‘Ozark’ Season 4: Netflix Renewal Status, Release Date and What to Expect

It looks like it’s going to be another tantalizing wait for more Ozark on Netflix. With season 3 having been out on Netflix for some time, we’re keeping track of everything season 4 related including its renewal status, potential release date, and what to expect.

Ozark is a Netflix Original crime drama series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams.

The popularity of Ozark has skyrocketed, becoming one of the best Originals on Netflix to date. With fantastic acting, direction, cinematography, and story to boot, it’s not hard to see why Ozark is one of the best crime-dramas around.

The show kickstarted its life on Netflix back in the summer of 2017 and despite drawing constant comparisons to Breaking Bad, it’s earned its place among the best on Netflix.

So, with season 3 wrapped up, let’s take a look to the future:

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Has Netflix renewed Ozark for season 4?

Official Netflix Renewal Status: Pending (Last Updated: 18/05/2020)

At the time of updating, the series has yet to get renewed nearly two months on. That’s not quite panic territory yet, though.

The series is already one of the most popular Originals and two months on, still dominates the daily top 10s on Netflix. As of the time of updating (May 18th) the series holds the number 7 spot.

McKinley Belcher III recently sat down with Popternative and said the following regarding renewal:

“My guess is that we will (come back for season 4)” adding that “Chris Mundy and Jason (Bateman) has a specific number of seasons in mind”.

In an interview with Jason Bateman in Collider (a really great read by the way!) he revealed some interesting insights into the production and what that means for season 4.

He revealed that each episode takes around eleven days to film with two weeks beforehand to prep. In all, it’s around six months of production to film an entire season.

Perhaps most importantly, on April 3rd, Jason Bateman said: “There is not an official pickup for Season 4.” adding that “We’re all operating under the hope it will happen.”

When asked whether the series could be picked up for two additional seasons back-to-back to conclude the story, Jason Bateman said the following:

“I kind of leave all those smart and complicated conversations up to those who can manage them. My fastball, if I’ve got one, is more on the set. So, I’ll leave it up to Chris and MRC and Netflix to figure out what the life of the show is and what shape it will take.”

When Collider then asked Chris Mundy (the showrunner for Ozark) about a fourth season, he said the following:

“Well, if we’re lucky enough to get a season 4, I think it will be about whether or not Ruth really can create something of her own that she wants and is sustainable, or if she wants something else. And 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?”

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When can we expect to see an Ozark season 4 release date?

Naturally, a long way off from seeing any news of season 4 release date for Ozark. Regardless, we can still speculate on when we can expect to see the crime-drama return to Netflix.

Thanks to the previous season release dates of Ozark there’s a large window of release which could see the series return as early as April 2021, or October 2021:

• Season 1: 21st July 2017
• Season 2: 31st August 2018
• Season 3: 27th March 2020

There were nineteen months between seasons 2 and 3, and with the current coronavirus pandemic, the production of a fourth season may have to be postponed, which means the release date could go even be pushed pack as far as early 2022.

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What can we expect from the fourth season of Ozark?

Warning: huge spoilers for Ozark season 3 ahead!

Season 3 was an explosive season of Ozark, leaving us with huge amounts to contemplate for the fourth season.

Langmore/ Snell/ KC Alliance

The death of Ben became the straw that broke the camel’s back for Ruth and her loyalty to the Byrdes. Choosing to quit and distance herself from the family, Ruth, like her cousin Wyatt, has instead joined Darlene at the Snell poppy farm. Darlene has offered Ruth a position, running the day to day production, ensuring the heroin, manufactured on-site, gets to the Kansas City mob for distribution.

Switching loyalties proved to be an easy decision for Ruth in the end, as Darlene had shown more loyalty and love to Ruth’s family in months, than what the Byrdes did in years.

Ruth has a lot to prove, mainly to herself, but also to the Byrdes that she is not a person to be trifled with. The Langmore matriarch is intelligent and ruthless, all of which Darlene greatly admires.

