The Waterfront was cancelled on Netflix and x coastal crime dramas just two months after its June debut. The call lands as a surprise to viewers who led the show to a powerful performance early on.
From Dawson Creek and screamwriter Kevin Williamson, the series is caught up in crime to save the fisheries along the powerful Buckley family of North Carolina, led by Holt McCullany, Maria Bello, Melissa Benoist and Jake Wearley on the screen. Reported metrics included five weeks of the English language series in the 5 weeks of Netflix’s Global Top 10, the rare three peats in the number one, and a peak of 11.6 million times in the first week.
“The waterfront rates were good,” wrote the deadline, which was a news-breaking outlet. Nevertheless, their sources said, “Netflix didn’t feel that their audience and completion rates were high enough to ensure updates.”
Netflix update calculations are often critical to the performance and cost blended, completing rates (keeping private). Another factor is that the show is produced by Universal TV rather than internally. In this case, even the chart-top runs weren’t enough to tilt the second season’s order.
Kevin Williamson answers
Williamson thanked viewers and colleagues and worked on cancelling the post he shared on his Instagram story. “Thank you to everyone who watched the waterfront. I’m sad, but Buckley, who is returning for Season 2, is celebrating the joys of Season 1.”
He praised the dream cast and crew, expressed his gratitude to everyone who brought talent to the North Carolina and Los Angeles shows, and thanked Universal TV and Netflix for taking the chance to talk very personal. He closed his personal note: “It was one of the best experiences of my life! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
What Season 2 (and beyond) explored
Williamson had already shared some information about what was ahead in the second season. “The Parker family is going to be a major conflict in Season 2,” he said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in June.
“We only meet Emmett (Terry Serpico) and his father. We have more Parker families. They are as complicated as Buckley, and it proves that Grady is more dangerous than ever.”
And with “what if,” which makes fans even more frustrating, Williamson imagined and pitched the arc for the entire three seasons. “It feels like we have a great cast of actors that we can explore over three seasons. But I went on three pitching there – that’s the magic numbers (Netflix) – that is, three seasons are network seasons.
Can another service intervene?
It is rare for a canceled series to find a Second Life elsewhere, but it is not unheard of. As an external title (universal television) for Studio, the Waterfront is theoretically able to shop on other platforms. Whether or not a different platform byte is an open question. If the protest is strong enough, you never know. For now, the Buckleys saga will end in one season on Netflix.
