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Netflix’s The Waterfront Debuts to Mixed Reviews Over Formulaic Crime Drama

Reviews mix praise for strong performances, slick visuals, predictable crime-drama tropes

The Waterfront. (L to R) Jake Weary as Cane Buckley, Melissa Benoist as Bree Buckley in episode 105 of The Waterfront.
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Overview

  • The series was created by Kevin Williamson and draws on his father’s 1980s fishing-boat drug-smuggling arrest
  • All eight episodes of the drama premiered on Netflix on June 19, 2025
  • Plot centers on the Buckley family’s fishing empire in fictional Havenport, North Carolina, and their turn to narcotics smuggling
  • Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Jake Weary and Melissa Benoist lead the ensemble cast
  • Critics applaud its entertainment value and production design while critiquing its reliance on familiar genre conventions