‘Ozark’: Julia Garner Speaks out After Series Finale

Ozark has officially come to an end. In honor of the milestone, Ozark star Julia Garner, who portrayed Ruth Langmore, took to Instagram to share a message about the end of the series. The Netflix show came to an end this past April after the second half of Season 4 premiered. 

On Monday, about a month after the series finale dropped, the actor took time to reflect on her Ozark journey. Garner posted multiple photos from her time on the set of Ozark, including ones with co-stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. She kept her caption for the snaps short and sweet, writing, “Thank you everyone for watching the finale season of @ozark. This was such a special time in my life. I love you all so much.” Garner ended the post by including, “#grateful.”

The first half of Season 4 premiered in January. The second half followed a few months later in April. It was reported in June 2020 that Ozark would be ending after four seasons. At the time, showrunner Chris Mundy shared that Season 4 would be supersized, with the season being split into two parts with seven episodes each. Mundy also released a statement about the end of the series and shared his gratitude to Netflix for allowing them to wrap it up on their own terms.

“We’re so happy Netflix recognized the importance of giving Ozark more time to end the Byrdes saga right,” Mundy said. “It’s been such a great adventure for all of us — both on-screen and off — so we’re thrilled to get the chance to bring it home in the most fulfilling way possible.” Cindy Holland, the former VP of Netflix’s Original Content, also addressed the end of the show by praising the team for producing such compelling television. “Ozark is a gripping drama that has captivated audiences all around the world and garnered tremendous critical acclaim,” Holland stated. “We’re so grateful to Chris, Jason, Laura, Julia and the entire cast and crew for all their tireless dedication to the show and can’t wait to see how the Byrdes’ journey comes to a close.”

While fans might be clamoring for more Ozark, it’s clear that the team wanted to end the show in the right way. Ahead of the series finale, star and director Bateman said that it felt fitting that Ozark end after four seasons as they didn’t want to venture into dreaded “jumping the shark” territory. He told Collider, “So, given the intelligence of Marty Byrde and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), if they keep going at this pitch for much longer, they’re either going to be killed or put in jail. The alternative is to flatten out that pitch so that you don’t end up jumping the shark, but then you start stalling just for additional episodes and season.”