After a two year hiatus, Ozark is officially back with season 4, and it was worth the wait. But despite the Byrde patriarch weighing the pros and cons of leaving the Ozarks throughout the Netflix series, many viewers are wondering, where is Ozark filmed?
The crime drama follows the life of the Byrde family getting wrapped up in a money-laundering scheme with the cartel, which results in them uprooting their lives. In an attempt to make amends, Marty moves his family away from their home of Naperville, Illinois to the Lake Ozark region of Central Missouri. Their journey inevitably becomes more complex and the Byrdes move around the region in pursuit of expanding their business: money laundering.
Where is Ozark filmed?
If you’re wondering if the show is indeed filmed in the Ozark region, the short answer is no. On TV, viewers see the Byrde family travel through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois. But according to Decider, Ozark is filmed in Atlanta, Georgia around the Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier area. To be more specific for Peach State locals, the drama was shot in Gwinnett County, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Canton, Peachtree and Norcross.
However, with much of the first season centering on the Chicago suburb of Naperville and the city itself, many of those scenes were filmed in Illinois. Considering the regional and agricultural differences between the two cities, it would be difficult to make Atlanta look like Chicago.
While the series wasn’t shot in the Midwest, there was intention behind choosing Georgia as its backup. Per Decider, Ozark‘s filming location was chosen due to tax incentives. After the southern state lost the production for Ray, a biopic on soul musician and Georgia native Ray Charles, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue took action. In 2008, he signed legislation that was sure to entice filmmakers and their crews.
And it seems to have worked. In 2018, the state offered a 20 percent incentive for productions that rang up a bill of at least $500,000. Additionally, productions that included the Georgia peach logo (like the one at the top of this page) earned an extra 10 percent.
Now, when you watch the first part of Ozark Season 4, you’ll have a little more intel about what’s going on behind the scenes. The final season builds upon the Byrde family’s attempt to break ties with the cartel, gain a level of independence and return home to Chicago. In other words, Part 1 of Season 4 marks the beginning of the end.
However, before saying goodbye to the Marty and his family, fans have to wait until Netflix releases a premiere date for Part 2 of the final season. Unfortunately, it hasn’t come as quickly as we had hoped.
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