Get ready for a brand-new series that promises full-fledged family drama, coastal secrets, and, of course, a good number of emotional twists. Kevin Williamson, the genius behind Scream and Dawson’s Creek, is returning to the small screen with The Waterfront. It’s a gripping new Netflix original and is set in a fictional North Carolina town.
The story is centered around a powerful but troubled family as they struggle to keep their legacy alive. Here, fans will get a mix of betrayal, buried secrets, and strained relationships. So, for all the high-stakes drama fans, The Waterfront brings to life the kind of setting where every wave threatens to sink the ship. Here’s everything you need to know before its premiere – including plot, cast, setting, and production details.
When does The Waterfront premiere?
The Waterfront is all set to officially arrive on Netflix on June 19, 2025. The first season of the show will include a total of eight episodes, all of which will be released on the same day. So, if you’re someone who loves to binge-watch, you’ll be able to dive into the entire season in one go.
Lately, Netflix has been leaning into more character-focused dramas, and The Waterfront seems to be its latest addition in this category. With its summer release, the show could become a slow-burn sleeper hit or the season’s most addictive family saga.
What is The Waterfront about?
At the center of the show is the Buckley family, longtime rulers of the coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina. For several decades, they’ve owned and operated one of the most successful fishing businesses in the region. They are known for their control over not just the docks but also the town’s restaurant and shipping scene.
So, the Buckleys were practically royalty. But as the series begins, their power is slipping through their fingers. The patriarch of the family, Harlan Buckley, is recovering from not one but two heart attacks. And his once iron grip on the family empire has weakened, and now the future of the business falls into the hands of his wife, Belle, and their son, Cane.
But unfortunately, neither of them is fully equipped to handle the mounting challenges. So, as they struggle to keep the company afloat – both morally and financially – cracks begin to show within the family. Even Buckley’s daughter Bree is also fighting her own battles and is in addiction recovery. Moreover, she’s also trying to reconnect with her son, whom she lost custody of due to her past struggles with alcohol.
While she tries to rebuild her life and keep her sobriety intact, she becomes involved in a relationship that could put the entire Buckley legacy at risk. So, all in all, the plot of the show isn’t just about a collapsing business.
It’s also about how each member of the Buckley family is dealing with their own demons. The main question that the show is trying to ask here is: how far would you go to protect the legacy of your family?
What are the main themes of the show?
According to Kevin Williamson, The Waterfront explores what happens when people are forced to choose between two bad options. Moreover, it’s about “finding the lesser evil” – and similarly, in the show as well, there are no perfect heroes. He also added via Netflix Tudum:
It’s about a bunch of people who make mistakes, they do some bad things, and then they get in deeper and deeper and deeper. When you have all these people doing bad things, it’s always nice when they do that one good thing that can bring hope back
All the characters lie, cheat, and make terrible decisions, often with the best intentions. While some of them try to fix their mistakes, others keep digging a deeper hole. It’s a moral maze set in a beautiful but volatile world. So, this makes The Waterfront both a family drama and a suspense story.
For the fans watching, be fully prepared to expect emotional confrontations, hidden secrets coming to light, and of course, complex relationship tensions. Also, the slow unraveling of a legacy that was built through both hard work and questionable choices.
Who’s in the cast of The Waterfront?
The Waterfront boasts a talented cast featuring a perfect mix of seasoned actors and new faces.
- Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley: Harlan is the head of the Buckley family. He helped build the family fishing business with his own hands, often skirting the law to do so. After suffering two heart attacks, he has to take a step back from the legacy he built. But with his family making risky decisions, Harlan may have no choice but to return and save what’s left.
- Maria Bello as Belle Buckley: Belle is Harlan’s strong-willed wife. Though she’s smart and determined, she’s not always ethical in how she handles the business. With Harlan out of commission, Belle steps in to keep things going, even if it means crossing some serious lines. That’s right — and in this, her partnership with her son Cane is pivotal to the plot.
- Jake Weary as Cane Buckley: Cane is the only son of Harlan Buckley and is often caught between his father’s tough expectations and his own dreams. He’s married to Peyton and father to a young daughter. More often than not, he struggles to balance his loyalty to the family business with his personal ambitions. And his past with former flame Jenna Tate adds even more complications to his already chaotic life.
- Melissa Benoist as Bree Buckley: Bree is the emotionally intense daughter of Harlan Buckley. Once responsible for the company’s finances, her addiction issues led to some serious fall from grace. Now, sober and trying to get her life back on track, Bree wants to reconnect with her teenage son. But her path to redemption is not easy, especially when she starts getting close to someone who might destroy the family’s last shot at survival.
- Rafael L. Silva as Shawn West: Shawn is a new bartender working for the Buckleys. He’s charismatic but secretive and has his own hidden motivations for getting close to the family. As the season unfolds, his connection with the Buckleys becomes a ticking time bomb.
- Humberly González as Jenna Tate: Jenna is a journalist who returns to Havenport to care for her father. She shares a complicated history with Cane and finds herself pulled back into a town she had tried to leave behind. Her curiosity as a reporter and her lingering feelings for Cane put her at the center of the unfolding drama.
- Danielle Campbell as Peyton Buckley: Peyton is Cane’s wife and the mother of their daughter. She’s outwardly polished and supportive, and tries to keep her family together, even as the world around them starts to collapse.
- Brady Hepner as Diller Hopkins: Diller is Bree’s estranged teenage son. He lives with his father and wants little to do with Bree. He’s bitter and angry and looks up to his grandfather Harlan instead. His complicated relationship with Bree adds another emotional element to the story.
Apart from the main cast, recurring roles include Gerardo Celasco as DEA Agent Marcus Sanchez and Michael Gaston as Sheriff Clyde Porter. Topher Grace, Zach Roerig, and Dave Annable will also appear as guest stars.
Where was The Waterfront filmed?
Although Havenport is a fictional town, The Waterfront was filmed on location in North Carolina, particularly around Wilmington and Southport. These scenic coastal towns offer the perfect setting for the series, and their mix of natural beauty and historic docks gives the show a rich and authentic visual style. Interestingly, this region has been a filming location for many of Williamson’s past projects, including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Dawson’s Creek.
Who’s making The Waterfront?
The show is the brainchild of Kevin Williamson, who serves as both the writer and executive producer of the show. Moreover, the first two episodes are directed by Marcos Siega, a frequent collaborator on series like You and Dexter: New Blood.
Along with this, he also serves as executive producer for the pilot episode. Ben Fast joins as an executive producer under Williamson’s production company, Outer Banks Entertainment, and the series is being produced by Universal Television (a division of Universal Studios Group).
Why should you watch The Waterfront?
If you love stories that mix emotional depth with suspense, then The Waterfront can easily become your next obsession. That’s right – it combines the slow-burn feel of family dramas like Bloodline or Ozark with the aesthetic of Outer Banks. But unlike those shows, it leans heavily into the emotional weight of addiction, legacy, and personal sacrifice.
Each character in the show has their own demons, and no one is clean. This isn’t a story of good versus evil – it presents a raw look at how people fall apart and fight to put themselves back together.
So, with an excellent cast, beautiful backdrop, and strong creative team, The Waterfront could become one of Netflix’s standout dramas of 2025.
The Waterfront is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in the USA on June 19, 2025.
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