Netflix has recently announced that Kevin Williamson’s crime drama, The Waterfront, has been canceled after one season. The Waterfront‘s cancellation comes as a particular surprise given how well the series performed on the streaming service upon its release just over two months ago.
Despite earning mixed reviews, The Waterfront remained in the top spot on Netflix’s global streaming charts for three consecutive weeks before falling to second. Even then, the series stayed in the top 10 for five weeks total, making viewers and The Waterfront‘s cast and crew more hopeful for a second season. Sadly, those dreams have now come to an end.
The Waterfront Reportedly Didn’t Have A High Enough Completion Rate
Yesterday, Deadline broke the news that Netflix had canceled The Waterfront, while speculating about why the decision to axe the popular show was made. In comparison to other Netflix shows that have received renewals this year, such as the Western romance drama Ransom Canyon, The Waterfront was one of the most watched.
However, Deadline reported that part of the reason for the series’ cancellation may come down to the completion rate. According to their sources, The Waterfront‘s was lower than what Netflix deemed necessary to warrant a renewal. A low completion rate means that audiences may start the show (leading to its high position in the streaming charts) without ultimately finishing it.
The Waterfront‘s cancellation reportedly may also be related to it being a Universal TV production rather than a Netflix production, though Deadline was unable to confirm whether this was truly the case. Regardless of its network, the streamer sadly felt that the show’s performance was not strong enough, leading to another untimely Netflix cancellation.
The Waterfront’s Cancellation Highlights A Harsh Reality About Netflix TV Shows
Now more than ever, the quantity and consistency of new shows on streaming services is increasing. Yet, at the same time, audiences are becoming primed to expect that many won’t return, regardless of whether they appear to be popular on those platforms. The Waterfront is now among these numbers despite having an incredibly strong season 1 performance among Netflix viewers.
The Waterfront‘s cancellation sadly highlights the reality that a show doing well with audiences in its first season is simply no longer enough to ensure a second season. This is an incredibly harsh truth to swallow because it means many great series have very slim chances of becoming a long-running project on streaming services.
Likewise, Netflix canceling shows too soon also makes audiences less inclined to put time into investing in a series. While miniseries have proven a huge success for Netflix in recent years, audiences equally want shows that they can sink their teeth into with characters that have a chance to grow. Now, The Waterfront will sadly never become that on Netflix.
Source: Deadline
The Waterfront
6/10
- Release Date
-
June 19, 2025
- Network
-
Netflix
- Directors
-
Jann Turner, Liz Friedlander, Marcos Siega
