The 21 Best Shows Like 'Ozark'

Admittedly, this is probably the show on this list that’s the least like Ozark because it’s an all-out comedy, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it as an Ozark fan. That’s because Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth, the main character here too. Michael is surrounded by a lot of big personalities played by the likes of Will Arnett, David Cross, and more. The contrast between him and them makes for some hilarious moments.

Ozark, boiled down, is about a man who lives two lives at once, and essentially, Barry is about the same thing. With Bill Hader at the helm though, there’s of course a much more comedic edge to it. The story here is that a hitman goes to L.A. for some work, but finds himself in an acting class, where he kind of falls in love with the idea of that career path and doesn’t want to be a hitman anymore. Of course, people in his line of work aren’t as onboard. Barry's themes of living a double life go hand in hand with its placing here as one of the preferred shows like Ozark.

If along with Ozark you’re also a fan of Breaking Bad (which also appears on this list), then there’s a decent chance you’re at least somewhat familiar with Better Call Saul. It started out as a spin-off and prequel of the popular series and sort of an origin story for Saul Goodman, but it has since become so much more than that and an eventual sequel. The final episodes will air in the summer. The dark themes present in Better Call Saul and the many surly personalities within it provide it with everything it needs to be seen as one of the best shows like Ozark.

While the focus of Ozark is often the Byrdes, in Netflix's original series Bloodline, the Rayburns are in the spotlight. When Danny Rayburn, the black sheep of the family comes home for a particular celebration, there’s debate about whether he should stay, and a shocking event forces some of the family’s darkest secrets to unfold throughout the first season. There are three seasons in total.

Breaking Bad is widely considered one of the best TV series of all time but if for some reason you’ve never given it a try, there’s no better time than now, especially with the aforementioned Better Call Saul coming to an end soon. It’s about Walter White, a family man who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, which leads him to begin producing and selling crystal meth to provide for his family and give them a better life after he’s gone.

Dexter is similar to Ozark in that the main character is someone who on one hand would seem like your standard citizen but on the other, has a much darker backstory that hangs over him like a dark cloud. Money laundering isn’t the focus here though. Instead, Dexter is a serial killer who targets other murderers, creating an immediate conflict for viewers.

Fargo is a show inspired by the 1996 movie of the same name. Set in Minnesota, it’s an anthology series with the first season being the most critically acclaimed and loved by fans. It sees Martin Freeman playing Lester Nygaard, an unassuming man who finds himself in dark circumstances surrounded by Lorne Malvo, played incredibly by Billy Bob Thornton.

If what you loved about Ozark was the relationship and dynamic between characters, then there’s a good chance you’ll also enjoy Mad Men. It’s set in the 60s and also features somewhat of an anti-hero in Jon Hamm’s Don Draper. He’s an extremely memorable character with a dark past that often comes back around.

Agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) operate the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit and they launch a project which will see them interviewing imprisoned serial killers with the hopes of getting an understanding of their psychology. The show is set in the 70s, around when this became a thing in real life. 

Narcos is an intense series set in Colombia in the 1970s, telling the unbelievable story of Pablo Escobar. The show is intense and the drama of it will certainly appeal to fans of Ozark, but more specifically here as a similarity is the appearance of a cartel that of course brings with it action and ruthless violence at a non-stop pace. If you’re into this, check out Narcos: Mexico too.

Created by Steven Knight, this show is set in Birmingham and follows the gang of the same name and their exploits following the first World War. Cillian Murphy plays the lead role here and does, as usual, an exceptional job. The show has had a big cultural impact in the UK and for good reason. This is one definitely worth trying, even if it doesn’t sound much like Ozark from the pitch.

A Mexican woman named Teresa is in a relationship with a higher-up in the drug cartel – or at least she was until he was murdered. As a result, she finds herself in Dallas where she eventually works her way up to a much more fortunate situation with her own drug enterprise. The rise of course doesn’t sit well with everyone and with that kind of money and power also comes problems. Of course, she wants to get the cartel back too, which is where the Ozark similarity is. Which gives it that essential element to be classified as one of the best shows like Ozark.

Camille Preaker is a reporter who is sent back to her hometown to cover the murder of two teenage girls but while she’s there, some of her own past comes back to haunt her a little bit. Amy Adams takes on the lead role here and does a great job in the murder mystery.

You might have started hearing about Snowfall a lot in more recent times, but it’s actually been around for about five years now. It recently got renewed for its sixth and final season. It explores the crack epidemic in Los Angeles in 1983 through the lens of a few interesting characters, including Mexican crime bosses and the CIA. The tone of this show can be very similar to Ozark, especially in its darker moments.

The Jennings family is living in the Cold War and while they seem like a married American couple to friends and even their own children, they’re actually two Soviet KBG intelligence officers posing as such, which inevitably boils over when they can’t control the balance and one life seeps into another. This is of course a similar dynamic to that of Marty Byrde.

The Mosquito Coast might be the show on this list that actually feels the most like Ozark in terms of plot and characters. It features a family on the run that's desperately hiding from their past - a lot of their confrontations with anyone they run into feel similar to those of the Byrdes. Their run to Mexico is tense and will have you on the edge of your seat. The Mosquito Coast is as close to possible to what you're looking for when it comes to the best shows like Ozark.

Like Arrested Development, The Outsider is an especially good pick on this list because it features Jason Bateman, who plays Marty Byrde, not only in a big acting role but also as a director on some episodes. The plot is as follows. The mutilated corpse of a young boy is found and the main suspect is his little league coach. The only problem is that he has an alibi.

If you’ve seen and enjoyed a show like Ozark enough to seek out shows that are like it, then you’ve probably already heard of The Sopranos. Tony Soprano is the head of a mob family and the show follows the difficulty of balancing his trying to raise a family alongside his life of crime. 

To call this a ‘show like Ozark’ would be considered very disrespectful to fans of The Wire who will argue until the end that it’s the greatest show of all time. Even if you don’t exactly agree, it’s hard to debate. The show is set in a gritty Baltimore where corruption, drug deals, and murder are par for the course. Both shows consist of incredibly layered characters who it’s a joy to watch interact with each other and grow.

While Yellowjackets is a newer show on the list, premiering just a few months ago, it’s also shot up in popularity quite quickly. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, it follows a plane that houses a 1996 New Jersey high school soccer team and crashes while flying over Canada. The show plays out with the surviving members and goes back and forth between their lives in the current day.

Last but not least is Yellowstone, a drama starring Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley, and more. The premise of the show is unique. It tells the story of the Dutton family who own the largest ranch in Montana. The drama between the family plus the Indian reservation, national park, and land developers nearby sits at the center of this tumultuous show. The show crosses over into a few different genres and can be messy at times, but for many, it could replicate the chaos of Ozark.