Ozark has been a top show trending on Netflix since its debut in 2017 and has continued to be since Season 3 aired late March. Ozark quickly became one of the most binge-worthy shows like another old favorite: Breaking Bad.
Both shows hit fans hard because of their gripping storylines and the different complex characters with dynamic backgrounds. Although Breaking Bad is over, fans still love it, and when Ozark began it was like Breaking Bad not only never ended but got even better. Ozark is a darker and more fast-paced version of Breaking Bad but there are still a ton of similarities between the two hit series. Below we've compiled a list of ten similarities between the two hit shows.
Both Families In The Midst Of Drugs And Crime
Both Marty Byrde and Walter White get into personal issues that force them into the world of drugs and crime. Walter's introduction into this world is because of his advanced cancer and his urge to leave money for his family when he dies while Marty gets into this life because he has to clean up the mess of his work partner.
Regardless of the initiation into the world of crime both leading men wrap their wives and children into the chaos.
Both Families Use Shell Companies To Hide Their Dirty Business
In order to keep the business under wraps and launder the dirty money discreetly, Marty starts to take part in The Blue Cat bar and later a casino to further thicken the false facade to hide their growing illegal money.
In Breaking Bad, Walter also needs to find a way to launder his money as his meth product is selling like crazy. He uses a car washing business to clean his money and keep a business front going as protection.
Both Families Ultimately End Up Involved With The Cartel
In Ozark, Marty's previous work partner's involvement with the Mexican drug cartel leaves Marty now in charge of laundering money for them to save his family.
Walter finds himself in a similar predicament where the demand for his pure meth product needed a helping hand because of their large quantities. He gets involved with the Juarez cartel, putting his family more at risk.
Both Series Have Leading Pairs (Where The Supporting Roles Dominated)
While Marty and Walter are the leading roles in both their designated hit series, their literal partners in crime: Ruth and Jesse are people's favored side of the two deadly pairs.
Both supporting characters are partners to the two stoic men and have pulled at audience's heart strings when certain episodes would shed light on their personal lives and their mental states. Their personal storylines and loyalty contribute to the popularity of their shows.
Ruth And Jesse's Significant Others Both Have Health Issues
Two relationships that won fans' hearts over were Breaking Bad's Jesse and Jane and Ozark's Ruth and Ben. Jesse and Ruth are delicate characters to begin with because of their upbringing and they start seeing their significant others.
Jane battled with addiction while Ben had trouble battling his bipolar disorder and struggling with his medication. Jane and Ben's dynamics coupled with two of our favorite supporting characters helped make the shows so memorable.
Jane And Ben Both Have Unexpected Deaths By The Hands Of People Jesse And Ruth Trusted
While we grew to love the dysfunctional relationships that were Jesse and Jane and Ruth and Ben, we had our hearts ripped out when they both died unexpectedly. There were certain actions of Ben's that acted as different means of foreshadowing of his death, but no one expected him to die with the assistance of his sister Wendy.
Similarly, fans knew Jane was becoming an issue to Jesse's credibility in their drug operation but it was not expected that Walter would be standing over Jane's body while she overdosed and suffocated with no assistance from him.
Both Wives Meet Men That End Up Having Feelings For Them
When Wendy attempts to expand the business and have them grow into the casino she needs some help in making this a successful operation so she plays a little in the political world and encounters Charles Wilkes. While he encourages Wendy to leave Marty, she never leaves but Wendy does use Charlie by blackmailing him and manipulating him.
Charles may remind viewers of Ted Beneke, Skyler's boss. Skyler does sleep with Ted after they become a bit closer but later when she learns that Ted has been committing fraud and needs help she tries to anonymously send him money to help him pay off the IRS because she doesn't want to be on the FBI's radar because she had a hand in cooking the books for his business.
Both Leading Men's Personal Expertise Led To Their Illegal Lives
When Walter found out he had cancer he knew he needed to find a way to make sure his family was secure so he leaned on what he knew best: science. If it weren't for his knowledge in chemistry Walter would not have even been able to develop methamphetamine, especially not as successfully as he did.
While Marty was never originally involved with the illegal life it was because he was savvy enough with numbers that he became so useful to the cartel. If Marty did not know how to move numbers around so well he probably wouldn't be working for them.
Both Sons End Up Lending A Hand In Protecting The Business
Walter, Jr. sets up a website in an attempt to help raise money for his family. When his dad finds out about it he immediately uses this as an opportunity to launder the dirty money that's been piling up faster because of the purity of his product.
Unlike Walter, Jr., Marty's son Jonah wants to be involved in the "family business" and just use this as a chance to spend more time with his dad and make him proud. Jonah creates offshore accounts and moves money around to help them stay discreet.
Both Partnerships Can't Be Trusted & Audiences Are Left Questioning Both Leading Roles
Fans of both shows probably realize they keep rooting for Jesse and Ruth as opposed to the leading protagonists. People can't help but lean towards or root for who they most closely relate to. Creators of both shows were smart in creating characters who audiences could respond to. Jesse was manipulated into the world with Walter, and Ruth in an attempt to do right by her abusive dad's expectations, entered the world not really knowing what she was getting into.
Jesse and Ruth both came from hard childhoods where they never felt like they were good enough. Walter and Jesse and Marty and Ruth are supposed to be partner but the strain on Jesse and Ruth is evident. Both leading men show instances of love towards their supporting characters but they've both also shown that they could be their demise as well.