For the first time in this year’s A to Z Challenge, I’m writing about a current TV show. “Ozark” is an American crime drama streaming television series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams for Netflix. The series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a married couple who relocate their family to the Lake of the Ozarks for money laundering. Bateman also serves as a director and executive producer for the series.
The first season of “Ozark” was released on July 21, 2017 and the show has completed three 10-episode seasons. Netflix has announced that there will be a fourth and final season, which will consist of 14 episodes split into two parts, but the actual release date of season four has not yet been announced.
Bateman plays Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. After a money laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes wrong, Byrde proposes to make amends by offering to set up a bigger laundering operation in the Lake of the Ozarks region of central Missouri and moves his family to a remote summer resort community of Osage Beach, Missouri. They become entangled with local criminals and, eventually, with the Kansas City Mafia. In order to keep his family safe, Byrde must pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord. While the fate of the Byrde family’s fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force them to reconnect.
“Ozark” has received many accolades and award nominations, including acting nominations for both Bateman and Linney and two Emmy awards for Julia Garner, who plays Ruth Langmore, a young woman who is part of a local criminal family. Bateman also won an Emmy for directing as well as two Screen Actors Guild awards for acting.
If you haven’t seen “Ozark,” I suggest that you binge watch the first three seasons on Netflix in preparation for the final season.
This, That, and the Other 
I left off approximately halfway (maybe a third of the way) through the third season. It had been getting… ehh… a bit much. And it was already a lot. The acting is good, though.
Kansas City is known for its early twentieth century mafia. A man who lived down the road from us wrote a book (with a convoluted title) involving his experiences as a police officer.
But is there a mafia in Kansas City now? It was kind of a curiosity that the show referenced and involved a Kansas City mafia. I might go back and watch again because of that.
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It’s a pretty intense drama, that’s for sure. There must be a mafia in Kansas City. I think it was also referenced I a season of “Fargo.”
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Maybe I’ll check into Fargo, too.
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I’ve never seen this series. Interesting theme.
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It can be very intense, but I think it’s well acted.
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I like Ozark, but even though trouble seems to follow Marty Byrde where ever he goes, he always seems to find a way out.
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He does, somehow.
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We started watching Ozark. My husband really enjoys it but I had a hard time staying interested. We took a little break from it and watched Bloodline. Have you watched that? Anyway, I really should give Ozark another try.
Stopping in from A to Z: https://writingiscommunication.wordpress.com/2021/04/17/o-originator/
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I enjoyed Bloodline.
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I’d never heard of this one. I like the cast though. But coming off “Bosch” just recently maybe I’ll save Ozark up for some other time. Too much drama at once is not good (for me). Justin Bateman played a serious role??? He’s known to me mostly for his comedy and comedic style. That would be worth a look!
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It is worth a look. I also enjoyed “Bosch” and am looking forward to the next season, if it ever is going to be released.
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Apparently, they went into production last November. Season Seven (the final season) will air in the summer this year (although they haven’t said WHEN). Prime will let me know because they tend to put the show up in my feed. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched “The Brokenwood Mysteries” (set in New Zealand), but they just began a new season (oddly Season Seven too) and Prime alerted me to the fact that there were new ones.
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I haven’t, but thanks for the too. I’ll check it out.
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Ooh, that sounds good! Shades of Breaking Bad, perhaps? 😀
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Yeah, in a way, except focused on laundering money instead of cooking meth. If you enjoyed Breaking Bad, you’ll probably like Ozark.
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I keep seeing it on the banner scroll but so far have resisted it. I’m used to seeing Bateman in comedies and have hesitated to see him in a drama. Sounds like I need to take the plunge. Have you seen Breaking Bad? How does it compare if you have.
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There’s a similarity, but Ozark focuses on money laundering as opposed to cooking meth. The Ozark cast really is good.
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Love that show.
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I only made it through the first season so I’d have a lot of catching up to do!
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Did you not enjoy it?
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We tried Ozark twice but just could not get into it…might just give it another try 💜
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It’s not for everyone.
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We have decided to give it another go 💜
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I hope you enjoy it.
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Thanks I’ll let you know💜💜
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After listening to Alan Alda interview Laura Linney on his Clear+Vivid podcast, I told my husband that I wanted to try Ozark. Started Season 1 last night, but I’m not big in the gore department (though I still wish Al had won!). That was it for me.
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So it’s not for you, huh? Well, different strokes for different folks, as the song goes.
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Sounds interesting. Might have to give it a watch.
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I hope you enjoy it.
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