Netflix’s new crime drama “The Waterfront” is basically a more grown-up spin on “Dawson’s Creek.”
It follows an extended cast of characters in a waterside town as their personal drama entangles with their somehow even more chaotic professional lives.
While its cast may be comprised of (mostly) adults, the melodrama feels just as soapy as the problems faced by Dawson and his pals in the iconic teen drama series. Only this time, there are more references to drug smuggling and high-stakes criminal activity than fretting over not getting asked to prom.
Considering “The Waterfront” comes from Kevin Williamson, creator of “Dawson’s Creek” as well as “The Vampire Diaries” and the “Scream” movie franchise, it’s not a huge surprise that its tone is more sudsy than serious.
And yet, despite things verging on cheesy on more than one occasion, after starting the series this week, I feel a strong compulsion to binge the rest right now.
If you’re looking for a summer binge-watch, “The Waterfront” might just be the perfect candidate, offering eight episodes stuffed with twists, betrayals, and “shocking” revelations. It’s a frothy throwback to a previous era of television, and I’m surprised how much that simple concept still appeals.
What is ‘The Waterfront’ about?
Inspired by true events, “The Waterfront” is set in the fictional North Caroline beach town of Havenport, a location controlled by the Buckley family. This chaotic clang has a tight grip on everything from the local restaurants to the fishing industry that keeps Havenport ticking.
However, their empire is built on sand, and starts to crumble when patriarch Harlan (Holt McCallany) steps back from business after suffering a heart attack, and his reckless son Cane (Jake Weary) attempts to fill the void with some pretty disastrous results.
It soon becomes clear that when you swim in murky waters, you don’t come out clean.
Thrown into the mix are the matriarchy of the family, Belle (Maria Bello), and daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist), a young mother struggling with addiction and battling over custody of her son. Let’s just say, the Buckleys aren’t exactly a picture of the perfect American family.
As the authorities start investigating a double homicide, which could implicate the Buckleys in a series of narcotic crimes, the family finds themselves scrambling to cover their tracks, but their interpersonal fighting threatens to sink everything they’ve built even before the cops can uncover their secrets.
It soon becomes clear that when you swim in murky waters, you don’t come out clean.
‘The Waterfront’ is made to be binged (and that’s a good thing)
After streaming the first couple of episodes of “The Waterfront,” one thing is very clear: This show is basically a slick-looking soap opera.
It’s stuffed with clunky dialogue exchanges, characters making decisions that in reality would lead them to ruin (but somehow work out), and a sense of escalation that sees the rabbit hole of chaos the Buckleys have dug only get bigger with each passing scene. It’s certainly not awards-caliber drama.
Yet, it’s just self-aware enough to remain highly watchable. It’s the sort of disposable TV that dominated the pre-streaming era of television. You could easily imagine the season being stretched to 20+ episodes, with a whole load of additional sideplots added to bulk things out.
While the crime aspect is pretty prominent throughout — with Harlan and Cane’s attempts to bring their unstable empire back under control taking the lion’s share of the early screentime — the aspect that appealed to me most was actually Bree’s attempts to connect with her estranged son, and her snarky snipe at her ex-husband. Benoist is a bit of a show stealer.
Based on what I’ve consumed so far, “The Waterfront” isn’t a crime drama series that is going to live long in the memory. Heck, after just two episodes, the earliest moments are becoming a bit hazy, but I still feel surprisingly compelled to keep watching and see where this ride concludes.
The show’s combination of criminal dealings and relationship drama — in between drug dealings, Cane is trying to reconnect with a former flame — is a potent mix, and narrative wrinkles are dished out at a frequent enough clip that you can mostly gloss over the often hamfisted scripting and the times where the plot askews logic in favour of a big twist.
Stream ‘The Waterfront’ on Netflix now
“The Waterfront” has arrived on Netflix at just the right time. Its beachside setting and its easy-watching nature feels fitting for the summer months.
It's a Netflix original series you can consume in a relatively short amount of time, mostly enjoy while it lasts, and then move on without any lingering thoughts. It’s probably not going to be ranked in many best-of-the-year lists.
But that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. At least for me, I’m happy to make room in my streaming schedule for a show that offers intrigue, even if I can already tell it’s not going to be a show that lives long in the memory.
At least in the moment, there’s enough soapy substance to keep me invested, and I’m curious to see where the Buckleys end up by the final episode.
If you’re itching for a Netflix show you can tear through in just a few evenings, or a single weekend, then “The Waterfront” should fit the bill nicely. It’s not going to leave the enduring legacy of some of Kevin Williamson’s previous work, but it’s pretty watchable, even if you can excuse some hokey dialogue.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more streaming options, check out our guide to everything added to Netflix in June 2025, which includes plenty of bingeable shows and original movies.
Watch "The Waterfront" on Netflix now
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