Netflix’s Ozark will fill drug-world TV drama void in your life

Ozark, a new Netflix original starring Jason Bateman, is being billed as the next big drug-world drama. Here’s why you might want to get streaming.

The first season of Netflix’s newest original show, Ozark, premiered in its entirety on Friday, and it’s drawing a lot of comparisons to beloved TV drama Breaking Bad.

At first blush, it’s easy to see why. The trailer introduces us to financial planner Marty Byrde—played by Jason Bateman—a white, middle-aged, seemingly normal man who, by the way, also launders money for a Mexican drug cartel.

Marty has suddenly uprooted his family (wife, Wendy, played by Laura Linney, and children Sofia and Skylar) from a suburb of Chicago to the Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri after his partner is murdered.

As it turns out, said partner cheated the Mexican drug cartel, and Marty has to set up a new operation to launder $500 million to make up for it.

However, while Breaking Bad made us privy to Walter White’s transformation from mild-mannered chemistry teacher to monstrous drug lord, Ozark takes place in medias res.

Marty has been laundering money for the cartel for years. The crux of this particular chapter of his story is the death of his partner and the situation that puts him in.

The trailer contains all the elements one would hope to find in a drug-world drama. There’s Marty having a tense conversation with an FBI agent while in a bathrobe, Wendy loading a shotgun, someone getting locked in a trunk, piles of cash being hidden in a wall, someone getting hit by a dump truck (!), and lots of people hiding from other people.

But while the idea for Ozark may feel derivative, the show promises to deliver on the strengths of its leads.

Bateman turns in a rare non-comedic performance, and Linney’s signature quiet burn is sure to pay off with an explosive turn down the line.

Creator Bill Dubuque is best known for The Accountant (not so impressive) and The Judge (extremely impressive). What the former lacked in subtlety, the latter more than made up for in its execution.

While the word “restraint” doesn’t necessarily come to mind watching the trailer for Ozark , the series does seem like it will build on the tension it establishes through the first season.

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Ozark‘s first season consists of 10 one-hour episodes and is available to stream now.