The Waterfront is one of Netflix’s newest original shows that’s already making waves across the streamer. Viewers are plunged into the stormy waters of the Buckley family, whose name and reputation are championed in the crumbling Southern fishing town where they own several businesses. Despite their bright and shiny outward appearance, the Buckley family is deep in debt, leaving their name and dynasty teetering on the brink of collapse.

With patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) recovering from two heart attacks, the family seems doomed to fall from the ranks of local royalty. That is, until Harlan moves forward with expanding their enterprise to save his grown children from ruin. These new endeavors include illegal drug smuggling, which only makes things more complicated for the family as suspicion begins to rise.

Where is Netflix’s ‘The Waterfront’ set?

The Waterfront is set in the crumbling North Carolina fishing town of Havenport, which doesn’t actually exist, as Moviedelic notes. Showrunner Kevin Williamson is an NC native and has previously set his works (such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Dawson’s Creek) in his home state because of his love for the area. Other projects Williamson has worked on include Tell Me a Story, The Vampire Diaries and Wasteland. The New Bern-born creative is also known for developing and writing the screenplay for Scream, as well as directing Scream 7.

While you can’t plan a trip to Havenport this summer, you might feel called to visit The Waterfront filming locations in Southport and Wilmington. The later is one of North Carolina’s most popular coastal towns, previously welcoming cast and crews for projects like Iron Man 3, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Safe Haven and Blue Velvet.

What family is the new series based on?

The show centers on the Buckley family, which comprises four members. Harlan and Belle Buckley (Maria Bello) make up the parental unit, although their questionable priorities are made evident early on. Then there’s the children, whose lives are anything but perfect. Bree Buckley (Melissa Benoist) is a recovering addict who lost custody of her son due to her substance abuse problem. Her brother Cane Buckley (Jake Weary) is a man with a troubled marriage and a strong desire to prove himself to his parents.

While each character has their own inner world to deal with, there is also the issue of the $2 million that needs to be procured in less than three months to lift them out of debt. While the character’s life situations are relatable to some viewers, they’re not based on any particular living figures. Rather, the Buckley family is based on experiences of Williamson. As told in conversation with Tudum, the drama depicted in The Waterfront was inspired by his own fisherman father (and family) in North Carolina. This is likely why the characters feel so down to Earth, despite their crazy tactics to stay on top of the food chain.

When asked about the family empire, Williamson explained, “It’s just about a bunch of people who make mistakes. They do some bad things and then they get in deeper and deeper and deeper. Sometimes they keep making worse mistakes and sometimes they find their way out and do the good thing.” 

What true events inspired ‘The Waterfront’?

Creator Kevin Williamson comes from a long line of fishermen, making him intimately familiar with the industry. As time passed, the industry changed, bringing hard times (and some desperate measures). Ultimately, the show The Waterfront takes inspiration from its creator’s life. But of course, there have certainly been some creative freedoms taken.

As Williamson tells Tudum, “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.”​​ Eventually, Williamson’s father was caught transporting drugs and went to prison, but the creator of the drama series is anything but ashamed of his family’s story. 

In fact, his father put food on the table and got him through college this way. So many beloved stories would have never been told otherwise. While Williamson was finishing post-secondary, his father was behind bars. This might’ve been hard for the father-son duo to endure at the time, but it ultimately inspired The Waterfront, which is already shaping up to be a hit among viewers.

Interestingly enough, in his other work, Williamson has already nodded to his dad’s story. In the first episode of the 1998 hit Dawson’s Creek, fans may remember when character Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) states, “My dad’s in prison for conspiracy to traffic marijuana in excess of 20,000 pounds.” This was actually the criminal charge of Williamson’s father, proving he’s long been using his life experience to influence his creative works.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is The Waterfront the Netflix version of Succession?

Not exactly, but some fans of Succession are calling it a replacement of the beloved HBO drama due to major similarities. In Succession the Roy clan struggles to keep control of the family media empire amid the decline of the family patriarch’s health.

Is HBO’s Succession based on a true story? 

No, the HBO series is not based on a true story, but is said to be inspired by the real-life Murdoch family, as The Week confirms.