Netflix cancels Kevin Williamson’s The Waterfront despite strong viewership

Netflix has officially canceled The Waterfront after just one season, despite its strong performance following its June 19, 2025 release. According to Deadline, showrunner Kevin Williamson broke the news to the cast and crew members.

The decision comes as a surprise to everyone involved as the show remained in Netflix’s global top 10 for Englis language series list for five weeks, peaking at 11.6 million views in the first. The second and third place on the list was occupied by Ransom Canyon (9.4M views) and Forever (6.7M views), both of which have been renewed. 

The show centers on the wealthy Buckley family, who run the restaurant and fishing operations in Havenport, North Carolina. It stars Holt McCallany, Jake Weary, Melissa Benoist, and Maria Bello.

Netflix executives are known to weigh performance against production cost, and take into account social media buzz, viewer engagement, and award potential before renewing a series. In addition to the number of views, performance depends on completion rate of the show, which is not made public. While insiders have shared that the completion rate was sufficiently high for The Waterfront, the fact that it was not an in-house production possibly made the threshold higher. 

The Waterfront is produced by Universal Television. Two other series from the production company, The Man on Inside, and Four Seasons, have been fast renewed by Netflix.

What is The Waterfront all about?

The Waterfront focuses on the Buckley family, who live in Havenport, a small coastal hamlet in North Carolina. They have dominated the neighborhood restaurant and fishing scenes for decades, but after the patriarch, Harlan Buckley, has two heart attacks, their empire begins to collapse. As a last resort to keep the family afloat, his wife, Belle, and son, Cane, turn to importing drugs. 

Harlan and Belle’s daughter, Bree, who is in recovery from addiction and has lost custody of her kid, gets caught up in a risky relationship that could jeopardize the already precarious unity of the family. As Harlan seeks to take back control, the family faces growing conflicts while getting more involved in crime and betrayal.

The show, which has been inspired by real-life incidents and reflects the life experiences of its creator, Kevin Williamson. It well combines elements of crime thriller and family drama in a gripping story about survival, power, and sinister secrets.

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