Ozark Season 2 - First Reactions

Crime-drama Ozark is not back until August 31. However, early reviews hitting the web suggest the show is worth waiting for.

Ozark stars Jason Bateman as Chicago based self-employed accountant, Marty Byrde, who begins working for a vicious Mexican drug cartel. When his business partner steals from the criminals, it falls on Byrde to pay millions back and prove his worth so he will not be killed. He moves to the summer resort community in the Missouri Ozarks with his family, hoping to use the increased seasonal revenue as a means of laundering the cartel's money.

Following an incredibly tense season one finale which eliminated major threats to the Byrde family while establishing bigger ones, early reviews say the sophomore run of the show reaches the highs of Breaking Bad.

The Independent UK's Christopher Hooton notes that while the new season starts slow, it "has a full head of steam by the climax."

"I watched all 10 episodes pretty much back-to-back as a matter of professional duty, but dare say I would have engulfed them at similar speed if I were not here appraising them," said Hooton in his review.

Meanwhile, Alex Flood of Radio Times gave Ozark's second series a full five stars, praising Laura Linney who plays Marty's wife Wendy in the series. "Linney is the standout. She and Jason Bateman have replicated the same chemistry that Tony and Carmela Soprano mastered more than a decade ago. It’s scintillating to watch and makes for some of the best moments in TV’s most thrilling crime drama since Breaking Bad," said the critic.

However, as new reviews are being posted online, not all were positive. Ben Travers of Indiewire rated the new season C+ citing its more gradual pace as a critique.

"The degree to which “Ozark” slams on the breaks is disconcerting ... as the follow-up season spends nearly seven hours setting up a moral turning point it could’ve easily implemented much sooner," said Travers.

Ozark drops on Netflix August 31. Watch the trailer below.