Ozark Season 5 - Could Jason Bateman & Laura Linney's Netflix Series Return?
Over the course of its four sweaty-palmed seasons on Netflix, "Ozark" kept viewers pinned to the edge of their seats as they pondered what ghastly fates awaited Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his flock in the wilds of the Missouri Ozarks. The narrative actually stretched far beyond that region through the series' run, with the Byrdes facing down perils from federal agents, Kansas City mobsters, Mexican cartels, and local heroin dealers at every turn. If you've seen the series' breathless finale, you know they outlasted every one of them, riding off not so much into the sunset, but into the black of night with their names and lives somehow relatively intact.
That finale was, of course, more open-ended than many "Ozark" fans had likely anticipated. So much so that the door seemed very much open to a fifth season should the powers that be deem it a possibility. And according to Bateman — who also served as executive producer and sometimes director on "Ozark" — a return would certainly not be out of the question, because he enjoyed working on the show so much. "Any job or work environment that was positive, and where you loved the people you were working with and you loved the product you were creating, you'd love to return to it," the actor told Variety. Bateman went on to add, "And we had that with 'Ozark.' So I'd do it again in a second, because what we had just doesn't happen often."
Both Bateman and Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy still seem pretty happy with where things ended
It should be noted that Jason Bateman made those comments after telling Variety how relieved he is that "Ozark" didn't overstay its welcome with viewers. So even as he might be open to a return, it seems he may not be actively lobbying for it. And judging by comments made to The Daily Beast by "Ozark" showrunner Chris Mundy, the creative team may be happy to leave well enough alone, too.
Mundy's comments were made regarding the decision to end "Ozark" with a super-sized fourth season rather than adding a fifth. Per the showrunner, that approach was indeed Netflix's suggestion, and Mundy believes it worked out for the best in the end. "I know for us, creatively, we didn't think it would go past five," Mundy said. "I didn't want to be in the position of throwing more things in that were happening so the show could keep going."
It seems knowing exactly when the final episode was helped the creative team get to the ending they'd already had in sight with ease. As Mundy claimed, "We knew where we wanted to end it. It felt like somewhere in that four-five season range was kind of perfect ... Luckily, 14 episodes was really a good number, as it turned out." And as for the pitch-perfect "Ozark" finale, most fans might agree it was wise to let that haunting final image linger for as long as possible.