Every Main Ozark Character Ranked By Likability

Charlotte Byrde's only real crime is guilt by association with her criminal parents. The worst you can say about Charlotte — played by Sofia Hublitz — is that she can get a little annoying at times in how she acts out against her parents' wishes. Even so, that's more to do with her disagreeable circumstances and general teenage angst rather than anything that is directly her fault.

Her friendship with Wyatt Langmore seemed questionable at first, and even potentially disastrous given that her parents are constantly at odds with the Langmore family. However, as more was revealed about Wyatt, Charlotte was proven to be right to not judge a book by its cover. As the series progresses, Charlotte becomes more and more involved with the money laundering operation run by her parents. In doing so, she makes a few questionable decisions — but it is hard to fault her, given the fact that the looming danger the Byrde family faces is entirely out of her control, and she is doing what she can to keep herself and her little brother Jonah safe.

The somewhat-askew Langmore family tree is populated with characters at all points on the likability spectrum, and Wyatt comes out on top as the most likable of all the main ones. He's the black sheep of family, by virtue of being the only one not content to continue in the generational scumbag lifestyle propagated by the rest of the Langmores.

Wyatt is smart and has a degree of ambition, but was born into unfortunate circumstances and surrounded largely by people who don't want him to reach any higher than themselves. (Ruth is the key exception, who desperately wants Wyatt to achieve his full potential.) His relationship with Darlene Snell is extremely off-putting, and that may or may not affect his likability to some viewers. For the most part, Wyatt seems as though he is being unwittingly taken advantage of by Darlene, which takes some of the burden of the relationship off of him, and makes Darlene's actions even worse.

Ruth Langmore, played by Julia Garner, is an interesting case of shifting likability. She begins the series as a thoroughly unlikable character, but undergoes quite a drastic redemption arc over the course of the first three seasons. Ruth even manages to navigate the difficult shift from antagonist to protagonist as the series progresses. Her overall transformation is possibly the biggest in the "Ozark," and Ruth winds up being one of the show's most likable protagonists by the third season.

Though it's easy to root for the current Ruth in the later seasons of "Ozark," the character has still done plenty of bad things. Much worse than everything she does to make Marty's life more difficult, Ruth is willing to murder people, even her own family members. Killing Russ Langmore, Wyatt's father, is by far the worst act she has committed. The ramifications of this murder are especially tough to swallow, as it is what turns Wyatt against her — while Ruth genuinely cares for Wyatt. Ruth's desire to keep Wyatt away from a life of crime and help him achieve his full potential goes a long in terms of her likability.

The main protagonist of "Ozark," Marty Byrde (played by Jason Bateman) lands right about in the middle of the ranking when it comes to likability. He's a complex, morally-gray character, and that is exactly what makes him such an effective lead. If he were more likable and did fewer detestable things, he would be a less compelling protagonist. On the other hand, if were any less likable, he would run the risk of losing audiences all together. It's a tricky balance, one necessary to keep viewers engaged and invested in Marty's goals and troubles, and "Ozark" nails it.

Marty is guilty of plenty of crimes and other contemptible decisions and actions, but he is also charismatic to a degree and cares greatly for his family — or at least for his children, as his feelings for Wendy fluctuate throughout. His bad actions are almost always done in the best interest of his family. He repeatedly tries, and fails, to get out from the arrangement he has with the cartel to sever ties with them altogether. Marty is often on the back foot, trying to wriggle out of dangerous situations rather than explicitly causing the dangerous situations; an important distinction that saves some of his likability, even when he crosses certain lines.

Wendy Byrde, played by Laura Linney, is just as guilty as her husband Marty in all of the illegal goings-on. Throughout the series, Wendy makes a handful of choices and commits a few actions that lower her likability below her spouse, the other "Ozark" series lead. One major action that makes her less likable than Marty right off the bat is something she actually started before the events of the series itself: Her affair with Gary "Sugarwood" Silverberg. But cheating on Marty is far from being Wendy's only unlikable act.

As the series progresses, Wendy grows more ruthless and cares more about their criminal dealings over the safety of their family. She routinely makes major decisions behind Marty's back, messing up plans that were already in motion and getting the entire Byrde family into even more trouble. As Marty attempts to make a clean break from the cartel, Wendy knowingly keeps their family tied to the cartel in what is, without a doubt, her most selfish and dangerous decision. Even more egregious, however, is her decision to help the cartel kill her own brother in Season 3. It wasn't an easy decision for her, and she was pressured from all sides, but it is still a major line to cross that makes her considerably less likable than the rest of her family members. Wendy is also the least likable character who isn't an outright antagonist on the series.

The main patriarch of the largely-antagonistic Langmore family is Cade Langmore, played by Trevor Long. He is by far the most despicable of the entire Langmore clan and displays no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Cade is greedy, selfish, and uncaring for even his own family when push comes to shove. He chooses personal gain over the other Langmores and routinely treats the others, and Ruth especially, like garbage. He is a man who cares only about one person: Himself.

Cade spends much of the early stages of "Ozark" locked away in jail. Even though he's incarcerated, his presence still looms above the other Langmores like a storm cloud. His role becomes more direct in Season 2 after he is released from prison. After overplaying his hand, Cade gets set up by Wendy and is killed at the hands of the cartel during the Season 2 finale. His death scene comes as a welcome development after being such a scumbag throughout the entirety of "Ozark."

Roy Petty, played by Jason Butler Harner, is the disturbed FBI agent intent on catching Marty Byrde. An FBI agent endeavoring to take down a cartel's money-laundering scheme could make for an admirable character, yet Agent Petty is anything but. Petty's methods, combined with his twisted demeanor and personality, culminate in one seriously messed up and unhinged person. He might be on the right side of the law, but he is unquestionably on the wrong side of ethics and morality.

Petty's obsession with catching Marty finds him stooping lower and crossing more lines throughout the first two seasons of "Ozark." He threatens, manipulates, and uses several characters in his attempts to catch Marty. Petty even manipulates Russ Langmore into a sexual relationship purely for the purposes of control and to furthering his scheme to catch Marty. This act of manipulation causes untold psychological damage to Russ in the process. Another aspect of Petty's personality that makes him so thoroughly unlikable is his horrible treatment of his fellow FBI agent Trevor Evans, who Petty was also in a romantic relationship with before disposing of him callously.

Darlene Snell, played by Lisa Emery, is thoroughly unlikable at every turn. Managing to be less likable the a ruthless cartel boss is quite a feat in its own right. Though her husband, Jacob, is quite unlikable in his own right, Darlene is far worse. Her actions are often rash — like killing Del, the cartel envoy — and seem to be made by a mind that is not quite sound.

Practically every decision Darlene makes and every action she takes is contemptible to one degree or another. Some of her worst offenses include killing her own loving husband and stealing Mason's baby, Zeke, to raise as her own. There's also her disturbing sexual relationship with Wyatt. Though it might be arguable how willing Wyatt is to engage in their relationship, it seems as though Darlene may be manipulating the young man and taking advantage of him — at a particularly vulnerable point in his life, no less, while he's still reeling from learning the truth about his father's death at the hands of Ruth. In a show loaded with unsavory characters, Darlene is the lowest of the low.