Kevin Williamson, the mastermind behind cult hits like Scream
and Dawson’s Creek
, is back with a splashy new drama series on Netflix titled The Waterfront
. This eight-episode crime drama, which premiered on June 19, 2025, dives deep into the turbulent waters of family loyalty, legacy, and crime. Set in the fictional coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina, the show has been giving a gripping mix of family dysfunction and high-stakes drama, all wrapped in the salty air of a fading fishing empire.
Kevin Williamson’s latest Netflix drama hooks from the first scene with a tangled web of drug smuggling, broken hearts, and desperate gambles. A Southern gothic set tale, with a raw, personal twist that only Williamson can deliver.
Kevin Williamson’s home-hitting heart of The Waterfront
The Waterfront
follows the Buckley family, who have long ruled the fishing industry in Havenport, but now face the collapse of their empire. What sets the show
apart is its inspiration from true events, drawn from Williamson’s own family history
, as he revealed to Netflix Tudum
. “It is an escalation of other stuff I have done. It is me looking back on my life growing up. It is reflection, it is nostalgic…little bit of a memory piece”,
he reflects. Filmed on location in Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina, where Williamson says he would “shoot everything here if I could.
“, the series captures the authentic atmosphere of coastal life, where tradition clashes with modern challenges.
24 hours until THE WATERFRONT, a new series inspired by true events, arrives on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/CmG9bYV4Gr
— Netflix Canada (@Netflix_CA) June 18, 2025
The cast’s performances, especially Holt McCallany
’s portrayal of a flawed patriarch and Maria Bello’
s complex matriarch, bring depth to this tale of survival and betrayal. The show does not shy away from the messy realities of its characters, who are as irritable, cunning, and flawed as any family you might know. While some viewers find the rapid introduction of characters
and subplots a bit disorienting, the emotional core remains strong. It is a story about land, legacy, and the lengths people will go to protect what is theirs, even if it means diving into dangerous, murky waters.
Bursting onto the scene with the genre-reviving Scream
in 1996, Williamson has already mastered the art of self-aware horror. Now, with The Waterfront,
he channels that same intensity into a crime drama steeped in family dysfunction, evoking the dark, twisted dynamics familiar to fans of Ozark
.
A new contender in dysfunctional family sagas
Kevin Williamson’s The Waterfront
plunges viewers into a maelstrom of family chaos and crime that rivals the insanity of his past hits. Known for crafting emotionally charged teen dramas and razor-sharp horror, Williamson delivers in the perfect currency this time around as well.
The Buckley family’s descent into drug smuggling and desperation fuels the show’s relentless energy. Their dysfunction and moral ambiguity evoke comparisons to Netflix’s Ozark
,
another dark family drama where survival blurs ethical lines, keeping audiences hooked.
THE WATERFRONT IS #1 IN TV SHOWS ON NETFLIX pic.twitter.com/rA2JRUbbLa
— MELWOOD CAME HOME (@producerbenoist) June 20, 2025
This show is like Dawson’s Creek
if everyone grew up to be criminals, blending the familiar emotional depth with a wild, over-the-top crime spiral. But The Waterfront
adds its own coastal flavor and personal edge, rooted in Williamson’s own family history of fishermen turned criminals. The show’s hook is not just in the plot but in the way it captures the human cost of a family empire collapsing and the lengths people will go to protect their legacy.
Have you done your binge-duty and watched The Waterfront
on Netflix already? Let us know in the comments below!