Darlene’s actions against Frank Jr. is unlikely to reap any repercussions, due to the fact she negotiated a deal worth millions of dollars to the KC mob with Frank Sr.

There’s no love lost between the KC mob and the Byrde’s operation in Lake Ozark, but without the mob to move the cartel cash, and now Darlene is in league with them, we can expect even more fireworks next season.

The Impact of Ben’s Death

Ben was the wildcard foreshadowed by Agent Evans at the start of the third season, and his presence was felt throughout from start to finish, and will arguably be felt long into the fourth season despite being dead.

Despite the fact that Ben suffered from mental illness, he arguably had the most human reaction to his family’s ongoing business with the Navarro Cartel. His confusion, disgust, but ultimately his naivety of his family’s situation resulted in his own sister, Wendy, giving up his whereabouts so that Helen’s hitman could dispose of him.

Wendy has become a cold, calculated and hardened woman, but her decision to let Ben die may be the one to break her. Her will to survive is incredibly strong, but with time to reflect on her actions Wendy may find herself down a dark rabbit hole that there may not be any chance of coming back from.

For his age, Jonah has already experienced more trauma than most adults. His exposure to the family business had left Jonah desensitized to murder, but the death of his uncle has pushed him to the edge. Jonah almost murdered Helen in an act of revenge but learned from her that his mother, Wendy, gave Ben up, leading to his death. In a fit of rage, Jonah blew a hole in the living room window with a shotgun, but next season his actions could be far heavier.

Charlotte, who wasn’t seen to be particularly close with her uncle, will still be reeling from his death. She is close to her brother, but depending on his actions she may need to decide between siding with him, or siding with her parents. Charlotte had previously wanted to emancipate, but ultimately decided to stay with the family, now could be the perfect time to leave.

Marty will have to contend with his family in the wake of Ben’s death. Not to mention Marty no longer has Ruth working for him, which means he’ll be under more pressure running the day to day business of the casino.

The Byrdes become Navarro’s right-hand couple

By using the footage of the Lagunas cartel attack, Marty and Wendy were able to stop the war between the Navarro and Lagunas cartel. By stopping the war, and securing the safety of Navarro’s family and assets, Marty and Wendy have proven their value to the drug lord.

The Byrdes ultimately proved they were far more valuable than Helen, who was murdered right before the eyes of Wendy and Marty. Helen had lots of power and influence within the Navarro Cartel, and with her, out of the picture, it can be assumed that the Byrdes, most likely Wendy, will be given the same power as what Helen held.

The implications of this are huge, as it will now be expected of Wendy to make some extremely tough decisions. For the sake of the cartel, and making money, Helen had no problem with making decisions that lead to the death of innocent people. Previously, Wendy has shown the same ruthlessness, but the death of Ben may weigh heavily on her, impacting her ability to carry out tasks like Helen.

Marty’s role is likely to continue on as normal, laundering money for the cartel and trying to get Agent Miller on side.

Will the Byrdes attempt an escape?

Each passing season the Byrdes have sunk deeper and deeper into the clutches of the Navarro cartel. By this point, to escape with their lives and freedom, Marty would have to take the deal with the FBI.

If they even dared to try and run away they would be relentlessly hunted by both the Navarro cartel and the FBI.

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Who are the cast members of Ozark season 4?

The following cast members are expected to return for the fourth season of Ozark:

• Jason Bateman as 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
• Carson Holmes as Three Langmore
• Jessica Frances Dukes as Special Agent Maya Miller
• Felix Solis as Omar Navarro

It’s unclear if Tom Pelphrey will return as Ben Davis due to his character’s death. If the actor is to return, it’s more than likely to be in a flashback.

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Will the fourth season of Ozark be the last?

With the direction, the story has been taken it’s hard to see how much farther the Byrdes can go before being arrested or killed. At the most, we’d say there are two seasons worth of story left for Ozark but it wouldn’t be surprising if season 4 were to be the last season produced.

If the fourth season is to be last it’s likely Netflix will announce that with the renewal.

 

Would you like to see another season of Ozark on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!