Kevin Williamson has been the genius behind everything from the horror franchise Screamto fan-favorite teen shows Dawson’s Creekand The Vampire Diaries. Now, he’s created a new hit for Netflix, The Waterfront. This time, it’s a crime drama series taking place in North Carolina. The fictional series draws inspiration from Williamson’s childhood in the state and his family’s experience as fishermen in the 1980s.
The show boasts an impressive cast, including Mindhunter‘s Holt McCallany and Supergirl‘s Melissa Benoist. Debuting at No. 1 on the Netflix Global charts, The Waterfront became everyone’s current TV obsession. But if you just finished the show and are craving something similar, there are plenty of shows that share DNA with the Netflix series. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled the series after one season in August 2025.
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‘Ray Donovan’ (2013–2020)
If your favorite part of The Waterfront was the family dynamics and crime, Ray Donovan is a great choice to watch. Ray Donovan follows the titular character, played by Liev Schreiber, who is a professional fixer and deals with illegal tasks for wealthy clients. Meanwhile, he deals with his family issues and his father’s (Jon Voight) unhealthy influence. Moral ambiguity and the notion of doing what “needs to be done” are present in both series.
The Showtime series ran for seven seasons, with an expected additional final season. However, Showtime canceled the series, but fan outrage led to the development of a movie to wrap up the series, which was released in 2022. Ray Donovan received 10 Emmynominations over its seven-season run and one win for Hank Azaria in the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series category.
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‘The Following’ (2013–2015)
Besides the Scream franchise and Dawson’s Creek, this isn’t Kevin Williamson’s first foray into a crime series. At the beginning of the 2010s, Williamson created The Following for Fox. Inspired by his favorite show, 24, Williamson wanted to have The Following on the same network. The series is led by Kevin Bacon, who plays the retired FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who is trying to recapture serial killer Joe Caroll and his new cult. Close to the beginning of the series, Hardy’s son is abducted by the cult. The Following was canceled after three seasons and 45 episodes.
The series is intense and dark, and features Williamson’s impressive ability to craft complex stories. However, The Following leans closer to a psychological thriller TV series, while The Waterfront is more of a crime thriller. Regardless, both are high-stakes watches for fans of these genres.
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‘The Sopranos’ (1997–2007)
The Sopranos is very different from The Waterfront. The Netflix drama follows a family forced to turn to crime to save their family business from going under. The Sopranos follows a mafia boss who already lives a life of crime. Despite differing premises, The Waterfront shares a similar portrayal of family dynamics.
Both series also explore power dynamics, how they can strain relationships, and how they can ruin them in some cases. They also explore the concept of loyalty and how our expectations can be undermined when external forces intervene. These rising tensions can tear families apart, and the life of crime is not an easy one for all the characters in both series.
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‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Breaking Bad shares a similar initial premise to The Waterfront. Both series follow individuals/families who turn to crime to cope with life’s hardships. In Breaking Bad, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer. Medical treatment is unaffordable, mainly in the United States, so White turns to selling meth to be able to afford the treatment.
Although the critical reception between the two series is a stark difference, Breaking Bad is included in many “best TV shows of all time” lists and won 16 Emmys. On the other hand, The Waterfront received an average critical reception and was not renewed for a second season.
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‘Succession’ (2018–2023)
Successionis a dark dramedy that follows the media conglomerate run by the Roy Family. Their patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), is aging and experiencing declining health; the rest of the family surrounds Logan like a group of vultures. His four children, who are not equally connected to the company, are competing for a better position within the company. Similar to The Waterfront, both series follow a family with a company empire in crisis. Crime shows are rife with family manipulation and complicated family dynamics. And, of course, a family drama would be incomplete without its fair share of scandals and secrets constantly being uncovered.
However, The Waterfront is different because, for a variety of reasons, including location (the south versus New York), the Netflix series is inspired by the creator’s backstory. And Succession was able to run for four seasons, while The Waterfront was canceled after one season.
