(Spoilers for Ozark will be found below.)
Netflix’s Ozark recently came to a savage and shattering end with some unexpected developments: (1) Marty Byrde and his entire family made it out alive and presumably headed back to Chicago for good; (2) Ruth Langmore did not survive, which was to be expected, given her actions earlier in the final season. Still, we received a poetic scene with Killer Mike to make that finale hit home in retrospect, and now, fans of the show are left to wonder if maybe there could be a followup.
It would certainly be in Netflix’s best interests to hop on that opportunity, given that the show’s consistently done gangbusters numbers for streaming charts. A followup would also help to wash down those high-dollar slip-ups and keep subscribers hooked when they’ve got a million options to go elsewhere. Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy is acutely aware of how people are probably very upset about Ruth’s demise, but as he told TV Line, talks have happened when it comes to potential spinoff material:
“It’s definitely something that people have talked about a bunch. There’s nothing definitive. We’re lucky that people seem to really like the show so there’s obviously going to be some interest there. There are still ways to stay inside the show and revisit things … I’m sure people probably would’ve been happier if Ruth was out there.”
Nothing would prevent a Ruth prequel, obviously, but beyond that dream, the door has sure been left open for Jonah to continue breaking bad after no one’s quite sure who he ended up shooting at the end of the series. Was it Mel the Private Investigator (while he clutched that cursed cookie jar full of ashes) or did Jonah actually turn the gun on Wendy? I don’t believe anyone has seriously floated the latter as the possibility, but hey, that gunshot went down offscreen. So never say never.
Still, Mundy seems satisfied with finishing Ozark proper, and in fact, he declared, “It was really important for me to end this show.” He declared that any spinoff would be in the same universe but “would be its own distinct thing.” Clear as mud, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
(Via TV Line)