Is Ozark Season 4 really the end of the series, or fans will get to see another season? Continue reading to learn more about Ozark Season 5.
Ozark is a Netflix original crime drama series written by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams and produced by MRC Television and Aggregate Films. The series depicts Marty, and Wendy Byrde, a married couple who relocate their family to the Lake of the Ozarks to launder money. The characters are played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in this series. Jason Bateman also serves as the series director and executive producer.
On April 29, 2022, the final episode of Ozark Season 4, titled A Hard Way to Go, premiered. This is the series’ final episode, and fans are overcome by the bittersweet end of a wonderful series that has brought people from all over the world together to experience this tale and build an online community to express their views and reactions with their friends and loved ones.
As the final episode aired, many people rightly questioned if this was the end of the series or if there was still more to this story. If you’re wondering the same thing, this is the place for you to find the answers.
Continue reading to know more about Ozark Season 5.
Will there be Season 5 of Ozark?
After four successful seasons, it’s finally time to say goodbye to the hit Netflix drama series, as the fourth part of Ozark is the final season in this franchise. It was long reported by Deadline on June 30, 2020. Hence, it is officially confirmed that the series has definitely completed its storyline and ultimately concluded all the possible narratives by the show creators that they initially wanted to include in the series. Therefore, Ozark Season 5 is not happening at all.
The fandom of Ozark is one of the most passionate communities in recent years for a drama series that has lasted from 2017 to 2022. So, seeing the final season of a much-loved series with such lovable characters that fans have been able to relate to over the years is a little bittersweet for the fans.
Take a look at how some fans reacted to the cancelation of Ozark Season 5:
They could’ve made a season 5 of ozark with how the end of season 4 developed. I’m lowkey sad it’s ended
— BrujaTalks Botánica✨🦋 (@BrujaTalksTarot) May 1, 2022
Ending Ozark completely on a cliffhanger is such bullshit. We NEED a season 5!!! Wtf 😤😤 @netflix
— Chelsea (@pokicrue) May 1, 2022
The ending of Ozark was good. Very good. Not earth shatteringly good, but I’m satisfied. 8.5/10 for the final season, 9.5/10 for the series.
— i am the ramen queen (@cptramenqueen) May 1, 2022
Man…. what a great show!! I need a season 5 though! #Ozark
— Mat WhiskeyRomeo (@maguwi) May 1, 2022
Was there ever going to be Season 5 of Ozark?
There is no doubt that the fans have mixed reactions to the series finale as many fans pointed out the series ended on a major cliffhanger and left important questions answered, which the fans were hoping to be resolved by the end, but it didn’t happen the way they hoped for.
In June 2020, it was reported that the show would return for a “supersized” fourth and final season, consisting of 14 episodes split into two halves that are now exclusively available on Netflix.
Furthermore, according to Bateman, the series creator, Chris Mundy, had always meant to finish after four or five seasons. Bateman explained in an interview with Collider about the series conclusion.
“[Chris] kind of knew, I think, where he would like to eventually land the plane. Somewhere around here, I think there’s always been the presumed area [of] three seasons, four seasons, five seasons, something like that.”
He continued: “Based on the sort of the pitch line of what these characters are doing and the rate of escalation in danger and plot, there’s a certain pitch to that.
In addition, he also highlighted that “Given the intelligence of Marty Byrde and Wendy Byrde, if they keep going at this pitch for much longer, they’re either going to be killed or put in jail. “The alternative is to flatten out that pitch but then you start stalling just for additional episodes and seasons.”
“I always want closure,” Chris Mundy, the showrunner, told The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t want to feel messed with. I want to feel like, ‘OK, that was the end.’ So hopefully people will feel closure by the end — whether they like it or not, I don’t know.
He further added, “Hopefully, the back half will still be fun and exciting, but also really emotional for the Byrdes and Ruth.”
So, it’s clear that Ozark Season 5 was never on the cards for the makers.
Why is Ozark Season 4 the last season?
There are no stated reasons why Netflix canceled the series, although the show’s creators have hinted that they believed the story had reached its end and deserved to be ended without stretching it into something repetitious and unsatisfactory for the audience.
Bateman mentioned in the same interview with Collider in 2020, “I think there’s always been the presumed area [of] three seasons, four seasons, five seasons, something like that,”. “Based on the sort of the pitch line of what these characters are doing and the rate of escalation in danger and plot, there’s a certain pitch to that. And, if you keep going on that pitch for a whole lot longer, you’re going to go over the cliff, or up over the peak of the mountain and you end up jumping the shark.
He further stated, “So, given the intelligence of Marty Byrde and Wendy Byrde [Linney], if they keep going at this pitch for much longer, they’re either going to be killed or put in jail. The alternative is to flatten out that pitch so that you don’t end up jumping the shark, but then you start stalling just for additional episodes and seasons.”
