Netflix’s The Waterfront, which premiered on June 19, 2025, has surged to the top of the platform’s streaming charts, captivating audiences with its gritty blend of family drama, crime, and coastal intrigue. Starring Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley, the patriarch of a fractured North Carolina fishing dynasty, the series is a raw, nostalgic exploration of legacy, loyalty, and moral ambiguity. Created by Kevin Williamson, known for Scream and Dawson’s Creek, the show draws heavily from the showrunner’s own upbringing, with McCallany’s performance serving as a deeply personal anchor. Inspired by Williamson’s late father and McCallany’s own reflections on family, The Waterfront is a Southern gothic saga that feels both intimate and sprawling, messy yet profoundly human. This analysis delves into the series’ narrative, McCallany’s standout performance, its thematic depth, and its cultural resonance, drawing on recent reviews and insights from the cast and creator.

A Coastal Empire on the Brink

Set in the fictional town of Havenport, North Carolina, The Waterfront follows the Buckley family, local royalty whose fishing empire—encompassing trawlers, a marina, and a seaside restaurant—has dominated the region for decades. But as patriarch Harlan Buckley recovers from two heart attacks, the family’s legacy is crumbling under financial strain, addiction, and buried secrets. Harlan’s wife, Belle (Maria Bello), and son, Cane (Jake Weary), take desperate measures to keep the business afloat, venturing into drug smuggling, while daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist), a recovering addict, grapples with her own demons and a complicated relationship that threatens the family’s future. Inspired by true events, the eight-episode series, filmed in Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina, weaves a tale of hubris, crime, and generational trauma against a vivid coastal backdrop.

The show’s premise echoes the high-stakes family sagas of Yellowstone and Ozark, but The Waterfront carves its own niche with a distinctly Southern, maritime flavor. As The New York Times notes, the series puts a “coastal spin on the ‘Yellowstone’ formula,” blending pulpy melodrama with moments of sharp dialogue and visceral violence. The Buckleys are not the polished elites of Succession or the mythic ranchers of Yellowstone; they are a working-class dynasty, flawed and relatable, whose empire is as much a burden as a badge of pride. Williamson, who grew up in a small North Carolina town, infuses the narrative with nostalgic authenticity, drawing on his father’s life as a fisherman who turned to contraband runs during the economic squeeze of the 1980s.

Holt McCallany’s Harlan Buckley: A Personal Triumph

At the heart of The Waterfront is Holt McCallany’s portrayal of Harlan Buckley, a hard-drinking, womanizing patriarch whose gruff exterior masks a vulnerable core. McCallany, known for his roles in Mindhunter and The Iron Claw, describes Harlan as his most personal role yet, a character inspired by Williamson’s father and resonant with his own experiences of family legacy. “Holt has the exact same straight John Wayne persona [as my dad],” Williamson told TIME. “That sense of humor, where he can just throw out a line, and it’s funny.” McCallany’s performance is a masterclass in duality—Harlan is both a “mercurial bulldog” and a man “deeply proud” of his family, capable of ruthless pragmatism and tender loyalty.

Harlan’s complexity is evident from the series’ opening, where he navigates the fallout of a botched drug hand-off that leaves two employees dead. Reeling from health issues and personal failings, he is forced to reclaim control of the family business, confronting his son’s reckless decisions and his daughter’s fragile sobriety. McCallany imbues Harlan with a “resting stress face,” as noted by co-star Topher Grace’s character, Grady, a psychopathic drug kingpin. Yet, moments of levity—Harlan’s sardonic one-liners or fleeting smiles—reveal a man clinging to his humanity amid chaos. In an interview with Collider, McCallany reflected on the role’s challenges: “When a guy has had two heart attacks, and he’s teetering on the verge of alcoholism and his family business is going under… there’s not that much to smile about.”

McCallany’s connection to Harlan goes beyond acting. The actor, who passed up other projects to pursue the role, felt an immediate affinity for the character, even as offers went to Russell Crowe and Josh Brolin. His performance draws on personal reflections of family dynamics, making Harlan a lived-in figure rather than a caricature. As Town & Country observes, McCallany’s Harlan is “a tightly coiled, half-in-the-bag good old boy” whose privileged yet precarious world mirrors universal struggles of legacy and responsibility. This authenticity elevates The Waterfront above its soapy peers, grounding its wild twists in emotional truth.

Thematic Depth: Legacy, Loyalty, and Moral Ambiguity

The Waterfront is as much about family dynamics as it is about crime, exploring the lengths people go to preserve their legacy. The Buckleys are a microcosm of dysfunction—Harlan’s infidelity, Belle’s secretive pragmatism, Cane’s cowardice, and Bree’s addiction create a web of resentment and loyalty. Yet, as Williamson emphasizes, “We’re not ‘either or’ in life. We’re always ‘and.’ We’re good and bad.” This duality drives the narrative, with each character wrestling with their flaws while striving to protect the family name.

