV series)


Ozark is an American crime drama web television series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams for Netflix and produced by Media Rights Capital. The series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a married couple who relocate their family to the Ozarks following a money laundering scheme gone wrong. Bateman also serves as a director and executive producer for the series. The first season of ten episodes was released on July 21, 2017; the second season of ten episodes was released on August 31, 2018, and the third season was released on March 27, 2020. In June 2020, the series was renewed for its fourth and final season, which will consist of 14 episodes split into two parts.
Ozark has received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for its tone, directing, and acting. The series has received 32 Primetime Emmy Award nominations including twice for Outstanding Drama Series, with Bateman winning for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Julia Garner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, both in 2019. In addition, Bateman has received two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.

Premise

After a money laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes wrong, financial advisor Martin "Marty" Byrde proposes to make amends by offering to set up a bigger laundering operation in the Lake of the Ozarks region of central Missouri. Marty suddenly relocates his family from the Chicago suburb of Naperville to the remote summer resort community of Osage Beach, Missouri. When the Byrdes arrive in Missouri, they become entangled with local criminals, including the Langmore and Snell families, and later the Kansas City Mafia.

Cast and characters

Main

Ozark is set at a modest waterfront resort at Lake of the Ozarks, inspired by the Alhonna Resort and Marina, where series creator Dubuque worked as a dock hand while attending college in Missouri during the 1980s. Most of the shooting locations are in the Atlanta area at Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier, rather than at the Lake of the Ozarks, because of tax breaks offered by the state of Georgia. The film crew constructed a set in Georgia after extensively studying the Alhonna Resort property. Some scenes are filmed at Chicago locations. Only a few scenes of the pilot were shot in the city of Lake Ozark, Missouri; these include shots of the locally famous "Welcome To Lake Of the Ozarks" sign and the "Injun Joe Muffler Man" statue. Originally, Jason Bateman was supposed to be the sole director for the first season, but because the schedule did not allow enough preparation time, he directed only the first two and last two episodes.
In order to make Ozark as realistic and sensible as possible when it comes to depicting money laundering, the writers for the show brought in an FBI agent who works on financial crimes into the writer's room. They also brought in a hedge fund manager, for information about moving large sums of money. Software company Beam Solutions considers the series' accuracy to be "both plausible and very creative."
The series was renewed for a 10-episode second season on August 15, 2017. On October 10, 2018, the series was renewed for a 10-episode third season. On June 30, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for its fourth and final season, which will consist of 14 episodes split into two parts.

Opening credits

Graphic designer Fred Davis created a white letter 'O', which is featured on a black background at the beginning of each episode. Within the quartered circle of the 'O' are four symbols which foreshadow the main plot points in that episode. Additionally, each of these hand-drawn symbolic images are formed to represent the remaining letters in "Ozark". For example, for episode one, a kneeling man represents "Z"; a building represents "A"; a gun represents "R"; and a falling man represents "K".

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2020)

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season had an approval rating of 70% based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 6.84/10. The website's critics consensus read: "Ozark hasn't yet reached the same level as the classic crime dramas to which it will inevitably be compared, but its satisfyingly complex plot – and a gripping performance from Jason Bateman – suggest greater potential." On Metacritic, it had a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Brian Lowry of CNN wrote, "While the concept is one of TV's oldest, Ozark carves out its own path with clever twists—including a late-in-the-run flashback explaining how the cartel came into his life—and the sheer strength of the performances." TV critic Sonia Saraiya of Variety wrote that Ozark is "smart, well-crafted, and says something," and that the series "comes together under Bateman's disarming and deceptively complex performance as Marty." Tim Dowling of The Guardian wrote "Laura Linney is, as ever, magnificent".
Critics favorably compared the show to Breaking Bad, since both involve a seemingly normal protagonist suddenly immersed in a world of crime. Nick Hanover wrote in Film Daily, "Once you get past the surface similarities, Ozark shines as something special and inventive, an intense crime opera where the scenery is as much the star as anyone in the cast."

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season had an approval rating of 76% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6.54/10. The website's critics consensus read: "Engaging and entertaining – if not particularly challenging – Ozarks descent into darker waters is kept afloat by another superb turn from Laura Linney." On Metacritic, it had a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Alison Foreman of Mashable said the female characters are not just "emotional fodder" for the male characters, stating "Season 2 of Netflix's Ozark, however, champions female stories through all 10 of its episodes with an array of women that rivals the ensemble complexity of HBO's The Sopranos."

Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season had an approval rating of 97% based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 8.18/10. The website's critics consensus read: "Ozark finally finds its footing in a third season that ramps up the tension and shines a brighter spotlight on Laura Linney's exceptional performance." On Metacritic, it had a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2019
American Cinema Editors AwardsBest Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial TelevisionCindy Mollo and Heather Goodwin Floyd
2019
Art Directors Guild AwardsExcellence in Production Design for a One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television SeriesDerek R. Hill
2019
Cinema Audio Society AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – One HourFelipe Borrero, Larry B. Benjamin, Kevin Valentine, Phillip McGowan, Matt Hovland and David Torres
2019
Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesJulia Garner
2019
Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic SeriesJason Bateman
2019
Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaJason Bateman
2019
Golden Reel AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Long Form – Music/MusicalOzark
2019
Golden Reel AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Long Form – Dialogue/ADROzark
2019
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesJason Bateman, Chris Mundy, Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams, David Manson, Alyson Feltes, Ryan Farley, Patrick Markey, Erin Mitchell and Matthew Spiegel
2019
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesJason Bateman
2019
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesLaura Linney
2019
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesJulia Garner
2019
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesJason Bateman
2019
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Casting for a Drama SeriesAlexa L. Fogel, Tara Feldstein Bennett and Chase Paris
2019
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program Derek R. Hill, John Richardson and Kim Leoleis
2019
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama SeriesCindy Mollo and Heather Goodwin
2019
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series Larry Benjamin, Kevin Valentine, Felipe 'Flip' Borrero and Dave Torres
2019
Producers Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Producer of Episodic Television, DramaJason Bateman, Chris Mundy, Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams, David Manson, Alyson Feltes, Ryan Farley, Patrick Markey, Matthew Spiegel and Erin Mitchell
2019
Satellite AwardsBest Actor in a Drama / Genre SeriesJason Bateman
2019
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesJason Bateman, Lisa Emery, Skylar Gaertner, Julia Garner, Darren Goldstein, Jason Butler Harner, Carson Holmes, Sofia Hublitz, Laura Linney, Trevor Long, Janet McTeer, Peter Mullan, Jordana Spiro, Charlie Tahan, Robert Treveiler and Harris Yulin
2019
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesJason Bateman
2019
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama SeriesJulia Garner
2019
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama SeriesLaura Linney
2019
Writers Guild of America AwardsDavid Manson
2020
Casting Society of AmericaTelevision Series – DramaAlexa L. Fogel, Chase Paris, Tara Feldstein Bennett and Kathryn Zamora-Benson

Cultural impact

In November 2017, it was reported that the series helped increase tourism and notoriety of the Lake of the Ozarks, but did not have a significant economic impact. In February 2018, a real life restaurant called "Marty Byrde's" was opened in Lake Ozark, Missouri that is inspired by the series, and includes menu items based off the show, including "Ruth's Smoked Wings".