After getting through the first couple of episodes of Netflix’s new crime thriller/family drama series, The Waterfront becomes a decent watch led by Topher Grace’s fantastic villainous character. Capturing the same “trouble in paradise” tone as Netflix’s past hit series, such as Ozark and Bloodline, with a similar dysfunctional family dynamic to HBO’s Succession, The Waterfront is ultimately a watered-down version of all these celebrated series. That said, it’s entertaining enough to see it through its eight episodes.
Holt McCallaney — who has a knack for playing abusive and demanding fathers, as seen in 2023’s The Iron Claw — plays Harlan, the patriarch of the Buckley family in the fictional coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina. He and his golden boy son, Cane (Jake Weary), oversee operations at a fishery and restaurant, as well as a more lucrative and criminal business that keeps things afloat. The father and son also share a similar taste for infidelity, which makes for some frustrating and hypocritical moments.
The main women of The Waterfront are, unfortunately, designed to be mostly supplementary to the male-driven plot. Maria Bello’s Belle Buckley is the strong-willed but misguided matriarch, acting mostly in response to or in spite of her negligent husband. Melissa Benoist’s Bree, a recovering addict, is flawed, pitiful, and dangerous, with a traumatic backstory that never ended. Other female characters, like Jenna (Humberly González) and Peyton (Danielle Campbell), exist primarily as one-dimensional eye candy that feeds into needless melodrama.
Topher Grace’s Quirky Antagonist Makes The Waterfront Worth Watching
The Series Falls Flat Before His Arrival Partway Through
Before Topher Grace arrived as the mischievous, almost superhero villain Grady, The Waterfront wasn’t necessarily what you would call “must-see TV.” Grady becomes a great antagonist to Harlan’s old-school, unemotional tough guy, creating what feels like a Joker to his Batman. Up until that point, however, The Waterfront struggles to establish an inviting sense of immersion that one would expect from a show like this. It doesn’t help that Cane, whom we spend most of the show’s time with, instantly comes off as entitled and insufferable.
Grady becomes a great antagonist to Harlan’s old-school, unemotional tough guy, creating what feels like a Joker to his Batman.
Grace delivers what may be one of his most enjoyable performances in years as Grady, an overly friendly drug supplier who can flip from cheerful to deadly in the blink of an eye. He brings so much to The Waterfront that it literally becomes a different, and much better, show with him involved. Series creator Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Vampire Diaries) credited Grace for coming up with so many elements of his character and dialogue that weren’t originally in the script. If The Waterfront has any streaming success, Grace’s efforts will be a major part of it.
The Waterfront Is Nowhere Near The Greatness Of Ozark & Bloodline
The Story Is Not As Gripping & The Writing Is Fine But Not Outstanding
It’s hard not to think of Netflix’s other location-based drama series, Ransom Canyon, while watching The Waterfront; they have such similar tropes. A mysterious newcomer enters an insular, chatty town and conceals his true identity. Business arrangements, particularly land deals, get messy with alcohol and sex — a “will they, won’t they” drawn-out dynamic between high school sweethearts. The Waterfront is sort of an edgier and more violent variant of these all-too-familiar plot and character archetypes.
The Waterfront walks a tightrope of making its core family mostly unlikable, perhaps too much so, that you start to wonder whether you’re rooting for Harlan or Grady.
Viewers looking for their next Ozark, however, will have to keep looking because The Waterfront is not it. Cane is a total manchild, and Bree is nearly irredeemable once you find out why child services took her son, Diller (Brady Hepner), away. The Waterfront walks a tightrope of making its core family mostly unlikable, perhaps too much so, that you start to wonder whether you’re rooting for Harlan or Grady.
In Ozark, Bateman’s Marty Byrde was a fascinating snake, a master manipulator, and a fantastic anti-hero. Harlan in The Waterfront is just an old man set in his ways as the hypermasculine head of a toxic family system. Bello’s Belle is too disregarded in the main plot to have a shot at matching Wendy Byrde’s cold-blooded energy, making Harlan and Belle’s business partnership much less effective or convincing as a result.
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Ransom Canyon, led by a lovable cast with surefire chemistry, finds ways to surprise you, make you laugh, and break your heart with Southern charm.
While the character development of the core family could use some work, The Waterfront has some great crime thriller scenes propelled by Topher Grace’s infectious and much-needed villain, who single-handedly made the otherwise passable Netflix crime thriller series worthwhile.
6/10
- Release Date
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June 19, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Marcos Siega
- Writers
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Kevin Williamson
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Holt McCallany
Harlan Buckley
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- Topher Grace’s villain is infectious and unpredictable
- The Waterfront effectively uses violence to pack a punch
- Cane’s romantic melodrama is needless and frustrating
- Many of the characters are flat, cliche, and some are unlikable
- The Waterfront feels like a very watered down Ozark