Diving Into Ozark
Photo: Netflix
Netflix’s Ozark returns to small screens everywhere March 27th, much to the delight of homebound fans eagerly awaiting new streaming content to binge. Ozark follows financial advisor Martin “Marty” Byrde (Jason Bateman), who gets in over his head with a drug cartel when a money laundering scheme goes awry. To make amends with the cartel, Marty must move his family from Chicago so he can continue to launder money in a new illegal operation centered in the Ozarks.
The Netflix original series has grown its audience with each new season, garnering notice from audiences and critics alike. To celebrate the arrival of this drama’s third season, we are using Ranker Insights to take a deep dive into who, exactly, makes up Ozark’s audience.
Here’s what Insights can tell us about the people who watch Ozark.
WHAT AMERICAN AUDIENCES THINK
Overall, Ozark is seen by voters across the country as being one of the best recent streaming shows. Viewers in the Mountain region seem to favor it the most, placing it at #1 on Ranker’s list of “Best New Streaming Shows of the Last Few Years” to beat out heavyweights like Stranger Things, Jessica Jones, and Handmaid’s Tale.
Midwest fans placed Ozark in fourth place, preferring the dramatic thriller over comedies such as Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The Ranch, but not over Stranger Things, The Man in the High Castle, and the intense drama Sense8.
Streaming fans on the West Coast and in the South place Ozark in the midrange, placing it 9th and 15th among their favorite new streaming shows, while Northeast readers place it in the 20th spot under a range of comedies and action shows, including Netflix’s Marvel adaptations Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones.
Photo: Netflix
OZARK FANS’ TOP SHOWS
Fans of this Netflix series love complicated dramas with thriller characteristics. According to Ranker Insights, Ozark fans are 7X more likely to watch Taboo on BBC and Netflix's Altered Carbon, as well as Stranger Things. Viewers are almost 6X more likely to tune into HBO's modern masterpiece Westworld as well.
The criminal elements of Good Girls, which follows a trio of women who enter illegal activities to fund their families, are 5X more likely to appeal to Ozark fans — the same can be said for Billions and The Handmaid's Tale. On the other side of the coin, fans of Ozark are less likely than your average viewer to tune into Gypsy on Netflix or Better Late Than Never on NBC.
Photo: Netflix
OZARK FANS AT THE MOVIES
According to Ranker Insights, fans of Ozark are more likely to enjoy quirky comedies, complex storylines, and films with an edge for their long-form viewing experiences. The Big Lebowski tops the list of must-see movies for Ozark fans, as they are 3X more likely to enjoy the Coen Brothers’ breakout comedy. Fans are also 2X more likely to plug into The Matrix and enoy the offbeat antics of Mike Judge's Office Space.
Fans of Ozark are also 2X more likely to watch (but not talk about) David Fincher's Fight Club and Bob Clarke’s yuletide classic A Christmas Story.
Photo: Netflix
OZARK FANS APPRECIATE ACTING
Unsurprisingly, given the heavy lifting done by Bateman and Laura Linney on the show, Ozark fans appreciate actors who take their craft to the next level. Ranker Insights has shown that fans of Ozark are 2X more likely to be outspoken fans of Daniel Day-Lewis, as well as Christian Bale and Edward Norton.
OZARK ON RANKER
On the Best Ozark Character list, fans have found that Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) and Buddy Dyker (Harris Yulin) are far more likable than main character Marty or his wife Wendy (Laura Linney). On the same list, fans have voiced their dislike for the characters Eugenia Dermody (Sharon Blackwood) and Boyd Langmore Christopher (James Baker).
Photo: Netflix