The Waterfront Season 1 Review

The Waterfront (2025-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2025 June 19)

Watch The Waterfront on Netflix
Created by: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly González, Danielle Campbell
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
As their storied North Carolina fishing empire decays, the damaged Buckleys grapple to revive their imperiled maritime heritage.

Verdict
This is a high budget soap opera. It's maximum drama with every character having a secret and involved in criminal activity. The family used to supplement income with illicit activities and hard times have brought them back to that trade. That's the premise for the season's plot; they need fast money. One bad decision begets another, but each character keeps making stupid choices on repeat just to fill the run time. It reaches a breaking point by the end of the season, but of course no one in the family has to pay any repercussions.
Skip it.

Review
Williamson created Dawson's Creek and  The Vampire Diaries. He also wrote the scripts for Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) stepped away from the family business due to a heart attack. While away his son Cane (Jake Weary) started smuggling drugs due to their failing business. Things fall apart when one of Cane's boats is raided and his men killed. That's when Harlan is brought in. He used to run drugs back when but finally got out of that business. Harlan is a cold blooded killer, and that's his first solution to any problem. Cane is a foil for Harlan, always seeking to avoid violence. That wouldn't be so bad if Cane wasn't generic.

Holt McCallany plays Harlan Buckley

To figure out who raided the boat, Harlan plans to beat the information out of their contact Hoyt. Cane tells his father the guy isn't going to talk right before Hoyt tells them exactly what they need to know. It feels completely scripted.

Also Harlan's wife Belle (Maria Bello) is planning to develop land without telling her husband. Harlan's against that, though they are facing foreclosure. Daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist) is forbidden from seeing her son for a crime we initially don't know, and she's selling out her family to a cop. This is all drama all the time. Several characters are cheating on their significant other, talking about it, or heading that way. This show is full of people making poor choices just go generate plot point. Guess what, the new bartender also has a secret.

I could understand Bree selling out her family if it would help the case with seeing her son, but she's sabotaging the family because she hates Cane. What she's doing will destroy the entire family. We eventually find out that she's mad at Cane to avoid accepting responsibility for her actions. 

The main drug runner was doing just fine, but now that Harlan is in the mix he's jealous and wants to exert his power. Why jeopardize your business like that? He could keep the money flowing or be petty, and he wants to act ridiculous. We already know Harlan's solution to every problem. This is an expensive soap opera.

Jake Weary, Topher Grace, Holt McCallany play Cane, Grady, Harlan

Harlan finally gets a meeting with kingpin Grady (Topher Grace). Grady's young and rather ebullient, a characterization that means he's probably a dangerous psychopath. It's clear he's going to be a problem, but he's a terrible person that's more fun than he should be because of his attitude. He's so friendly, but there's the unpredictable subtext as he could just as merrily murder someone. With the DEA sniffing around, Grady wants Harlan to solve that problem. In a power move, Grady kidnaps the teenage grandson and goes on a hunting trip. Everyone freaks out and Harlan begrudgingly joins them. Grady accidentally shoots the grandson, who is fine, and everyone is understandably mad at him. He can't understand why and the situation escalates at the perceived slight.

Maria Bello, Holt McCallany play Belle, Harlan

Harlan and Cane decide to make a deal with their former drug partner Parker, the one they previously said they must avoid, to get rid of Grady. They also hope to pay off debts with the deal too. As anyone even half paying attention could predict, the deal doesn't work out. It's an all out war, though I question how Parker's trained professionals can't kill Grady but Cane who was non-violent just a few episodes ago manages to sneak into Grady's compound unscathed.

The series loads every character with problems. It's one thing to have a character flaw that leads to conflict, but these characters always make a decision that will maximize the drama and subsequent fallout. The characters that die are always side characters, never the main characters that are laden with plot armor. Despite all their mistakes, they don't even face any consequences. I'm not sure they have any feelings. They are just pawns in the plot to create ridiculous situations.