Critic Reviews

The violence is stunning, shocking, messy and unexpected. Bateman, who also serves as executive producer, directed four episodes and is a master behind the camera. His work squeezes the suspense in any scene. The locations are both beautiful and sinister, and the show is superbly scored. Ozark will resonate with fans of “Breaking Bad,” although Walter White has little in common with Marty.

Ozark only gets better by the minute. If you need us, we’ll be waiting with bated breath to see how it all comes to a close. Ozark remains one of the best dramas on TV in its fourth season, a showcase for career-best performances from Bateman, Linney, and Garner.

Laura Linney’s performance as Wendy is all the more chilling because her face says apple pie, but everything she does curdles into evil. Meanwhile, Jason Bateman’s Marty is a study in how far a pragmatic accountant can go into the depths of wickedness without the strain showing on his face.

A chilly, thrilling narco saga told from the perspective of the Mob’s money launderer, Ozark deserves its place among the very finest TV takes on American dope, crime and corruption.

Bateman's commanding performance powers a gripping, twisty, sometimes spotty yarn that plays like Breaking Bad in reverse, a darkly comic deconstruction of antihero fantasy about a man flailing to rediscover the value of human life. [21/28 July 2017, p.108]

Just about all the choices are bad in this season of Ozark, making this season your best Labor Day weekend binge.

Richly human and ruthlessly plotted--though overeager in repeatedly stating its existential theme of bad choices and worse consequences--Ozark is a triumph for Bateman. [24 Jul - 6 Aug 2017, p.14]

Ozark remains a show drenched in blue-gray darkness, its exterior iciness in tune with its subjects’ internal frostiness. It continues to feature one of the best ensembles on TV. ... The series has long been a showcase for titanic female presences, and that’s still the case as it establishes its end-game plot.

After ending the third season with a bang (pun intended), "Ozark" begins its fourth and final arc with a nail-biting sense of purpose, as the Byrdes continue their dangerous dance with people who you really don't want to get on their bad sides. Increasing the kids' role without losing any of its potency, this Netflix drama remains among TV's best, unfolding with a perpetual state of dread.

“Ozark” isn’t as flashy a production as “Breaking Bad” or “Mad Men,” or even older series like “The Sopranos” or “The Wire,” but has proven itself just as capable of the writing, direction, and acting on other, more high profile prestige dramas. These last seven episodes of Season Four do not disappoint.