OTTplay Now You Know - Ozark

Welcome to another episode of OTTplay Now You Know, where I give you all the trivia, lesser-known facts, and even anecdotes of popular films and shows. I'm your host Nikhil.

One of Netflix’s most popular crime drama series Ozark has returned for its fourth and final season today. The series starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney has won several awards including three Primetime Emmy Awards. The story follows Marty Byrde, played by Bateman, who is forced to move from Chicago to the outskirts of Ozark with his family at the behest of a crime boss in order to launder money. Each season contains 10 episodes focusing on the various challenges Marty and his family must overcome in Ozark. Here’s some trivia for you.

1. Eagle-eyed fans would’ve probably noticed that the opening title card illustrates four symbols in the center of the letter "O" that always foreshadows certain events of a particular episode. But what most people won’t be aware of, is the fact that the symbols within the large O spell Z-A-R-K to complete the word OZARK.

2. Even though the primary characters in the show are not very fond of the place Ozark, co-creator Bill Dubuque is very fond of the location and it is, in fact, due to his fond memories of having worked at the Alhonna Resort and Marina near the Lake of Ozarks that compelled him to use the area as the setting for the story.

3. The TV series has at times paid homage to Jason Bateman’s other famous show, the comedy series Arrested Development. His character Marty in Ozark is shown to be well versed in maritime law, just like his character Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. 

4. Jason Bateman always wears his favorite New Balance tennis shoes in every film or TV show he has appeared in.

5. Acclaimed British character actor, Peter Mullan, was cast in Ozark long before the script was finalized. Jason Bateman was insistent Mullan be added to the cast after watching his performance in The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion’s TV series, Top of the Lake. The creator’s “aggressively pursued” Mullan before finally agreeing on a deal to have him on the show.

6. In an interview, Bateman admitted that he would have preferred if none of the characters in the show were killed off as he would have liked to have all of them around as a tight-knit group until the show concluded.

7. Writer Chris Mundy explained in an interview, that in order to tell an authentic tale of money laundering, they needed someone with great insight into the topic, so they consulted with an FBI agent in order to make the story look as real as possible.

8. The show has had a significant impact on tourism in and around Lake Ozark, Missouri. Several bars and restaurants have opened up in the surrounding areas named after the characters from the show such as Marty Byrde's Bar and Grill for Del's Nachos, Wendy's Philly Steak Sandwich, or Ruth's Smoked Wings. 

New episodes for the 4th season are out on Netflix.

Well, that's the OTTplay Now You Know for today, I shall be back again with a new episode , until then it's your host Nikhil out of here.

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