Ozark was one of Netflix’s best dramas. The crime thriller series won some of the streaming service’s most prized Emmys, including two Best Supporting Actress trophies for Julia Garner’s star-making performance as criminal wunderkind Ruth Langmore (she’s the favorite to win again this year). It probably won’t win Outstanding Drama Series for its final season, but it’s nominated.
The always-stressful (in a good way) show seems like ended in April with as thematically fitting a conclusion as it could have had. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t have any new shows to take its place as a pulpy but well-made crime thriller that could have aired on FX or HBO (though showrunner Chris Mundy won’t rule out a potential spin-off).
Are There Any Shows Like Ozark?
Worry not, there are still plenty of other shows like Ozark you can watch if you’re looking for more tense thrillers about cartel crime. Here is compiled a list that features twisty plots that climax in shocking bursts of violence, and great criminal characters you can’t help but root for.
We compile it from various sources like Pure Wow, Time, and Metacritic.
1. Mindhunter
FBI agents Holden Ford (Groff) and Bill Tench (McCallany) team up with a psychologist to run the Behavioral Science Unit, where they interview serial killers to solve their cases. The psychological thriller explores the minds of ruthless criminals, which will have you thinking about the terrifying drug cartel in Ozark.
2. Narcos
Set during the late ’70s in Colombia, this intense drama tells the true story of Pablo Escobar, a drug kingpin who earns a fortune by producing and distributing cocaine. From fascinating archival footage to action-packed sequences, there’s never a dull moment.
3. Breaking Bad
After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, high-school chemistry teacher Walter White turns to a life of crime, making and selling crystal meth to provide for his family. But navigating the criminal underworld leads to several complications, putting his entire family in danger.
5. Bloodline
The gorgeous scenery in the Ozarks is a stark contrast to the darker themes tackled throughout the show—and the same can be said for Bloodline, with its spectacular Florida Keys ocean views and palm trees. The series follows the Rayburns, four well-off adult siblings whose lives are turned upside down when their brother suddenly returns home, forcing them to confront their darkest secrets.
6. Queen of the South
After her drug-dealing boyfriend is killed, Teresa Mendoza (played by Alice Braga) flees across the border to Texas, where she begins working for Camila Vargas (Ozark’s Verónica Falcón), the estranged wife of the Mexican cartel boss who took her lover’s life. Teresa has a knack for drug distribution, which quickly makes her an enemy of Camila—and the U.S. government.
7. Tehran
This espionage thriller stars Niv Sultan as Tamar, a Mossad hacker agent who goes undercover in Iran’s capital city to help destroy a nuclear reactor. When her mission fails, she’s left fighting for survival in a place where no one can be trusted. That includes season 2’s newest addition, Marjan Montazeri, an undercover agent played by Glenn Close.
8. Fargo
Throughout four seasons, the FX anthology series—a spiritual adaptation of the Coen Brothers’ 1996 movie of the same name—has tackled botched murders, warring Upper Midwest crime syndicates, and a case of stamp stealing gone wrong. It’s also the series that gave us a delightful onscreen and offscreen couple: Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
9. The Wire
Often cited as one of the best TV shows of the 21st century, The Wire takes an unapologetic look at the drug trade in Baltimore. Told from multiple perspectives and with a highly nuanced story, nothing is painted as black or white — every decision has a ripple effect and consequences are often felt throughout all five seasons of the show. Led by performances from Dominic West as Det. James McNulty), Lance Reddick as Lt. Cedric Daniels, and Michael K. Williams as Omar Little, The Wire has no problem dropping characters for an entire season to tell its story. Filled with violence and desperation yet undoubtedly grounded in reality, The Wire ran from 2002 to 2008 and picked up a Peabody Award in 2004.
10. Dexter
Dexter follows Michael C. Hall as the eponymous Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department. He also happens to be a serial killer and eventually becomes a family man. Its scripts offer a few more laughs than Ozark, but Dexter is just as easy to root for as Marty Byrde despite their extralegal professions. The popular Showtime series recently came back to the small screen with a special one-off season set nine years post-finale (That season, subtitled New Blood, has a standalone Metascore of 61), but the original run has a bit more to offer fans of Ozark — its family conflicts are larger, its boats are better, and its suspense will keep you watching into the early hours of the night.
