
New episodes of Netflix’s simmering crime drama Ozark last premiered in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was setting in. While it’s been only two years since season three landed, it feels much longer. Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, the show follows the misadventures of Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) as they launder money for a Mexican cartel.
Ozark’s third season was its most daring yet, full of personal and shocking cliffhangers, including Wendy setting up the murder of her brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey), and the Byrdes getting closer to cartel leader Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) after he kills their lawyer and liaison, Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer).
The fourth and final season will be divided into two parts. The first, consisting of seven episodes, premieres on January 21. It catches up with the Byrde family as they deal with the fallout of losing a loved one, and introduces two new characters: Javi Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera), a man eager to take over the cartel, and private investigator Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg).
To help you get ready ahead of season four, The A.V. Club has put together a handy guide to Ozark’s key characters and their complicated plotlines.