5 Netflix shows for ‘Ozark’ fans to enjoy before season 4 premiere

Slated for a January 21st, 2022 premiere, Netflix recently released the official trailer for Ozark that promises an intense and bloody season ahead. Fans are already eagerly awaiting the season, which will be released over this year to bid a bittersweet adieu to Marty Byrde and his family.

Since its premiere in 2017, the show has won around 32 Emmy nominations, winning Bateman Best Director Award and Garner two Best Supporting Actress Awards. Starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner, Sofia Hublitz, Charlie Tahan, Skylar Gaertner, Felix Solis and Janet McTeer, this seven-episode series will also feature Killer Mike as an additional cast member.   

After the bloody finale in the third season, Marty and his wife, Wendy, will find themselves embroiled in conflict with the Navarro drug cartel. However, the final season also promises a chance for them to escape the vicious clutches of the criminal underbelly. 

Fans have been impressed by how intricately crafted the entire series is with its moody tone and intense narrative that sees the Byrde family facing a new, daunting obstacle every season. Ozark fans tend to love thrilling crime dramas that abound in drug wars, cartel rivalries, gruesome violence, fast-paced action, with an underlying commentary about the ethics of family, morality and human integrity. 

Ahead of its season four premiere, here are five shows on Netflix that Ozark fans might enjoy: 

5 Netflix shows for ‘Ozark’ fans to enjoy: 

5. Bloodline (Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman, 2015)

Residents of Florida Keys, the affluent and dysfunctional Rayburn family, harbours many dark secrets within the confines of their family inns. After one of the brothers returns home, truths resurface, leading to escalated family drama, unhinged tension and more. Starring Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Sissy Spacek and more, Ozark fans might find a similarity in the picturesque setting of both shows. 

With high-strung family conflict and madness, the show focuses on various truthful revelations and consequences. A deliberate slow burn, the phenomenal performances from the cast members add to the atmospheric tension within the series. 

4. Queen of the South (M.A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller, 2016)

An adaptation of the Spanish programme La Reina del Sur, the series was based on the escapades of a poor Mexican woman, Teresa, who journeys from poverty to riches by building a vast drug cartel after taking down a rival organisation to seek revenge. 

Starring Alice Braga in the lead role, the show garnered positive attention during its successful five-season run. Just like Ozark’s Marty Byrde, Teresa’s life goes from being quite ordinary to a gruelling and gripping run. It is pretty interesting to see a twisted female protagonist who heads the drug cartel.  

3. Narcos (Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, 2015)

The series follows the boom of the cocaine trade in Colombia and takes a close look at the dangerous lives of the drug kingpins, especially Pablo Escobar, the infamously notorious drug cartel leader. It follows Escobar’s success due to the production and distribution of cocaine as well as his gripping interactions with opposition parties, drug lords and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials., besides chronicling his subsequent fall. 

Grisly and terrifying, Narcos focuses on the escapades of the world’s most infamous and enigmatic figure, Escobar. While upholding the historical context, it plays out brilliantly as a crime drama and upholds the gruesome imagery of the contemporary drug wars among cartels.  

2. Peaky Blinders (Steven Knight, 2013)

Having paved the way for British crime dramas, Knight’s riveting 2013 series chronicles the escapades of the Black Country gang, infamous for their notoriety and the tendency to stack dangerous razor blades in their peaked caps. Closely following the adventures and socio-political relations and impact of the protagonist Thomas Shelby, the series is captivating and bloody. 

Although the show records more violence than that of Ozark, it centres around an equally intriguing protagonist. With a plethora of political issues and dangerous adversaries, the show also has a pivotal focus on the complications within a family that will make it a favourite among Ozark aficionados. 

1. Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan, 2008)

A cult favourite that is often touted as the greatest show of all time,  Breaking Bad sees an ordinary chemistry teacher’s life undergo massive changes after he gets to hear a piece of life-altering news. To repay his medical debts and to sustain his family, Walter White dabbles in the meth-making business. Starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in lead roles, the series sees an implosion of human morality and desperation as White embarks on a journey fuelled by drugs and crime. 

With a poetic narrative, the show takes the viewers on a ride of chemistry, drugs, insanity and violence while providing a commentary on the ethics of family. The show abounds in characters with psychological complexities who constantly challenge the viewer’s sense of morality. After the release of Ozark, the show was frequently compared to Breaking Bad due to their reasonably similar premise. However, Ozark has managed to curate its own fanbase who will find itself equally engrossed in Gilligan’s masterpiece.