Fans heartbroken as Netflix axes popular Wilmington filmed show despite strong viewership

Kevin Williamson‘s crime drama series The Waterfront has hit a major roadblock as Netflix announced it won't be proceeding with its second season. Despite being the most-watched show on Netflix for multiple weeks, a Wilmington-shot drama won't be back for a second season, as per multiple reports.

'The Waterfront' is a gritty drama about the Buckley family — who augment their small-town fishing and restaurant businesses with drug dealing to make ends meet. Multiple entertainment industry publications have reported that the second season of 'The Waterfront' has been cancelled.

In a statement posted to his Instagram account, "Waterfront" creator and co-writer Kevin Williamson called the show "one of the best experiences of my life!"

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"While I'm sad the Buckleys won't be back for season two, I'm celebrating the joy that was season one," he wrote. "I had the pleasure of working with a dream cast and crew. … Thank you to my partners at Universal TV. And thank you to Netflix for taking a chance on a very personal story."

The Waterfront Season 2 cancelled

Williamson has told the cast about the streamer’s decision, and crew members also have been informed that there would be no Season 2, sources said, Deadline reported citing sources.

The announcement comes just two months after The Waterfront premiered on June 19 — a surprise, given the show’s strong performance. The dark saga of North Carolina’s powerful Buckley family spent five consecutive weeks in Netflix’s global Top 10 for English-language series, including an impressive three-week streak at No. 1, and drew 11.6 million views in its first full week.

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The news of the cancellation is a blow to Wilmington-area film industry workers, many of whom were banking on a second season of "The Waterfront" for jobs. It's been an extraordinarily slow year for the film industry in Wilmington and North Carolina, with no large productions shooting in the Port City since feature film "Driver's Ed" wrapped in April.

According to industry publication Deadline, the cancellation comes as a surprise because "The Waterfront" spent "five weeks in Netflix’s global top 10 for English-language series, including a rare three-peat at No. 1, peaking at 11.6 (million) views for its first full week of release."

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The Waterfront‘s first season scored 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. For generations, the Buckley family has reigned over Havenport, North Carolina — controlling everything from the fishing docks to the finest restaurants in town. But their empire is faltering. Patriarch Harlan Buckley (McCallany), weakened after two heart attacks, watches as his wife Belle (Bello) and son Cane (Weary) struggle — and stumble — to keep the dynasty alive. Their desperate maneuvers drag the family into dangerous territory, forcing Harlan to seize the helm once more. Meanwhile, daughter Bree (Benoist), a recovering addict who’s already lost custody of her son, is drawn into a risky new relationship — one that may unravel the Buckleys’ legacy for good.

“While I’m say the Buckleys won’t be back for Season 2, I’m celebrating the joy that was Season 1,” Williamson wrote on IG following Deadline’s report. “It was one of the best experiences of my life!”

“The Waterfront” had all eight episodes of its first season bow on June 19 and the series earned positive viewership, drawing comparisons to previous platform-defining crime hits for Netflix like “Ozark” and “Bloodline.”

Variety chief TV critic Aramide Tinubu called it a “highly bingeable family soap” and arguing that the story’s many loose ends “set itself up to be yet another one of [Williamson’s] long-running fan-favorite shows.”