By David Craig

Published: Tuesday, 18 January 2022 at 12:00 am

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Jason Bateman has long been thought of as one of America’s best comic actors, but with gritty Netflix thriller Ozark he has proven himself to be a formidable dramatic talent as well.

Following in the footsteps of Breaking Bad and Weeds, the series follows the strained relationships between a once-loving family as they are drawn further and further into illegal activity.

In this case, the name of the game is money laundering, with the first season getting off to a dramatic start as financial adviser Marty Byrde (Bateman) botches a costly scheme for a dangerous drug cartel.

Since then, things have only gotten more stressful for Marty and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney), who have drafted the help of local crook Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) to keep their heads above water.

Read on for your full briefing on the Ozark cast and characters heading into the final episodes, but be warned that some spoilers follow for the first three seasons.

Jason Bateman plays Marty Byrde

Who is Marty Byrde? Marty used to be a Chicago-based financial adviser, whose lucrative side hustle was money laundering for a Mexican drug cartel. When the scheme went wrong due to a deceptive business partner, he was forced to abandon that life and start anew in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. There he plans a bigger operation that he hopes will save his skin, most recently setting up a casino to act as a front for his crimes.

What else has Jason Bateman been in? Bateman began his career in comedy, rising to prominence on sitcoms The Hogan Family and Arrested Development, before bagging big screen roles in Dodgeball, Juno, Couples Retreat and Horrible Bosses. Ozark is one of several dramatic projects he has worked on in recent years, with other examples being feature films Disconnect and The Gift.

Laura Linney plays Wendy Byrde

Who is Wendy Byrde? Wendy has been a successful political campaigner at one point, but was forced to leave all that behind when her husband’s dodgy dealings caught up to him. Now, she plays an instrumental role in their criminal operation, having recently used her professional knowledge to pressure state representatives into backing a casino bill.

What else has Laura Linney been in? Linney is a three-time Oscar nominee for her performances in You Can Count On Me, Kinsey and The Savages, while she has also earned acclaim for other features including The Squid and the Whale, The Truman Show and Mystic River. On the small screen, you may also recognise her from hard-hitting comedy-drama The Big C, which followed a high school teacher with terminal cancer.

Julia Garner plays Ruth Langmore

Who is Ruth Langmore? Ruth is a member of a local crime family who encounters the Byrdes shortly after their frantic escape to the Ozarks. Things get off to a rocky start for their relationship, but it isn’t long before she becomes one of their most valuable allies, with Marty teaching her some useful tricks to their illicit trade. She proved herself loyal after killing her own uncles to save her boss’ life, a move that proved too much to handle for her cousin, Wyatt, who skipped town.

What else has Julia Garner been in? Garner is fast becoming one of Hollywood’s most talked-about actors, with acclaimed television roles in The Americans, The Get Down and Ozark, the last of which has earned her three Primetime Emmys. On the big screen, she is known for coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower, horror film We Are What We Are, and recent indie hit The Assistant.

Sofia Hublitz plays Charlotte Byrde

Who is Charlotte Byrde? Marty and Wendy’s daughter has had a tough time adapting to their dangerous new life in the Ozarks, at one point trying to legally emancipate herself from the Byrde family. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out and so she continues to find herself drawn into their high stakes schemes.

What else has Sofia Hublitz been in? Ozark proved to be a breakout role for Hublitz, who has since appeared in crime drama Ida Red.

Skylar Gaertner plays Jonah Byrde

Who is Jonah Byrde? Wendy and Marty’s son has also been deeply impacted by their family’s uprooted life, becoming something of a loner.

What else has Skyler Gaertner been in? He is best known for portraying a young Matt Murdock in Netflix’s Daredevil streaming series, while he also appeared in two episodes of The Americans.

Lisa Emery plays Darlene Snell

Who is Darlene Snell? Darlene and her husband Jacob had been selling heroin in the Ozarks for some time before the Byrde family arrived, but that all fell apart when they made a big loss on a deal to build a casino on their land. In the aftermath, she has been acting out in extreme ways, first by killing her husband and later being complicit in the abduction of a baby.

What else has Lisa Emery been in? Prior to landing the Ozark gig, she had a recurring role on Marvel’s Jessica Jones, while she has recently made guest appearances on Madam Secretary and Blindspot.

Charlie Tahan plays Wyatt Langmore

Who is Wyatt Langmore? Wyatt is Ruth’s cousin and one of the few surviving members of the Langmore family. He developed a close bond with Charlotte Byrde after she arrived at the Ozarks, but begins down a self-destructive path after discovering that Ruth killed his father. Now, he finds himself in an intimate relationship with Darlene.

