Netflix’s The Waterfront mixes Ozark with Succession – and it all unfolds by the water in North Carolina.
The show is the handiwork of Scream creator Kevin Williamson and boasts of an intriguing cast, including chiselled character actor Holt McCallany, Mario Bello, and actor-singer Melissa Benoist. The dynastic drama, which should also appeal to fans of Netflix’s Florida Keys thriller Bloodline (2015-2017), is set in the coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina. Here’s where you can find its seaside setting in real life.
What happens in The Waterfront?
After suffering not just one, but two heart attacks, Harlan Buckley (Black Bag’s Holt McCallany) is struggling to keep his family afloat as the controlling destiny in the fictional coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina. For decades, the Buckley family have controlled the local fishing industry and the town’s picturesque restaurant scene.
Following Harlan’s brushes with death, it’s up to his long-suffering wife Belle (A History of Violence’s Maria Bello) and their son Cane (Jake Weary) to make sure that the Buckley family maintains its dominance and reputation. Unfortunately for Harlan, that approach soon gets the family into even more trouble. Despite his ill-health, Harlan is forced to take back control – all while trying to keep an eye on his daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist), who lost custody of her son after her issues with addiction.
With stunning locations and idyllic views, as well as murder, sex, romance, betrayal, and plenty of melodrama, The Waterfront is the sort of Netflix show you begin on Friday, only to have somehow watched it all by Saturday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know about its locations, cast, and how to watch it.
Where was The Waterfront filmed?
There is some bad news for fans of The Waterfront who are eager to visit the city of Havenport – it doesn’t actually exist. Instead, The Waterfront was shot in the cities of Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina.
Wilmington, North Carolina
According to Port City Daily, when production took place in Wilmington, the cast and crew shot at the Suites On Market motel, the Cotton Exchange shopping complex by the Riverfront, on North Front Street in the Historic district, round the corner at the private Cape Fear Club, and at the Little Drum Landing event venue on Ann Street.
Southport, North Carolina
Meanwhile over in Southport, the city’s officials took to Instagram to reveal that filming occurred in various restaurants, including Fishy Fishy Cafe, Morningstar Marina, and Potter’s Seafood, each of which are bound to explode in popularity once The Waterfront hits Netflix.
Kevin Williamson, The Waterfront’s creator and showrunner who also wrote Scream, The Faculty, Dawson’s Creek, and The Vampire Diaries, has made a habit out of shooting in his home state. Williamson was born in New Bern, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University in nearby Greenville.
I Know What You Did Last Summer, which Williamson wrote, was also shot in Southport back in 1996, while his beloved teen drama Dawson’s Creek filmed in and around Wilmington for its six seasons between 1998 and 2003.
Williamson has also teased that The Waterfront needed to be both set in and shot in North Carolina, because it was inspired by true events. While he’s yet to provide concrete details on who influenced the Buckley family, his father Wade Williamson worked as a fisherman in North Carolina. Williamson even admitted to the Netflix website that his dad was a drug runner during this time.
‘I come from a long line of fishermen,’ explains Williamson. ‘The fishing industry sort of upturned in the ’80s – it all started to go away, and 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, helped me go to college.’
Who is in The Waterfront?
The Waterfront looks destined to attract a cavalcade of viewers thanks to its all-star cast, too. In recent years, Holt McCallany has become one of most underrated actors in America, thanks to his work in Mindhunter and The Iron Claw. The leading role of Harlan gives McCallany plenty to dig into and he clearly relishes playing a despicable but still captivating patriarch.
Maria Bello is the perfect foil for McCallany as his wife Mae. Audiences will recognise her from the likes of A History Of Violence, Grown Ups, Prisoners, and Beef, and she always makes everything she appears in better merely with her presence. Mae’s decision to put her family first leads her to make some very bad decisions, but Bello ensures that you always still relate to her efforts.
The other most recognisable performer in The Waterfront is Melissa Benoit, who shot to fame with the titular role in Supergirl, which ran for six seasons. She also appeared in the Oscar winning Whiplash, the Paramount miniseries Waco, and the action thriller Patriots Day. But the character Bree is much more hot-tempered and cunning than we’ve seen her before.
That ‘70s Show star Topher Grace plays against type as drug smuggler Grady. While he comes from a rich family of lawyers and doctors, Grady made some poor decisions in the tech world that landed him in jail. After being released from prison, he started a poppy farm which ultimately leads to him butting heads with the Buckley family.
The Waterfront’s cast is rounded out by Jake Weary as Harlan’s only son Cane, Humberly González as Cane’s high school sweetheart Jenna, who has just returned to town and causes Cane to reconsider his relationship with his devoted wife Peyton, played by Danielle Campbell. There’s also Gerardo Celasco as DEA Agent Marcus Sanchez, who keeps a watchful eye on the criminal exploits of the Buckley family.
How can I watch The Waterfront and when does it come out?
All eight episodes of The Waterfront will be available to watch on Netflix on June 19.
Is there a trailer for The Waterfront?
Yes, there is – in fact, you can watch it below.
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