The TV event of the summer might be just around the corner, with Netflix ready to drop all eight episodes of a new drama that’s been compared to Ozark.
The Waterfront, which has been created by Dawson’s Creek and Scream writer Kevin Williamson, is set for release on June 19, with all episodes dropping at once.
A story synopsis provided by Netflix says: ‘Set against the backdrop of coastal North Carolina… [The Waterfront] centers on the fictional Buckley family and their crumbling fishing empire.’
Starring 90s movie star Holt McCallany, Coyote Ugly actress Maria Bello, and Supergirl legend Mellisa Benoist, The Waterfront ‘explores family dynamics and the lengths people will go to when their legacy is on the line’.
The series has been in production since May 2024, with the majority of the cast announced later in the year – and now fans are ready to see the whole thing.
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@Superpidge said: ‘The Waterfront, a new series is coming! From Kevin Williamson. This is definitely giving me the same vibes as Ozark did!’
@AlexisD6575 said of the trailer: ‘I was originally interested because Melissa Benoist is in it but the rest of the cast got me even more and honestly it looks like the show could be really fun too!’
Fans were also shocked to see That 70s Show star Topher Grace in the trailer, with @Brent0034 saying: ‘Did anyone else notice Eric Foreman finally grew up and is now running his own drug operation?’
The series has been compared to Ozark not just because of the Netflix connection between them but because both shows depict an otherwise ordinary family pulled into drug crime.
In Ozark, the Byrde family move to the titular region to continue laundering money for a large Mexican drug cartel, leading to several violent confrontations.
The Waterfront creator Kevin Williamson told Netflix: ‘We’ve never really seen a story about the commercial fisherman told before in any sort of dramatic way in a family drama.
‘[The fishing industry] is being taken away from them bit by bit. [The lead characters] will do anything to hold onto it – it represents their family. They also care about the town, and so many people depend on them.’
He continued, talking about the plot, which sees the characters having to make millions of dollars very quickly: ‘It’s about a bunch of people who make mistakes, they do some bad things, and then they get in deeper and deeper and deeper.
‘When you have all these people doing bad things, it’s always nice when they do that one good thing that can bring hope back.’
Kevin also revealed that the story behind the series is, in part, a personal and autobiographical one, with his father involved in the fishing industry once upon a time.
‘The fishing industry upturned in the ’80s – my dad couldn’t feed his family. So, someone came along and said, “Hey, if you do this one thing, you can make all this money” and it was hard to say no to.
‘My dad – a very, very good man – got tempted to do some things that weren’t so legal and got in some trouble. [But] it put food on the table and it helped me go to college.’
Watch The Waterfront on Netflix from June 19.
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