Missing Ozark? Here are 6 blood-soaked dramas to help you move on…

After four gripping and increasingly violent seasons, we bid farewell to Ozark at the end of April this year. 

Ozark starred Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner and chronicled the journeys of Marty (Bateman) and Wendy (Linney) Byrde, a married couple who are forced to relocate their lives and their children to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. 

They do so after Marty was forced to make amends with a Mexican drug cartel by offering to set up a bigger laundering operation in a series of businesses in the Ozarks. 

Bateman and Linney have already established stars, but Ozark has been a juggernaut for Garner, who wowed as the psychotic Ruth and is now a headliner in her own right as she did with Netflix’s Inventing Anna. We’ll also be seeing a lot more of young discoveries Sofia Hublitz and Skylar Gaertner in years to come. 

But, with the show now wrapped for good, we’d thought we’d help out anyone who is in need of a fix of dark drama and recommend six shows that sit very much in the same groove as Ozark…

ZeroZeroZero

One of the standout shows of recent years, ZeroZeroZero is a globe-trotting, icy cool, eight-part saga, which stars Andrea Riseborough, Gabriel Byrne and Dane DeHaan. 

It follows the journey of a large shipment of cocaine from Mexico to Italy, showing the work of the ruthless cartels, the power-hungry Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta mafia and American shipping dynasty the Lynwood family, who are charged with moving the product. 

Created by Gomorrah key man Stefano Sollima, the show's narrative unfolds slowly, but with style and some brilliant and very violent action showdowns, all scored by Scottish rockers Mogwai, whose brooding score adds an extra layer of menace to the show. 

Much like the Byrdes, the Lynwoods quickly discover they've bitten off more than they can chew and will have to play off some very unpleasant characters against each other...  

Where can I stream it?

Prime Video (US), NOW (UK)

Fargo

When it was announced that FX was taking the Coen Brothers' quirky 1996 Oscar-winning drama Fargo to the small screen, nobody knew quite what to expect. 

The movie had won the Coen Brothers and star Frances McDormand an Oscar and a TV spin-off had already failed in 1997. What was the point of it?

The show turned out to be a revelation. Each season is an anthology, with all-star casts coming together for single-season storylines, each involving a twisty crime saga, set somewhere near Fargo, North Dakota, though at very different times in history. 

The TV adaptation keeps the Coen Brothers' madcap stylings, but with fresh impetus and clever storytelling, it's no wonder that FX owners Disney have now entrusted showrunner Noah Hawley with the future of the Alien franchise. 

Where can I stream it?

Hulu (US), Netflix (UK)

Breaking Bad

As recommendations go, this feels a bit like being asked for tips on bands someone might like and recommending The Beatles, but, if there's anybody on Planet Earth who hasn't seen Breaking Bad, but has seen Ozark, they should definitely correct that. 

The shows stars Bryan Cranston, who delivers the performance of a lifetime as Walter White, a high-school chemistry teacher who discovers he has stage-three lung cancer, and, in a desperate bid to provide for his family, turns to a life of crime by way of producing and cooking crystal meth.

Cranston's portrayal of White and his transformation from a mannered, bookish teacher into a drug kingpin is a performance that has few equals in television. It's a different type of performance from Bateman, who remains more measured throughout Ozark, but watching two mild-mannered men pushed to their absolute limits and forced to dabble in worlds they'd have happily stayed away from, there are some real parallels.

Where can I stream it?

Netflix (Worldwide)

Bloodline

One of Netflix's first lavish dramas, Bloodline is a brooding family saga, a nice precursor to Ozark. 

Starring Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn and Linda Cardellini, the drama follows the Rayburns, a wealthy family in the Florida Keys, who live sedate, happy and peaceful lives. 

That peace is disturbed when Danny, the eldest Rayburn child, returns after a long absence to help his parents celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary and tells his brothers and sisters he wants to stay permanently. When the others agree he cannot, things quickly go pear-shaped...

Family secrets, tough decisions and a sedate sleepy seaside town, there's plenty for Ozark fans here, though it's a bit sunnier in the Florida Keys. 

Where can I stream it?

Netflix (Worldwide)

Animal Kingdom

David Michod's brutal 2010 movie, which actually starred Ben Mendelsohn, retold the real-life saga of the Pettingill criminal family, one of the most-feared crime families in Melbourne, Australia, was taken to the small screen in 2016. 

The action was transplanted to Los Angeles, with Ellen Barkin leading the way as Janine "Smurf" Cody, the vicious matriarch at the head of the Cody crime family. After the family are forced to take in Smurf's estranged grandson Joshua, the 17-year-old is slowly integrated into their complex and bloody life of crime. 

Family dynamics? Check. Vicious drug kingpin? Check. Brilliant performances? Check. Ozark fans will eat up all six seasons of this show. 

Where can I stream it?

Pluto TV (US), Virgin Media Go (UK)

Snowfall

Now confirmed to end with its sixth and final season next year, it's a good time to get acquainted with this stylish drama, which, like Ozark, deals with the darker side of the drug trade. 

Created by legendary director John Singleton, the man behind hit 1991 drama Boyz n the Hood, Snowfall chronicles the impact as crack cocaine hits the streets for the first time and the drug's impact on so many lives.  

Among those the drama follows are a 20-year-old drug dealer, a Mexican wrestler, a CIA operative, and a Mexican crime boss's niece, whose lives become entangled as some people start to get rich and the drug finds its way into more and more people's lives...

Unflinching, stylish and rather gripping, this is very much in the wheelhouse of any Ozark lover. 

Where can I stream it?

Hulu (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)

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