The first season of the crime drama Ozark premiered on Netflix last summer, and anticipation for Season 2 has been building ever since it was renewed, only a month after it debuted on the streaming giant. So what does Season 2 have in store for fans? Series star Jason Bateman teased the upcoming season by sharing the unique way the second season was approached, and how it will be different. Here is what Bateman said:
[It's a sequel], as opposed to a second season. We're approaching [Ozark] as a 10-chapter movie. . . . The second year is not a completely new story, but it is another single beginning, middle, and end.
Jason Bateman shared his insight on Ozark Season 2 while speaking at Deadline's Emmy Consideration event, and fans that binge-watch Netflix original series probably understand the familiar sense they are watching separate pieces of an overarching movie. It's an approach that is often attempted, though rarely nailed down with excellence, and Ozark pulled it off pretty well in Season 1. With Ozark set to span another ten episodes, succeeding with the classic three-act formula that films utilize could be tricky, to put in succinctly.
But tricky or not, Jason Bateman (who is an executive producer on Ozark) seems to have no qualms with Netflix's system and formatting decisions. In his words:
It's fantastic from a creative standpoint in that you can make assumptions that people are going to be biting off big chunks of this. From a writing standpoint, you don't feel the same obligation to reestablish things.
As Jason Bateman points out, Netflix's set-up is a huge advantage to its series' creators. There is no need for a show to recap the story that happened a week before, which severely eats into the time of original content viewers get. And there's little need to fill each episode with unnecessary expository conversations, since it's assumed that details are always fresh in viewers' minds. In a world where successful shows may creatively overstay its welcome, Ozark does not seem poised to do that.
Last year, one of Ozark's showrunners, Chris Mundy, said the show could go for five seasons, hinting at a definitive timeline the team has envisioned for the series. It is a number Bates Motel stuck with too great success. While Ozark Season 1 left viewers without any huge cliffhangers, it did have a lot of disquieting moments, trading in shock after shock without ever meandering. And there was a huge story left to tell when it ended, as Marty's family came back to weather any ensuing storms together, and the storms are definitely out there. The plot of Ozark Season 2 has been kept pretty hush-hush., but actress Janet McTeer has been added as a Chicago lawyer with ties to the cartel. Will she be a threat to the Byrdes? Stay tuned.
Ozark and its stars are considered contenders for the upcoming Emmy awards. It is a safe assumption. The series, which has been popular among viewers, has received awards recognition before. Both Jason Bateman and Laura Linney received SAG nominations in their respective categories for Best Leads in a Drama. Bateman was also nominated for Best Actor in a Drama by the Golden Globes. Time will tell if Ozark's awards momentum keeps up.
There is currently no premiere date for Ozark Season 2. To find out what else is set to arrive on Netflix, check out our guide to all of the new and returning shows set to debut on the streaming service via our 2018 Netflix premiere rundown. For more of what is coming up on TV, check out our guide to TV's midseason and summer premieres.
