Brian Lowry of CNN wrote, "While the fish-out-of-water concept is one of TV's oldest, Ozark carves out its own path with clever twists — including a late-in-the-run flashback explaining how the cartel came into his life — and the sheer strength of the performances." TV critic Sonia Saraiya of Variety wrote that Ozark is "smart, well-crafted, and says something," and that the series "comes together under Bateman's disarming and deceptively complex performance as Marty." Tim Dowling of The Guardian wrote "Laura Linney is, as ever, magnificent".