- The crime drama Ozark was debut on Netflix in July 2017.
- The show’s fourth and final season will be released on Netflix Jan 22, 2022.
- The final season of Ozark will be split into two parts consisting of 7 episodes each.
- While the series is centered around the Ozarks in Missouri, it’s filmed entirely in Georgia.
Since 2017, Netflix’s crime drama, Ozark, has kept viewers thoroughly entertained and on the edge of their seats from season to season. Centered around the Byrde family and their new lives in Missouri, the series is led by actors Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as Marty and Wendy Byrde. Their house in Ozark is basically a character in itself. See below for more details of the Byrde house in Ozark!
Throughout the show, the Byrde family encounters a wide variety of shady characters as they try to maintain their image of a “Normal” family while Marty manages his new money laundering business in the Ozarks. With season 4 about to drop later this month, Velvet Ropes is bringing you the full scoop on some of Ozark’s most iconic filming locations as well as details on the cast and more. Keep reading to get your fill on everything Ozark below!
Where Is the Ozark House Located?
Surprise, it’s in Georgia, not in the Ozarks.
It may come as a surprise to some Ozark fans out there that the Ozark Byrde house featured in the series is not actually located in Missouri where the series is meant to take place. Instead, the production opted to film much of the show in Georgia!
A lower production cost, as well as tax incentives, made the producers behind the series choose Georgia as their primary filming location. While it may not be the REAL Ozarks, it doesn’t mean the locations where the series is shot aren’t just as gorgeous.
Ozark isn’t the first series to switch locations for tax purposes; in fact, the crime drama, Breaking Bad, was originally meant to be filmed in California, but tax incentives encouraged the production to move filming to Albuquerque, New Mexico!
Ozark House Lake Lanier | The Byrde House
The stunning lakeside home, aka the Byrde’s house in Ozark, is located in Flowery Branch Georgia. The 2,514 square foot residence sits on a spacious 1.27-acre parcel on Gaines Ferry Road and has been written up quite a bit for its unique mid-century style.
Interestingly, property records have been amended and no street number is listed for the home. You know us, though – we dug in and can exclusively report that the home is located at 6818 Gaines Ferry Road, Flowery Branch, GA.
The home has a whopping 482 feet of lake frontage, and, as far as we can tell, has been owned by the same family since at least 1997.
Shanon Entin over at ScreenSpy actually went over to the home to check it out. They were filming when she arrived!
The midcentury modern home is only roughly an hour away from several other famous filming locations, including Tony Stark’s cabin from Avengers: Endgame!
Where Is Ozark Filmed?
As stated previously, the Ozark series isn’t filmed in Missouri, but rather The Peach State! Interior shots from the series were filmed on a soundstage in Eagle Rock Studios, just outside of Atlanta.
So, all those scenes you saw in Buddy Dyker’s basement, Lickety Splitz strip club, and Russ Langmore’s trailer were all sets in a studio.
Ozark Filming Locations
Okay, so while it’s true much of the show is filmed on a soundstage, it doesn’t mean the exteriors of all these places were a product of movie magic. Below are some real-life locations used for the show!
The Blue Cat Lodge
The Blue Cat Lodge, Marty’s motel and front for his laundering operation, was specifically created for the show but ended up actually becoming a real restaurant called J.D.’s on the Lake due to the show’s popularity.
So, if you’re ever visiting Canton, Georgia, and want to enjoy a little Ozark filming location tour, and some pretty tasty-looking fried chicken, this is an absolute must!
Del’s Home Ozark
The sprawling estate of drug lord, Del, in the series Ozark is actually a hotel in Braselton called Chateau Elan in reality.
The hotel features all the amenities you’d expect from a mega luxe resort, including a spa, golf course, and even a winery! If you fancy a night there, the resort is open to booking!
Lake Allatoona
This picturesque piece of nature is only around an hour outside of Atlanta and was a frequent filming spot for Ozark. A 365,500-acre reservoir, the lake plays host to 2 yacht clubs, 8 private marinas, and 7 campgrounds – one of which, called Sweetwater Campground, is located not far from The Blue Cat Lodge!
When talking about Lake Allatoona, Ozark star and producer, Jason Bateman, said the location gave “some really great outdoor color and grit to the aesthetic that’s perfect for the rural flavor that we want.”
Lickety Splitz
One could say the building that played host to exterior shots for Lickety Splitz’ strip club was a real asset to the production. One could also say the writer of the piece spent way too much time trying to make this joke work!
In reality, the site of Lickety Splitz is actually just an abandoned building not far from the local Motel 6 at Oakbrook Parkway in Norcross.
Much like the rest of the show’s locations, interior scenes at the club were all shot at Eagle Rock Studios.
What Is Ozark About?
Ozark is a Netflix drama created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams. It focuses on the story of Marty Byrde, a married man and father of 2 that works as a financial planner in Chicago and money launderer for the Mexican drug cartel alongside his business partner, Bruce.
Things appear to be going well for the Byrde family at first, at least on the surface, until a financial fiasco leads to Marty being in debt to a drug lord for $8 million.
Facing certain death from the cartel, Marty talks his way out of a shallow grave by proposing he and his family move to a resort town in the Ozarks where he can expand his money-laundering operations for the cartel.
The show follows the family’s relocation and the long list of unsavory characters they encounter in their new town.
Is the Navarro Cartel Real?
The Navarro cartel, featured in Ozark, is not actually a real gang. Much like the Byrde family themselves, this specific cartel and all members are a work of fiction by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams.
Is There a New Season on Ozark?
In summer 2020, it was announced that the fourth upcoming season of the Netflix drama Ozark, releasing in Jan 22, 2022, would be its last.
The final season will be split into two parts rather than a full release of all episodes on the streaming platform. Each part will consist of 7 episodes that will finally wrap up the story of Marty Byrde and his family.
Ozark Cast
The cast of Ozark features plenty of new names in the business as well as some seriously familiar faces. Below are some of the people that help make Ozark the fabulous show that it is!
Jason Bateman
Marty Byrde is played by long-time actor Jason Bateman, who got his very early start in acting on the 1981 series Little House on the Prairie.
Bateman has since starred in numerous successful television shows and films over the years, including Juno (2007), Hancock (2008), Arrested Development (2003-2019), and The Outsider (2020).
Laura Linney
Another acting veteran, the lovely Laura Linney, aka Wendy Byrde, got her start in acting as an extra in 1985 on Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud.
Following her debut, the actress went on to star in The Truman Show (1998), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), and The Big C (2010-2013).
Julia Garner
Julia Garner, the actress behind Ruth Langmore, is best known for her roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), and The Americans (2015-2018).
According to her filmography, Garner is in pre-production on a new mini-series titled Inventing Anna as well as an additional project called Apartment 7A.
Sofia Hublitz and Skylar Gaertner
Sofia Hublitz and Skyler Gaertner play Charlotte and Jonah Byrde, Marty’s children, in the series Ozark. Both young actors are still building their acting portfolios, with only a few credits to their names, but have already impressed viewers with their talent on-screen.
Sofia’s first television debut was actually as a contestant on MasterChef Junior in 2013, while one of Skylar’s earlier roles was in the 2011 film Locke & Key.
Where Is the Ozarks?
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, extend across 5 states: Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois, with the greater portion of the region being in Southern Missouri and North Arkansas.
The series is meant to take place in Missouri.
Sources
https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/616233/where-is-ozark-filmed-a-guide-to-all-filming-locations/
https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2017/08/ozark-filming-locations.html
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a31990143/ozark-season-4/