Netflix crime hit Ozark will be back for a fourth and final outing, bringing the Byrde’s family criminal relationship with the Navarro drug cartel to a dramatic conclusion.
The extended season, which will consist of 14 episodes, will see Marty Byrde (Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy (The Big C’s Laura Linney) continue their dodgy dealings in the mountainous Ozarks after their original money laundering scheme in Chicago went awry.
Over the past three seasons, we’ve seen the couple take on risky clients whilst roping various relatives into their criminal activities, which as a result, led to a few shock deaths during the last series.
With the Byrdes having finally won over cartel leader Omar Navarro, will the couple be facing fewer enemies whilst pursuing their illicit business in season four? Or will they take a deal with the FBI before their luck finally runs out?
Season four has a lot of questions to answer before Ozark ends for good, so with that in mind, here’s everything we know about the upcoming season, when it will arrive on Netflix and theories regarding the Byrde family’s fate.
When will season 4 of Ozark be released on Netflix?
We may have quite some time to wait before its available to stream on Netflix.
Season one came out in July 2017, followed by season two in August 2018. Season three took a little longer to make, probably down to Bateman appearing in (and directing two episodes of) HBO’s The Outsider in between. Ozark was released on 27th March 2020; by that measure, in normal times, RadioTimes.com predicts we could be looking at a fourth season in mid to late 2021.
In April, Jason Bateman told Collider that each season requires four months of writing and six months of production, adding: “I think the fastest we can turn around a full season, from starting the writes room to having Netflix push it out, is basically 12 months. There’s just no way to do it any quicker.”
But of course, these are far from normal times and the television industry has been hugely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has stalled production on virtually every major drama series that had been due to film.
UK broadcasters have recently drawn up guidelines for filming during the COVID-19 crisis and it’s safe to assume the US will implement its own measures soon enough, given the sheer amount of television produced in the country.
Is Ozark season 4 the final season?
Yes indeed. Netflix has confirmed that season four is the end of the line for Ozark, but they seem content on making the finale a genuine television event.
Not only will the season have an expanded 14-episode run, but it will also be released in two separate batches of seven, spreading out the suspense even further.
They're going to go out with a bang.
Ozark will be back with an expanded 14-episode final season. pic.twitter.com/otIoUeTXyH
— Netflix (@netflix) June 30, 2020
Ending on season four appears to be a slight variation from the original plan hinted at by showrunner Chris Mundy, who previously suggested that the show could go on for longer.
“We’ve always talked about it as five seasons,” he said during a panel discussion with The Hollywood Reporter. “It could be four, it could be seven… but that always seemed like a good number to us.”
Ozark season 4 theories
The end of season three saw Marty and Wendy Byrde working more closely with the Navarro cartel than ever, after crime boss Omar Navarro announced that this was the beginning of increased cooperation between the three of them. The Byrdes had won Navarro over by working (briefly) with the FBI to end the gang war by bringing down the rival Lagunas cartel.
We also expect to see more on Ruth and her decision to cut ties with the Byrdes – how will things work out for her, Darlene and the KC Mob?
Season four may also look at Wendy’s decision to let her brother Ben die and what affect this might have on her and the rest of her family – particularly Jonah Byrde who took his uncle’s death badly.
It remains to be seen exactly what would happen in season four, but there are plenty of unfinished storylines to pick back up! The show’s lead writer Craig Mundy said: “I think it will be about if the Byrdes can they turn the biggest mistake of their lives into this huge advantage, and how much will karma catch up with them if they do?”
And with the fourth season now confirmed to be the final run, fans will be hopeful that as many loose ends as possible can be wrapped up – and have themselves been putting forward theories as to what might happen.
Many viewers have guessed that Marty and Wendy. could both end up dead, while others have suggested that some of the supporting cast’s days could also be numbered – including Sam Dermody (Kevin L. Johnson) with one Reddit user claiming that the character is most likely to fold under pressure and become an FBI format, indicating that he could very well be killed.
Some other fans reckon Sam will get off rather more lightly, but until season 4 comes we won’t know anything for sure – and there are bound to be all sorts of interesting theories out forward until then!
Ozark season 4 cast
While casting has yet to be confirmed, we can make a good stab at predicting which core Ozark cast members will return – based mainly on who’s still alive.
Jason Bateman leads the cast of Ozark as Marty Byrde, with Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde. We can also expect to see more of their daughter Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and son Jonah (Skylar Gaertner).
Other key cast members include Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore, Charlie Tahan as Wyatt Langmore, Lisa Emery as Darlene Snell, and Felix Solis as cartel boss Omar Navarro.
It remains to be seen whether some of the supporting characters will still be part of the story, including FBI Special Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes), Frank Cosgrove Sr (John Bedford Lloyd) or Sam Dermody (Kevin L Johnson).
We won’t, of course, be seeing any more of Helen Piece (Janet McTeer) after Omar had her killed; nor will we see more of Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey) after his untimely death or Marty and Wendy’s therapist Sue (Marylouise Burke) who met a similar grisly fate.
Is there an Ozark season 4 trailer?
Not yet, but watch this space.
What happened in Ozark season 3?
As we’ve come to expect from the drama, season three managed to pack an awful lot of action into its 1-episode run.
Marty was taken captive by crime boss Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), while things weren’t any more rosy for Wendy who was forced to put a hit out on her own brother in a bid to save the rest of her family from the wrath of the cartel.
Meanwhile the season also saw Ruth grow increasingly unhappy with her connection to the Byrdes – eventually joining with Darlene and agreeing a deal with the KC Mob.
Did Helen die in Ozark?
That’s right, Ben wasn’t the only character to meet an untimely end in season three, as Helen Pierce was murdered by Navarro right in front of the Byrdes.
The cartel lawyer had wanted Marty and Wendy dead so that she could take over their business, making her one of Ozark’s most threatening antagonists – that is, until she was unexpectedly shot in the head in Mexico.
Hiro Koda, the stunt coordinator who orchestrated the brutal scene, told Express.co.uk: “When Helen was killed at the end, that was a very challenging sequence to do. It turned out perfectly and looked amazing but we had to work out her placement.
“We had to work out how much debris and blood would come out on top of Wendy and Marty, and seeing her fall – there were no stunt doubles. It’s about precise timings.”
Helen had been played by English actress Janet McTeer, whose past credits include Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix and Glenn Close drama Albert Nobbs, for which she was Oscar nominated.
Is Ben Davis definitely dead?
Wendy’s brother Ben features heavily in the third season of Ozark and is pivotal to the fast-moving final few episodes. And although clearly the plot leads us to believe that Ben is killed, some fans remain convinced that there’s a further twist to come in that plot. We don’t actually see the body, and there is speculation among fan communities online that perhaps there’s more to the death than we are led to believe – and perhaps we will be seeing more from Ben in a season four?
Where is Ozark filmed?
The drama is set around Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri – but not much of it is actually filmed there. Much of the filming takes place around Atlanta, Georgia, where the production team makes use of Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier.
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from Radio Times https://ift.tt/3jVCYsn