Furthermore, the decision to finish the series at Season 4 was made jointly by showrunner Chris Mundy and Netflix, with the streaming provider opting to make Season 4 into two parts rather than producing a fifth season.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Mundy stated:
“My gut feeling is that [Netflix] has an appreciation for letting things run the right amount of time for them, and creatively. I know for us, creatively, we didn’t think it would go past five. Knowing where we wanted to end it—at least emotionally; we didn’t know all the mechanics of it—it felt like somewhere in that four-five season range was kind of perfect.”
Ozark Season 4: A Quick Recap
The fourth season was split into two parts in order to tell the story in a more efficient manner rather than investing more time and letting fans wait for another season that may have taken years to complete production and subsequently debut on the streaming platform.
The official synopsis by Netflix of Ozark states, “Ozark, follows Marty Byrde, a financial advisor wrapped up in a money-laundering scheme. When the scheme goes wrong, Marty relocates his family from Chicago to Missouri, where he must work to make amends to a Mexican drug cartel, setting up a larger operation in the Ozarks.”
Ozark Season 4 Part One
The season starts with Marty and Wendy grappling with a difficult offer; Ruth strikes out on her own, Jonah rebels, and Omar’s nephew appears. Maya opposes Marty’s proposal for Omar; Ruth seeks the hipster heroin market; Wendy attempts to raise $150 million, and the new sheriff causes complications. Maya and Omar finally meet; Wendy has a heated business meeting; Ruth goes behind Darlene’s back, and Jonah finds a new location to set up shop. Ruth is enraged by Wendy’s assertions about Ben; private investigator Mel hunts out Wendy’s father, and Ruth’s excursion to the Missouri Belle with Kerry does not go as planned.
The senator extends an olive branch – but with a twist. Ruth and Marty rush to repurchase the narcotics Darlene sold; Charlotte muses on life beyond high school. Marty is entrusted with proving that Omar was not engaged in a bombing; Wendy visits the Lazy-O Motel, and Ruth and Wyatt devise a strategy. The FBI’s long-awaited visit with Omar occurs; Wyatt shares some news with Ruth; Javi becomes aggressive after feeling misled.
Episode Guide for Ozark Season 4 Part One
- S4E1: “The Beginning of the End” – January 21, 2022
- S4E2: “Let the Great World Spin” – January 21, 2022
- S4E3: “City on the Make” – January 21, 2022
- S4E4: “Ace Deuce” – January 21, 2022
- S4E5: “Ellie” – January 21, 2022
- S4E6: “Sangre Sobre Todo”- January 21, 2022
- S4E7: “Sanctified” – January 21, 2022
Check out the trailer for Ozark Season 4: Part 1
Ozark Season 4: Part 2
Ruth, who has been devastated by a terrible loss, travels to Chicago to exact her retribution, while Marty attempts to convince her out of doing something she may regret. With their contract with the FBI no longer in effect, the Byrdes anxiously seek new answers to their mounting issues; Wendy’s father arrives in town.
Nathan irritates Wendy by making a surprise offer to Charlotte and Jonah; Ruth attempts to erase her own past with the help of Charles Wilkes. Omar pressurizes Marty to launder more money, but Ruth intends to keep her casino legitimate; Wendy goes to great lengths to protect her children. The Byrdes make a final effort for freedom, eager to leave their murky history behind them – every bargain, every broken promise, every murder.
Episode Guide for Ozark Season 4 Part 2
- S4E8: “The Cousin of Death” – April 29, 2022
- S4E9: “Pick a God and Pray” – April 29, 2022
- S4E10: “You’re the Boss” – April 29, 2022
- S4E11: “Pound of Flesh and Still Kickin” – April 29, 2022
- S4E12: “Trouble The Water” – April 29, 2022
- S4E13: “Mud” – April 29, 2022
- S4E14: “A Hard Way to Go” – April 29, 2022
Check out the trailer for Ozark Season 4: Part 2
Ozark Season 4 Cast
The main cast of the series includes:
- Jason Bateman as Martin “Marty” Byrde
- Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde
- Sofia Hublitz as Charlotte Byrde
- Skylar Gaertner as Jonah Byrde
- Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore
- Lisa Emery as Darlene Snell
- Charlie Tahan as Wyatt Langmore
- Felix Solis as Omar Navarro
The recurring cast of the series includes:
- Alfonso Herrera as Javier Elizonndro
- Darren Goldstein as Charles Wilkes
Ozark Season 4: The Overall Reception
Nick Schager from The Daily Beast stated, “Ozark, however, never loses sight of the fact that selling your soul is rarely done solely for righteous reasons.”
Lou Thomas from Empire Magazine stated, “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.”
Nick Hilton from Independent (UK) stated, “The result is an ending that’s unbearably tense, obliquely poignant, and some of the best event TV we’ve seen on any streaming service.”
Daniel D’Addario of Variety was more mixed: he felt the series’ pleasures “solely exist in the realm of plot development – or, perhaps, plot intensification,” describing the first half of the season as “all incident, little drama.” However, he too praised Linney – calling the character of Wendy one of the series’ “few intriguing inventions” – as well as Garner, whose performance he felt was characterized by an “outsized bleakness.
If you wish to revisit this world, you can always binge-watch all of the prior seasons, which are exclusively available on Netflix.