Fall is a time for slippers. For good blankets and one-pot recipes. For guilt-free binges of dark, moody shows, where plot lines creep toward you until they crash into one another right in front of you. Ozark was that. It’s a show I wish I could erase from my memory just so I could watch it again for the first time. [Checks Amazon for that flashy stick thing from Men in Black. No luck.] The next best thing is finding a show that’s similar. That makes you feel both cozy and crazy at the same time.
These three shows are currently making me feel Ozark-y. Enjoy.
Photo via Netflix
Black Rabbit (Netflix)
Starting with the obvious. Mr. Bateman’s latest, Black Rabbit. He directed the first two episodes, and his Ozark co-star, Laura Linney, directed a couple episodes, too.
Black Rabbit is Ozark, but Soho House instead of lake house. Criminal underworld, complicated familial dynamics, flawed characters, great casting, it’s all there. With a hint of Uncut Gems added to this one.
Photo via HBO Max
Task (HBO Max)
Remember that monologue from brother Ben in Ozark?
Yeah. That one. Incredible.
Tom Pelphrey is the actor’s name. And he’s in a new show on HBO Max called Task. Mr. Pelphrey plays a ponytailed family man with a dark side. And Mark Ruffalo plays the FBI agent who’s heading up the task force that’s hunting him. At the time of writing, three episodes are available. New episodes dropping every Sunday night.
Photo via Apple TV
Slow Horses (AppleTV+)
Slow Horses is Ozark with highbrow fart jokes. Excuse the oxymoron, but it’s true.
Starring Gary Oldman as the washed-up leader of a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents, watching this show is like reading a John le Carré novel. You’re never quite sure of any character’s intentions until it’s all said and done. Seasons 1-4 are available now, and season 5 premiers September 24, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday in October.
