Now on Netflix: A Coastal Crime Epic Set to Get Even Darker in Season 2
Season 1 shattered the charts—and now, whispers say Season 2 could be even more merciless.
The Buckleys’ empire is fracturing. Old alliances are burning. And that daughter? Her fate may just spark the next wave of revenge.
👇 Ready for the tide to rise again?

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See what Williamson and star Jake Weary have said about a potential second season.

Netflix just dropped its latest must-watch, and it’s angling for a long run.

The Waterfront, a salty crime drama with plenty of twists and turns, comes from Dawson’s Creek (1998–2003) mastermind Kevin Williamson. Set in the coastal town of Havenport, N.C., the series follows the wealthy Buckley family as they struggle to keep their once-thriving fishing empire afloat by entangling with a crew of drug-runners.

Inspired by Williamson’s own family history (yes, really), the story hits close to home. “Back in the ’80s, my dad got into some trouble,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “He was a fisherman, and he got hooked up with some people that offered him some money to run [drugs] on his fishing boat.”

The Waterfront premiered on June 19 and wasted no time climbing up Netflix’s top 10 chart.

The season 1 finale leaves plenty of questions (and madness) in its wake, setting the stage for even more drama. But will the hit show return for a second season? Here’s everything we know about The Waterfront season 2.

Will there be a season 2 of The Waterfront?

Jake Weary as Cane Buckley and Rafael L. Silva as Shawn West on ‘The Waterfront’.Courtesy of Netflix

As of this writing, Netflix hasn’t officially renewed The Waterfront for a second season. However, that hasn’t stopped the cast from thinking ahead. Jake Weary, who plays Cane Buckley, told EW that he’s already had conversations with Williamson about a potential season 2.

“I think it’s bad juju to talk about story when you haven’t gotten that official pickup yet, at least for me,” he said. “I border on a pessimistic person, so I really hope we get a season 2, but I hate talking about it until it’s actually a thing.”

Weary also shared a funny moment that might hint at just how much the show’s future is on the team’s minds. After the Animal Kingdom star shaved his head for another role, Williamson had a mild freakout.

“He was like, ‘Wait! What about season 2? When did you enlist in the army?'” Weary recalled. “I saw him in Texas, he was looking at me and was like, ‘Maybe Cane in season 2 just one day, midway through the season, buzzes his head and gets a tattoo.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, no! We spent so much time making sure this character was so different from a [Deran] Cody bad boy!'”

Williamson also revealed that he’s mapped out multiple seasons of The Waterfront.

“I’ve just sort of figured out who these actors are in these roles, and I would love a chance to write for them and lean into them, and I think the show can just go up,” he told ScreenRant. “There’s a whole second season that I have planned out, and a third season, quite frankly. So I’m hoping I get the chance to tell those stories. I do think it’s a fun show, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done, and I just hope people enjoy it.”

What happened at the end of The Waterfront season 1?

Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley and Topher Grace as Grady in episode 4 of’ The Waterfront’.Dana Hawley/Netflix

After a season packed with surprising twists, bloodshed, and danger, The Waterfront wraps with a dramatic and intense finale.

Grady (Topher Grace), whose drug empire has completely fallen apart, kidnaps Bree (Melissa Benoist) and her son, Diller (Brady Hepner), taking them out on his boat. He calls Buckley patriarch Harlan (Holt McCallany), hoping to lure him and the rest of the family into a deadly trap.

While waiting for them to arrive, Bree attempts to fight back against Grady, but is ultimately shot in the leg and thrown overboard. Fortunately, Diller manages to toss Bree a raft so she can stay afloat.

When Harlan and Cane finally show up, the latter sneaks aboard, kills Grady’s men, and frees his family. Cane then shoots Grady twice in the face, sending him overboard for good.

Jake Weary as Cane Buckley and Melissa Benoist as Bree Buckley on ‘The Waterfront’.Dana Hawley/Netflix

The father-son duo quickly rescues Bree and gets her to the hospital, where she begins her recovery. Despite all the violence in season 1, no Buckleys die — but the final moments reveal a new threat.

The family matriarch, Belle (Maria Bello), has been quietly making her own moves with her family’s biggest rivals, the Parkers. While the rest of the Buckleys focus on saving Bree, Belle is setting up secret meetings with Emmett Parker (Terry Serpico).

The finale’s final moments bring viewers back to the Buckley fish house, where Belle finds scheming developer Wes Benson (Dave Annable) tied up and beaten to a pulp by Emmett. She and the Parkers are in this together now, and Emmett addressing her as “boss” makes it clear that they see her, not Harlan, as the Buckley family boss.

Harlan won’t like that.

What will season 2 of The Waterfront be about?

Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley and Maria Bello as Belle Buckley on ‘The Waterfront’.Dana Hawley/Netflix

While season 1 of The Waterfront has already dropped and delivered its fair share of jaw-dropping moments, things are only going to get messier in a possible second season.

Williamson told TheWrap that the real drama in season 2 would center on Harlan realizing he’s no longer in charge. Belle, who’s spent years pulling strings from the shadows, is stepping up as the leader, and not everyone will be able to get behind this shift.

“What she’s going to do now is she’s going to stand front and center beginning in season 2,” he said. “That’s going to create a complete shift in the family dynamic, where they’re going to have to pick sides as the family breaks apart a little bit.”

But it’s not just internal family feuds fans should brace for, as the Parkers would be major players in a potential season 2. Williamson told The Hollywood Reporter there’s a lot more to that family than we’ve seen so far.

“They have such a backstory with the Buckleys already,” he explained. “There are more Parker family members and they will prove to be equally as complicated as the Buckleys — and more dangerous than Grady could ever be.”

Who’s in the cast of The Waterfront season 2?

(L to R) Brian Ashton Smith as Reggie, Joshua Brady as Hollis, Bryan Terry Snell as Levi, Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley, and Jake Weary as Cane Buckley on ‘The Waterfront’.Dana Hawley/Netflix

If The Waterfront does return for a second season, expect the Buckley crew to return in full force, including McCallany, Bello, Weary, and Benoist. Other familiar faces likely to return include Serpico, Annable, and Hepner, as well as Rafael L. Silva, Danielle Campbell, and Humberly González.

As for Grace? Don’t hold your breath, what with the That ’70s Show alum taking two bullets to the face and falling overboard. But hey, it was fun while it lasted — his unhinged performance was a highlight of the first season.

Where can I watch The Waterfront?

(L to R) Maria Bello as Belle Buckley, Danielle Campbell as Peyton, and Jake Weary as Cane Buckley in episode 2 of ‘The Waterfront’.Dana Hawley/Netflix