No, ‘Ozark’ Season 5 Is Not The Plan For Netflix

Ozark is back, and currently sitting atop Netflix’s Top 10 list, which is not unexpected, given that it’s become one of the service’s most high profile series with its Emmy nominations and occasional wins (go Julia Garner!).

But some viewers may be a bit confused about what exactly is going on here with Ozark season 4, and what that means for Ozark season 5.

In short, there is no season 5 for Ozark. This is not a Netflix cancellation, but rather a planned ending for the series. Instead, we are getting a two-part season 4, similar to the ending of Breaking Bad. So unlike the past 10 episode seasons that the show has had for three years now, we are getting two, 7 part half-seasons, the first of which is now live, the but Part 2 does not have a release date yet.

The way these things work, it may stand to reason that Netflix may spread out the second half of season 4 so that Ozark is eligible for awards in two different years, as we’ve seen a few different series do this from time to time. And it often works. So no, I would not expect the second batch of episodes to hit this summer or anything, and we may be waiting another year or so for the final seven to arrive.

With the way Netflix works, it’s not all that often you get to see series end completely on their own terms, as the service tends to do a lot of cancellations either 1, 2 or 3 years in. But Ozark has been a hit for them, and that’s been enough for it to live for five years total until it reaches its logical ending. Showrunner Chris Mundy has talked about this “endgame” plan for a while now:

“If they’re (Marty and Wendy) trying to look to see if there’s an out, they’ve got to figure out if that’s what they want, and if so, what’s the version of it that they want. Then reckoning with that after so much chaos — that’s going to bubbling under the surface.”

If you’ve started season 4, you’ll know that a main storyline involves both the Byrdes and their cartel leader boss looking for a way “out” of the business, but as expected, that’s far more difficult to execute than anticipated. I haven’t reached the final episode yet, but I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a cliffhanger leading into the final seven episodes, whenever those air.

It’s nice to see a series like this get to end on its own terms, rather than drag on for too long or be killed too soon, both of which we’ve seen happen on Netflix and elsewhere. 4.5 seasons seems about like the right length for a story like this, and it’s been great to see the show grow in quality and scope as time has gone on here. And I doubt we’ve seen the last of these actors, writers and this showrunner on Netflix.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.