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‘Queen of the South’ (2016–2021)
Based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s book with the same name, Queen of the South was the American adaptation of the Spanish-language telenovela, La Reina del Sur. Running on the USA Network, the crime series ran for five seasons. Queen of the South follows Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga), a Mexican woman who escapes from a drug cartel to the United States. However, she ends up in the crime world anyway, but now as a successful businessperson.
The series largely focuses on how Teresa navigates the male-dominated world as a Latina woman. While The Waterfront deals with the struggling business and how their decisions impact their family, Queen of the South’s Teresa struggles to juggle the criminal business she is building and her own family. The criminal world has its effects on each of their families, and both shows delve into the impact of those effects.
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‘Animal Kingdom’ (2016–2022)
Family dynamics, coastal settings, and a criminal world — both Animal Kingdom and The Waterfront share these features. Inspired by the Pettingill family of Melbourne, Australia, Animal Kingdom takes place in Oceanside, California, but the series was based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name. The crime series follows Joshua, who moves in with his grandmother after his mother passes away. He soon discovers that his grandmother and her sons lead a life of crime.
The family has been involved in crime for many years, engaging in heists and other illicit activities. His grandmother, Smurf (Ellen Barkin), leads it all with an iron fist of control. Animal Kingdom ran on TNT and concluded after six seasons, and became the last original series on the network. This is the perfect choice to satisfy your The Waterfront cravings.
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‘Yellowstone’ (2018–2024)
Generational conflict, family pride, and a family business are all center stage on Yellowstone. Both series feature powerful families in their communities who are dealing with the legacy and feature a strong sense of family versus the rest of the world. Following the Dutton family, Yellowstone revolves around the family as they navigate competition, tribal politics, and a whole lot of drama. The Waterfront has Holt McCallany as its patriarch, and Yellowstone has Kevin Costner as the leader of the family. While The Waterfront effectively utilizes its setting to enhance its storyline, so does the neo-Western Yellowstone.
Moreover, Yellowstone was a massive success for the Paramount Network and has released, as well as is developing, multiple spinoffs for the network. However, the series has been criticized for its portrayal of Native Americans. Despite these criticisms, the Yellowstone franchise is continuing to grow.
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‘Bloodline’ (2015–2017)
The Waterfront isn’t Netflix’s first crime thriller; Bloodlinewas another fan favorite on the streamer. Bloodline’s influence on The Waterfront seems clear. The series also follows a family living in a coastal town. In Bloodline’s case, it’s the Rayburn family and their resort in the Florida Keys. Both series boast family secrets, crime, and testing their respective families’ loyalty.
Bloodline’s cast features multiple notable actors, including Kyle Chandler and Linda Cardellini. Chandler was nominated twice at the Emmys for this role, and guest actor Ben Mendelsohn won once. The first season was critically acclaimed; however, the following two seasons were not well-received. The Netflix series ran for three seasons and 33 episodes before being canceled, leaving an ambiguous and open-ended conclusion.
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‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)
The easiest suggestion to watch after The Waterfront is Ozark. In many ways, Ozark paved the way for shows like The Waterfront to succeed. The Byrdes and the Buckleys, the Ozarks and Havenport, North Caroline, and crime for both of them. Both are crime thrillers that incorporate family dynamics into their settings, which also play a significant role. This idea that there is a beautiful place, yet hiding underneath is a dark and criminal underbelly. While The Waterfront is a viewership success for Netflix, Ozark struggled to find its audience.
Despite struggling with the audience, Ozark was a critical darling. The show received 45 Emmy nominations and won 4 of them. The cast is incredibly talented, including Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner. While The Waterfront received more mixed reviews, both series share a similar tone and address similar issues, making them a great next watch.
Ozark
- Release Date
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2017 – 2022
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Chris Mundy
- Directors
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Alik Sakharov, Andrew Bernstein, Amanda Marsalis, Benjamin Semanoff, Daniel Sackheim, Ellen Kuras, Phil Abraham, Robin Wright, Cherien Dabis, Laura Linney
