There’s a new show at the top of the Netflix streaming charts, and whether you’ll love it or not depends very much on whether you like shows such as Virgin River, Yellowstone or Dawson’s Creek.
The Waterfront – Kevin Williamson’s (Scream) new family crime drama – is according to The Guardian “Dawson’s Creek for grown-ups”. The Hollywood Reporter has described it as “Ozark meets Bloodline (with a bit of Virgin River)”, while The Daily Beast says that “perhaps Yellowstone fans will be excited to watch that show’s vibe CW-ified and ported over to Netflix. Everyone else can just keep fishing for something better”.
So we’re clearly in love it or hate it territory – it’s 64% score from the critics and 71% rating (at the time of writing) from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes confirms that. But for those who love it, The Waterfront is lots of fun.
What are the critics saying about The Waterfront?
The show centers the Buckley family – Holt McCallany and Maria Bello – who’ve built a fishing empire in their home town, only to have it taken away from them piece by piece as patriarch Harlan (McCallany) recovers from two heart attacks.
According to TIME: “it’s a slow-burn Southern gothic tale rich with betrayal and moral ambiguity, but beneath the genre trappings lies a deeper current of meaning… the series stands as a meditation on loyalty, legacy, and the weight of unfinished business.”
The aforementioned Guardian review begs to differ, saying happily that: “It is escapist summer nonsense with – God, I hope – no pretensions to being otherwise. Dive into the adult creek and wallow in nostalgia as the waves of absurdity sweep towards shore.”
Variety agrees – it’s “the Netflix equivalent of a beach read, but it’s highly entertaining” – and The San Jose Mercury News reckons that the show “is a keeper because of the outrageous behavior of its morally compromised characters.” Meanwhile, New York magazine says “there’s nothing quite like sensational, just-this-side-of-campy organized crime to buoy you through the sticky, grimy days of summer.”
So, it’s big daft summer fun? Not so fast! The haters are here and they’ve got some hating to do about why it’s not one of the best Netflix shows, starting with IndieWire who says that “Netflix’s sludgy family crime drama is a shallow reflection of better shows”.
The grade here is a grudging D+ because, IndieWire’s Ben Travers says, “it’s all vibes and no soul… Nothing that’s heard has to mean anything, it just has to sound like it does. Nothing that happens has to evoke any real emotions, it just has to remind you of shows that did. Even if you haven’t seen Ozark or Yellowstone – heck, even if The Waterfront is the first series you’ve ever seen – there’s no mistaking a sinking ship.”
The Independent wasn’t exactly raving either. “It is hard to imagine that anyone at Netflix thinks The Waterfront is going to be a classic, or even a particular hit. Instead, it is television played about as safe as it comes.”
It’s “unconvincing”, says The Hollywood Reporter. “This isn’t necessarily a good show, but it’s a serviceable attempt to reproduce the sort of accessible, young-skewing soap opera The CW and The WB used to make, with a solidly above-average cast.”
The Waterfront is streaming now on Netflix.
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