Looking for your next binge-watch? Netflix has your back with The Waterfront, a buzzy new drama series starring none other than Mindhunter star Holt McCallany.
It’s understandable why you might not have heard of it. After all, June 2025 is a big month for TV. Not only is The Bear Season 4 dropping in a matter of days, but Squid Game Season 3 will wrap up the story for good.
Let’s not forget Ginny and Georgia, which returned with a third chapter that was packed with plenty of jaw-dropping twists. And then there’s the MCU’s latest Disney+ outing Ironheart, set to premiere on June 24.
But with the weekend just around the corner, you may be looking for a classic Netflix and chill moment. Here’s why The Waterfront should be top of your watch list.
What is The Waterfront about?
Created by Kevin Williamson, The Waterfront is an eight-episode series set in the stormy coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina, following the Buckley family as they attempt to regain control of their fishing empire.
As outlined by Netflix, the family has long controlled the local fishing trade and restaurant scene. But with patriarch Harlan Buckley weakened by health issues, the dynasty begins to crumble.
His wife Belle and hot-headed son Cane make desperate moves to protect their legacy, while their daughter, recovering addict Bree, attempts to rebuild her life. However, a dangerous relationship threatens to drag her and the family deeper into chaos.
“As their attempts spiral out of control and into treacherous waters, Harlan steps back in to take command,” the official synopsis reads.
Speaking about the new TV show, Williamson – the creator behind Dawson’s Creek and The Vampire Diaries – said it’s about finding the “lesser evil” in a bad situation.
“It’s just about a bunch of people who make mistakes. They do some bad things, and then they get in deeper and deeper and deeper,” he told Tudum. “Sometimes they keep making worse mistakes, and sometimes they find their way out and do the good thing.”
The Waterfront cast
Mindhunter star Holt McCallany takes on the lead role of Harlan Buckley, the morally ambiguous patriarch. The rest of The Waterfront cast includes:
- Maria Bello as Belle Buckley, Harlan’s wife who runs the fishery in questionable ways in a bid to protect her family
- Melissa Benoist as Bree Buckley, Harlan and Maria’s daughter who is battling demons of her own
- Jake Weary as Cane Buckley, Harlan and Maria’s son who is very much ingrained in the family business
- Danielle Campbell as Peyton, Cane’s wife and mother to their young daughter
- Brady Hepner as Diller, Bree’s son, who now lives with her ex-husband
- Rafael Silva as Shawn, a recently employed bartender for the Buckleys
- Humberly Gonzalez as Jenna, a journalist who has to move home to take care of her father
- Dave Annable as Wes, a local businessmen who has an interest in the Buckleys
- Matthew Davis as Curtis, the captain of the Buckleys’ Miss Glory ship
- Topher Grace as Grady, The Waterfront’s baddie
- Michael Gaston as Sheriff Porter, Havenport’s police head
- Gerardo Celasco as DEA agent Sanchez, who is brought to Davenport after a freak accident
Williamson said of the cast, “To sit back, watch it, see all these performances come together, and see this wonderful cast bring it all to life has been great. I love the cast.”
Finding the perfect Harlan was tricky, until he met McCallany. “I had my dad in my head. I was like, ‘How do you cast Superman?’” Williamson continued.
“What I found in Holt was his connection to the character. He’s a bit of a mystery box. You’re either going to get rugged and tough and hardcore or you’re going to get vulnerable and emotional and honest. I love those qualities.”
Filming locations
Although Havenport is a fictional town, The Waterfront is based in North Carolina, which is where the Netflix series was filmed – in Wilmington and Southport, to be precise. Check out the filming locations below:
- Fishy Fishy Café, Morningstar Marina, and Potter’s Seafood – Southport restaurants that are featured throughout the show, the first standing in as the Buckley Crab Shack
- William E. Poole Designs – An interior design business in Wilmington that is used as the Havenport Hardware store
- Wilmington Chamber of Commerce – This location is converted into the town’s hospital ER, where major events unfold
- Morningstar Marinas – This southport marina serves as the backdrop for key meetings and the moment Cane spots Jenna back in town
- Suites on Market – A bright motel where DEA Agent Sanchez ends up staying
- Southport Community Building – A funeral (no spoilers) takes place at this riverside events venue
The location has a special place in Williamson’s heart, as it’s where he grew up. “I love North,” he told Netflix. “I would shoot everything here if I could.”
Is it based on a true story?
Not only is the setting familiar, but the characters are too, as The Waterfront is based on Williamson’s real-life family history. As such, Harlan Buckley is inspired by his father.
Like Harlan, his dad “got tempted to do some things that weren’t so legal and got him in some trouble,” although he was never a career criminal. “My dad was a very, very good man. He was a fisherman,” Williamson explained.
And similarly to the Buckley family, Williamson’s family found themselves struggling when the fishing industry started to deteriorate. He added, “So someone came along and said, ‘If you do this one thing, you can make all this money.’ And it was hard to say no.”
Williamson’s dad ended up agreeing to run drugs on his boat, with the showrunner stating, “He got caught, he served his time, he got out, and I graduated.”
Although it’s not a word-for-word retelling, plenty of his childhood memories were reimagined for The Waterfront, including the shark scene from Episode 1, which was inspired by a boat trip he took as a child with his father and uncle.
“We woke up one morning – as far as you could see, there were sharks. My uncle held me over to see them,” he explained.
“It terrified me. That one little moment always stayed in my head. It traumatized me to such a degree that I knew one day I was going to write that scene.”
The Waterfront Rotten Tomatoes score
The new TV show has received mixed reviews, earning a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But if you’re looking for what’s been described as an adult Dawson’s Creek, The Waterfront is well worth your time.
Collider wrote, “Easy to emphatically recommend to a wide audience, The Waterfront is the mercilessly entertaining flex of a showrunner who knows exactly what he’s doing.”
On the other end of the scale, the Boston Globe said, “The campy soap opera continues in the background, although it’s increasingly out of place as the dead bodies pile up.”
Viewers at home have similar views, with one writing, “I would recommend it but only if you’re okay with soap operas.” Ultimately, it’s a little on the predictable side, but with strong cast performances and plenty of drama, The Waterfront makes for the perfect binge-watch.
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