The series’ coastal setting amplifies its themes. The ocean, both beautiful and treacherous, mirrors the Buckleys’ empire—vast, alluring, and unforgiving. Williamson’s nostalgia for North Carolina’s “soil, salt, and silence” permeates the show, with Wilmington’s yacht-filled harbors and Southport’s weathered docks serving as more than mere backdrops. The waterfront is a metaphor for the family’s liminal state, caught between past glory and present decay. As Variety notes, the show’s pacing—averaging 40-50 minutes per episode—avoids “unnecessary and long-drawn-out scenes,” allowing its themes to unfold with urgency.

Moral ambiguity is a cornerstone of The Waterfront. Harlan’s return to drug smuggling, a trade he romanticizes from his youth, is both a desperate act and a betrayal of his “clean” legacy. Cane’s involvement with a drug ring, driven by debt, spirals into violence, while Bree’s sobriety is tested by her entanglement with a DEA agent, unaware of her family’s crimes. Belle, played with steely resolve by Maria Bello, emerges as the family’s backbone, making morally questionable choices to protect their future. The season finale, marked by a shocking death and a cliffhanger involving Belle, underscores the cost of these decisions. As McCallany told Netflix Tudum, Harlan’s response to betrayal hinges on intent: “Was it their intention to hurt me? Or was it their intention to protect me?”

Cultural Resonance and Critical Reception

The Waterfront has sparked a divided but passionate response, reflecting its blend of high drama and formulaic tendencies. With 11.6 million views in its second week, it has cemented its status as a global hit, outperforming competitors like Sirens and Dept. Q. Critics praise its bingeability, with Pajiba calling it a “rare sweet spot between soapy melodrama, streaming prestige, and acting performances so good they make the trash feel like a perfectly aged bottle of gas station wine.” OutKick lauds its “Yellowstone” vibes and “wildly entertaining” twists, particularly Topher Grace’s unhinged Grady.

However, some reviews highlight its derivative nature. IndieWire critiques its lack of originality, comparing it unfavorably to Ozark and Yellowstone for starting with “minimum urgency.” The Independent calls it “predictable to a fault,” though it acknowledges its addictive momentum. PureWow notes criticism of its slow start but defends its groundwork for later payoffs, with McCallany’s “complexity” as a standout. These critiques underscore The Waterfront’s challenge: balancing familiarity with innovation in a crowded genre.

Culturally, the series taps into a fascination with dysfunctional dynasties, from Succession to Yellowstone. Its focus on a working-class family, inspired by Williamson’s roots, resonates in an era of economic precarity, where legacy often feels like a luxury. The show’s exploration of addiction, through Bree’s arc, adds a timely layer, reflecting broader societal struggles. As Cosmopolitan observes, “Dysfunctional families and legacy-related drama have been at the center of many of our binge-watch-worthy obsessions.” The Waterfront satisfies this craving while grounding it in a specific, salt-soaked milieu.

The Cast and Creative Vision

Beyond McCallany, the ensemble elevates The Waterfront’s melodrama. Maria Bello’s Belle is a pragmatic foil to Harlan, her secrets unraveling with devastating impact. Melissa Benoist’s Bree, bruised yet resilient, channels Williamson’s own struggles with addiction, making her arc both heartbreaking and hopeful. Jake Weary’s Cane, torn between duty and desire, evolves from a “pathetic” heir to a tragic figure, his resemblance to McCallany enhancing their father-son dynamic. Topher Grace’s Grady, described as “incredibly likable and absolutely awful,” steals scenes with his erratic menace, providing a counterpoint to Harlan’s stoic authority.

Williamson’s creative vision, honed through decades of genre storytelling, infuses The Waterfront with a propulsive rhythm. His ability to blend horror, romance, and drama—evident in Scream and The Vampire Diaries—creates a series that is “soapy and melodramatic in all the best ways.” Directors like Marcos Siega and Liz Friedlander ensure visual coherence, with North Carolina’s coastlines amplifying the show’s mood. The writing team, including Michael Narducci and Hannah Schneider, keeps the plot taut, though some critics argue it leans too heavily on familiar tropes.

Looking Ahead: A Legacy Unfinished

The Waterfront ends its first season on a cliffhanger, setting the stage for potential future arcs. Williamson, eager to continue, sees the series as a “meditation on loyalty, legacy, and the weight of unfinished business.” McCallany, too, hopes for a second season, citing “a lot of dramatic terrain yet to explore.” The finale’s twists—Grady’s death, Belle’s betrayal, and Bree’s rescue—leave the Buckleys at a crossroads, their empire teetering on the edge of collapse or redemption.

In conclusion, The Waterfront is a messy, compelling addition to Netflix’s roster, elevated by Holt McCallany’s raw, personal performance and Kevin Williamson’s nostalgic lens. While it occasionally treads familiar ground, its blend of Southern gothic, family drama, and moral complexity makes it a standout. As Slate notes, “This first season of The Waterfront sets more tables than the waitresses at the Buckleys’ seaside restaurant.” For viewers craving a saga that is both wildly entertaining and deeply human, The Waterfront delivers—a testament to the enduring power of family, flaws, and the sea.