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etflix’s The Waterfront is not flashy. It does not rely on gimmicks or over-stylised visuals to grab attention. It takes its time to build tension, flesh out its characters and let the story unfold in a way that makes it easy to get invested. It starts slower than one might expect, but once it has its footing, it is difficult to walk away from.
Set in the fictional town of Havenport, North Carolina, The Waterfront follows the Buckley family, long-time fishermen whose business is crumbling under economic pressure. With limited options and bills piling up, the family ends up entangled in drug smuggling.
From there, things go as wrong as one can expect. The setup is not new, but what works is how carefully it is pieced together. The stakes feel personal, not exaggerated for the sake of drama. And, for once, the characters feel like people, not just parts of a crime show.
One of the biggest strengths of this series is the cast, not just the choices, but also the effort. Every actor came in ready to do the work. Holt McCallany leads as Harlan Buckley, the patriarch, trying to hold everything together. His performance is restrained but deeply expressive. He does not play Harlan as a tough guy. He plays him as a man quietly drowning in pressure, doing what he thinks he has to.
Opposite him, Maria Bello as Belle Buckley is sharp, composed and impossible to dismiss. Her portrayal of a strong, calculating woman who never lets the panic show is one of the show’s high points. She is not sidelined or softened; she is central and commanding.
Jake Weary, as Cane, carries a lot of the emotional weight. His efforts to steer the family out of disaster are constantly undermined by the situation spiraling around him. There is a persistent tension in how he is written and acted. He is someone trying to stay good in a story that does not reward it.
Melissa Benoist, playing Bree, adds another layer of complexity. Her storyline does not feel like a filler. The chaos shapes her, but it does not define her.
The most unpredictable part of the series comes from Topher Grace, who plays Grady, the drug supplier whose erratic and narcissistic behaviour brings most of the volatility. Grace plays him with just enough charm to make the danger believable. He does not need to raise his voice to make a scene tense. It is a performance that catches viewers off guard and keeps them guessing, even when it seems he has been figured out.
There is no denying that this series carries echoes of Ozark, especially in how it blends family collapse with crime, but The Waterfront has its own voice. It is rougher around the edges and a little more grounded in place and personality.
What’s surprising is how well the family dynamics are mapped out. Nothing feels accidental. Every member of the Buckley family is pulled into the consequences of the choices being made, and no one is reduced to background noise. There is a clear intention behind how the relationships unfold: sometimes strained, sometimes quiet, sometimes explosive. The dysfunction is there, but so is the loyalty.
The Waterfront does not go overboard in trying to shock viewers. A few twists are there and they land well, but the show is not trying to outsmart the audience. It is not trying to be the next big “twist-heavy” thriller and that works in its favour. There is confidence in the writing, enough to keep things engaging, without the desperate pacing that some shows resort to.
Some people may find the predictability a drawback, but it is not necessarily a flaw. The beats are familiar, yes, it starts with financial ruin, leads to criminal compromise and builds to inevitable fallout. But that is not the point.
The execution is what makes the difference. Plenty of shows follow the same arc and do not land it. The Waterfront does. The pacing improves with each episode and, before long, it shifts from background noise to something fully engaging and then, inevitably, something to binge.
There is no denying that this series carries echoes of Ozark, especially in how it blends family collapse with crime, but The Waterfront has its own voice. It is rougher around the edges and a little more grounded in place and personality. The setting is not just aesthetic. The coastal atmosphere and small-town pressure are key to the show’s identity.
It is also worth noting how much of the show rests on emotional tension rather than constant action. There is drama, yes. There are weapons, drugs, secrets and consequences. But it is the quieter moments, the family arguments, subtle betrayals and impossible choices that give the series its actual weight.
Is it perfect? No. The dialogue stumbles in places and some of the side characters blur together. It takes a few episodes to settle in, but the payoff is clear as the series steadily draws the viewer in. By the end of episode eight, it is evident that this was built for a second season.
All in all, The Waterfront offers a well-acted, emotionally heavy, slow-building drama that leaves just enough unresolved to keep one’s interest alive.
Zehra Batool is afreelance writer