The murder and mayhem that characterized the poplar Netflix series “Ozark” has come to an end – as season four concludes the Bryde family’s compelling crime drama. So it’s a perfect time to binge-watch.

After moving from Chicago to a lakefront house in the Ozarks, Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) Bryde, along with their adolescent offspring – Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) and Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) – pursue lives of corruption and crime. 

On the lam from the law for white-collar money-laundering, Marty is the financial brains of the operation, while charming, cold-blooded Wendy is the cunning, if impulsive strategist.

When Marty catches scrappy, foul-mouth’d Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) stealing from him, he promptly hires her to work at his side. She’s insecure and ambitious, so their tenacious relationship puts the Brydes in direct conflict with Ruth’s small-time criminal family who live in nearby trailers.

The Langmores are legendary trouble-makers: Uncles Russ (Marc Menchaca) and Boyd (Christopher James Baker), along with Ruth’s grifter cousins Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) and Three (Carson Holmes).

Then there are the Snells. Steely Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and her hapless husband operate an opium poppy farm which puts these feisty hillbillies at constant odds with local drug dealers.

Calmly compelling Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) heads the Mexican cartel with which Marty and Wendy have partnered; his ambitious nephew Javier (Alfonso Herrera) is too short-tempered for his own good. And their cutthroat lawyer, Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), is a force to be reckoned with.

Plus there’s pregnant FBI agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes), disgraced ex-cop-turned-P.I. Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg), Wendy’s bipolar brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) and her Bible-thumping father (Richard Thomas).

Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams with showrunner Chris Mundy, the fast-paced series is set in Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks; however, to take advantage of Georgia’s tax breaks, most of the production has been short in and around Atlanta. Why not? “Money doesn’t know where it came from.”

On the Granger Gauge, “Ozark” is a enthralling 8, concluding with a shocking twist. Streaming on Netflix. 

Catching up with “The Witcher,” Netflix’s most popular, live-action fantasy series.  Granted – the first season is a bit of a slog, particularly in comparison with HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” but the second season conjures up a more coherent plot by eliminating the multiple timelines and introducing some truly heinous monsters.

Created by Lauren S. Hissrich – inspired by the mythology in Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher Saga books and videogame franchise – the adventurous concept revolves around genetically enhanced monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and his complex relationships with mage/sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan), along with cheeky Jaskier the Bard (Joey Batey).

Season two starts after the disastrous Battle of Sodden, where Yennefer miraculously defeated a league of Nilfgaardian soldiers. When she disappears into the forest, she suddenly realizes she’s lost her magic-wielding abilities. Having originated as a limping hunchback, this change precipitates an existential crisis, affecting Yennifer’s self-identity.

Meanwhile, returning to his secluded Kaer Morhen retreat in the mountains, gruff, melancholic Gerald hangs out with his mentor Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) and fellow Witchers.

Young Princess Ciri, who was instructed by her grandmother, Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May) to stick with Gerard, now desperately wants to emulate him. Although he’s an apprehensive father-figure in this Child Surprise, Ciri is grimly determined to become a Witcher warrior, tackling physical training on a strenuous obstacle course, yet still unaware of why her screams cause earthquakes.

As structures called Monoliths are causing natural disasters and introducing new beasts to The Continent, there’s much talk about a pivotal event called the Conjunction of the Spheres: the phenomenon that brought humans, elves, and monsters together in the same world. Previously, they dwelled in different realms.

FYI: Refusing stunt doubles, Henry Cavill was determined to correctly perform sword-fighting scenes. His rigorous training strengthened his posterior chain (muscles connecting hamstrings, glutes and back muscles) so he could perform Geralt’s spinning sword-fighting technique.

On the Granger Gauge, “The Witcher” is a sprawling 7 – streaming on Netflix.

The title “Umma” (Korean for “Mama”) is quite apt for this wannabe horror/thriller, starring Sandra Oh as Amanda, a first-generation Korean-American who was brutalized by her frustrated mother who punished any disobedience by giving Amanda electric shocks.

Now-grown Amanda and her teenage daughter Chris (Fivel Stewart) live on an isolated farm, raising bees and making honey. Amanda insists on living off-the-grid because she says she becomes ill if she’s around electricity. Motor vehicles, TV and cellphones are not allowed anywhere near their home.

Their peaceful, rural existence is shattered when Amanda’s elderly uncle (Tom Yi) unexpectedly arrives from Korea, addressing Amanda as Soo-Hyun – her Korean birth name – and delivering a suitcase that contains her recently deceased mother’s ashes, along with her most prized possessions.

Long estranged from her Korean family, Amanda tries to hide the suitcase’s contents in the storm cellar, but after confused Chris observes how strangely her mother is behaving, she demands answers to myriad questions.

“We started as one, and we’ll end as one,” Umma’s vengeful spirit ominously warns delusional Amanda as she slowly takes possession of her mind.

Meanwhile, friendless, homeschooled Chris meets River (Odeya Rush), the visiting niece of Danny (Dermot Mulroney), the genial store owner who sells their honey online. Chris reveals that she’s applying to West Mesa University – which will mean separating from manipulative, domineering Amanda.

There are several references to the popular Korean legend ‘gumiho’ throughout the movie. In Korean folklore, a ‘gumiho’ or ‘kumiho’ is a malignant spirit; in this case, Amanda’s angry mother is resentful because of her wasted potential as a skilled dressmaker.

First-time narrative feature writer/director Iris K. Shin dwells on the lingering effects of childhood abuse caused by the anxieties of assimilation. Too bad these provocative themes are not more fully explored since the characters are underdeveloped; instead, Shin relies on creepy, haunted-house psychological terror and silly, predictable jump scares.

On the Granger Gauge, “Umma” is a ghostly 4, available on demand from RedBox, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Vudu.