‘Just the name is enough’ holds true (but also not) in the case of the Netflix Original drama Ozark. Even though the title may be a bit misleading in terms of its actual filming locations, it surely has made a bombastic cultural impact. The show’s name itself has had enough gravity in pulling tourists to the Lake of the Ozarks. Inspired by Jason Bateman‘s character, ‘Marty Byrde’, a restaurant was also inaugurated in Missouri’s Lake Ozark in 2018. The menu for the same adopted the show’s key identifiers.
The show’s penultimate season (Season 4 Part 1) aired in January 2022 and its last chapter i.e Season 4 Part 2 premiered in April. With the series having achieved its goal of entertaining the masses, it’s now time to savor the show for what it gave us. Here are all the places it was filmed in.
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What is the Show About?
The ordinary lives of the Byrdes are turned topsy-turvy when the couple decides to shift to the Ozarks from Chicago for money laundering. They’re soon caught in the midst of criminal gangs, with the Mafia following their trail in the new remote town.
Ozark Filming Locations
Unlike the titular name of the show, Ozark is not one of the filming locations of the Netflix series. The show was rather shot around the regions of Atlanta, Georgia, in the proximity of Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona. Gwinnett County, Canton, Norcross, Duluth, Peachtree, and Lawrenceville were some of the localities where filming for the drama took place.
The first few episodes were majorly centered around Chicago, especially in Illinois and Naperville. Following that, Marty and Wendy promptly shift to the Ozarks i.e. the Ozark Mountains. However, only the distant landscape of the Ozarks has been showcased in the series as proof of the storyline being set in the area.
Beyond that, the title of the show doesn’t stand ground as the state of Georgia was picked as the production site for Ozark due to tax incentives. Another reason why they pushed for this specific U.S. state for production was its “gritty” aesthetic. The team found it appropriate for the “rural flavor” they were going for.
The Alhonna Resort and Marina on the Lake of the Ozarks are briefly featured. It’s one of those places that holds personal significance for the show’s writer Bill Dubuque as he worked in the surroundings during the ’80s. The rest is all circumscribed within Atlanta where the setting of the original Alhonna Resort is replicated.
Most of the scenes that were to be filmed inside found their abode at Atlanta’s Eagle Rock Studios.
Is Ozark Worth Watching?
Rated 8.5 on IMDb, Ozark is characterized as a “high-end” drama, owing to its A-list cast panel. Each episode’s storytelling is preceded by certain sketches or drawings that illumine the path of the upcoming narration. They work as premonitions or theme-setters for each episode. And just like its visual aesthetic or color palette, the drama follows a pretty dark narrative as well. Top critics from Guardian and Decider have been won over by the complex reality of the middle class, as has been portrayed in the show. Each dark turn intertwines the lives of various characters together.
Although many reviews rank the Netflix original series higher in the index of its perennial streams of content, some have boisterously lulled it. Comments regarding the show being a “vanity project” for Bateman (who not only plays the protagonist but is also the executive producer and the occasional director of this project) shun it as something superficial. However, spectators know better that it isn’t the case.
Where to Watch Ozark?
All four seasons of the TV series are now streaming on Netflix. Moreover, a half an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary A Farewell to Ozark is also available on the platform. Don’t dare to watch this documented episode without having watched the actual drama because spoilers are waiting to jumpscare you.
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