What else has Charlie Tahan been in? Comic book fans may know Tahan as Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow in the DC Comics crime drama Gotham, while he has also appeared in Wayward Pines, Castle Rock and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Jessica Frances Dukes plays Maya Miller

Who is Maya Miller? Maya is an FBI agent investigating Marty’s activities. Last season, she offered him a comfortable way out of his illegal activities, but he declined and set his sights on turning her to his side of the law.

What else has Jessica Frances Dukes been in? She is best known for playing Grace on Marvel’s Jessica Jones.

Felix Solis plays Omar Navarro

Who is Omar Navarro? Navarro is the leader of the drug cartel which Marty finds himself indebted to, who was an unseen menace in the first two seasons of the show. The Byrdes earned some favour with him in season 3 after ending a gang war, resulting in him throwing his support behind them – and thus dragging them deeper into the criminal underworld.

What else has Felix Solis been in? Solis has previously appeared in The Good Wife, The Following, SEAL Team and Charmed.

Damian Young plays Jim Rattelsdorf

Who is Jim Rattelsdorf? Jim has functioned as the Byrdes inside man in the world of politics, using his position as adviser to a wealthy political donor to their advantage.

What else has Damian Young been in? Young starred opposite Friends star Lisa Kudrow in her cult favourite follow-up project The Comeback, while more recently he has had film roles in Birdman, Ocean’s 8, I Care A Lot and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Adam Rothenberg plays Mel Sattem

Who is Mel Sattem? A new addition to the cast for season four, Mel is a former police officer who dropped out of the force and became a private investigator.

What else has Adam Rothenberg been in? Rothenberg played the lead role of Captain Homer Jackson in the BBC/Prime Video crime drama Ripper Street. Telly fans may also recognise him from last year’s factual miniseries The Serpent.

Alfonso Herrera plays Javi Elizonndro

Who is Javi Elizonndro? Another new face for the final season, Javi is a member of the Navarro crime family. He follows orders passed down from above, but also has one eye on taking over the operation for himself one day.

What else has Alfonso Herrera been in? Herrera has starred in numerous films and television shows in his native Mexico, while his English-language projects include Sense8, The Exorcist and Queen of the South.

Nelson Bonilla plays Nelson

Who is Nelson? Nelson is a hitman who once served as personal bodyguard to Helen Pierce. That is, until the moment he shot her in the head when the crime family decided they no longer had any use for her.

What else has Nelson Bonilla been in? Bonilla has had small roles in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, cop thriller Black and Blue, as well as Tom Holland drama Cherry.

Janet McTeer plays Helen Pierce

Who is Helen Pierce? Helen was an attorney for the Navarro crime family and a recurring thorn in the side of the Byrde family. She began making plans to have them removed from the operation, but Marty and Wendy were able to get one step ahead of her, earning the respect of kingpin Omar. In response, the drug lord had her killed.

What else has Janet McTeer been in? McTeer is a two-time Oscar nominee for her work on Tumbleweeds and Albert Nobbs, while other film credits include The Woman in Black, Me Before You and the Divergent series. On the small screen, you may have spotted her on Psychoville, The White Queen, Damages, The Honourable Woman or Jessica Jones.

Tom Pelphrey plays Ben Davis

Who is Ben Davis? Ben was the unstable brother of Wendy Byrde, whose erratic behaviour ultimately got him killed by the Navarro crime family.

What else has Tom Pelphrey been in? Pelphrey recently played a key role in acclaimed biopic Mank, which was directed by David Fincher and starred Gary Oldman in the lead role. His other projects include US soap opera Guiding Light, Banshee and Marvel’s Iron Fist.

Jordana Spiro plays Rachel Garrison

Who is Rachel Garrison? Rachel was a reluctant business associate of Marty after his move to the Ozarks, but her links with him ultimately led to her arrest. While in police custody, she made a deal to help the authorities catch him.

What else has Jordana Spiro been in? Spiro had a recurring role on police procedural Blindspot, while she recently portrayed Mrs Lane in Netflix’s trilogy of Fear Street movies.

Jason Butler Harner plays Roy Petty

Who is Roy Petty? Roy was an FBI agent investigating Marty’s activities, who met a grisly end at the hands of Cade Langmore, Ruth’s father.

What else has Jason Butler Harner been in? He has previously appeared in The Blacklist, Ray Donovan and John Slattery’s short-lived sci-fi drama, Next.

Peter Mullan plays Jacob Snell

Who is Jacob Snell? Jacob was husband to Darlene and her business partner in the drug trade for a number of years. However, that all came to an end after she murdered him following a bad deal.

What else has Peter Mullan been in? Mullan is a Scottish actor who has appeared in Channel 4’s Red Riding trilogy, The Fixer, Top of the Lake and Westworld. Last year, he bagged roles in acclaimed miniseries The Underground Railroad and The North Water, while he has also joined the cast of Prime Video’s upcoming The Lord of the Rings streaming show.

Ozark season 4 is available to stream on Netflix from Friday 21st January 2022. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. 

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