Said to be a blend of Succession, Outer Banks, and Ozark, Netflix’s new eight part series The Waterfront follows the Buckley family living in the fictional coastal city of Haventown, North Carolina. After becoming a prominent force in the region due to their successful fishing and restaurant businesses, the Buckleys take drastic measures to survive when hardship strikes.
The dark crime thriller is actually based on real events. Below, everything we know about the story that inspired The Waterfront.
What is the Plot of The Waterfront?
The official logline is as follows: “For decades, the Buckley family has ruled Havenport, North Carolina, dominating everything from the local fishing industry to the town’s restaurant scene. But their fishing empire has started to crumble as patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) recovers from two heart attacks, and his wife Belle (Maria Bello) and son Cane (Jake Weary) venture into the deep end to keep the family businesses afloat.
“As their attempts spiral out of control and into treacherous waters, Harlan steps back in to take command. Facing her own demons, Buckley daughter Bree (Melissa Benoist)—an addict in recovery who’s lost custody of her son Diller (Brady Hepner)—finds herself entangled in a complicated relationship that could threaten the family’s future forever.”
What is the true story behind The Waterfront?
Screenwriter and series creator Kevin Williamson (known for the Scream franchise) calls The Waterfront his most personal story yet, drawing directly from his own upbringing and family’s past. “I come from a long line of fishermen,” he told Netflix’s Tudum.
In the interview, he revealed that due to the fishing industry’s collapse in the 1980s, his father was forced into making desperate and questionable choices. “The fishing industry sort of upturned… 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.”
His father became a drug runner, transporting them on his boat. “My dad—a very, very good man—got tempted to do some things that weren’t so legal…it put food on the table, helped me go to college.”
As for the family dynamics seen in The Waterfront, many of the characteristics of his family members echo throughout the Buckley family. “I had my dad in my head,” Williamson said of the character Harlan.
Belle Buckley, the matriarch of the family, is based on his actual mother, William revealed. “Mine kept everything going. I got to school and graduated college because of the fire she lit under my butt.”
