‘The Waterfront’ Review: Netflix’s Sludgy Family Crime Drama Is a Shallow Reflection of Better Shows

“The Waterfront,” a caller Netflix bid astir a family-run fishery disconnected nan North Carolina coast, officially stems from “Dawson’s Creek” and “Scream” scribe Kevin Williamson, but fixed nan first season’s shallow liking successful its ain characters, setting, and premise — mixed pinch its unmistakable similarities to caller TV hits — nan creator in installments whitethorn arsenic good beryllium shared pinch nan streamer’s oft-vaunted algorithm. Even if “The Waterfront” wasn’t pointedly conceived to popular up aft “Ozark” (and frankincense besides forestall subscribers from a acold worse fate: opening a separate streaming app to watch 5 seasons of “Yellowstone”), nan sloppy play would still beryllium small much than Netflix sludge: recognizable ideas, actors, and intentions tossed together successful a functional communicative that slow but steadily sours into overtly redundant dreck.

So first, let’s look astatine what “The Waterfront” truthful intelligibly aspires to be, shall we? “Ozark” originates pinch an enthralling consciousness of urgency. Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), a family man moving a white-collar accounting occupation successful Chicago, has been skimming money for years from his apical customer — a Mexican supplier cartel — and now they’ve yet caught on. Exposed to a level of unit overseas to his cushy suburban life, Marty makes a hopeless plea to prevention his ain skin: He promises to launder hundreds of millions of dollars for nan cartel by establishing an outpost successful nan Ozarks (and, arsenic an after-thought, he besides mightiness triumph backmost nan woman who wants to time off him and nan kids who are already drifting away).

“Yellowstone,” meanwhile, trades successful “Ozark’s” urgency for an enrapturing consciousness of place. Instead of being forced to fly his location and commencement complete location new, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) digs successful his footwear heels. He, too, is simply a family man, and he, too, sees his loved ones slipping away. But his top fears are existential. He’s losing his legacy: nan Dutton family ranch, and writer/director Taylor Sheridan makes it easy to spot what a nonaccomplishment that would beryllium by framing nan Yellowstone-adjacent tract arsenic America’s Holy Land — rolling greenish pastures, gurgling bluish rivers, free-roaming cattle — and Dutton arsenic its dying steward. Despite wellness issues and increasing financial pressure, John guards his forgotten area of a mislaid measurement of life knowing afloat good it could costs him his own.

“The Waterfront” features galore of these facets, but it takes our finance for granted. Unlike “Ozark,” nan communicative starts pinch minimum urgency. A supplier hand-off goes bad, erstwhile a mates of nameless sailors get robbed, beaten up, and thrown overboard while waiting to unload a fewer twelve crates of cocaine. Turns retired nan deceased were moving for Cane Buckley (Jake Weary), nan heir evident to nan Buckley family sportfishing cognition who’s been prematurely elevated to nan apical spot while his father, Harlan (Holt McCallany), recovers from his 2nd bosom attack.

Cane’s determination to commencement shipping narcotics is meant to beryllium nan series’ impetus: Pushed to nan brink by his family’s increasing debts, nan dumb boy of a superb businessman makes a monolithic correction that forces nan family to temporarily return up a life of crime (just until they’ve balanced nan books). OK, that’s decidedly a show calved from Ted Sarandos’ saturated musings — it’s easy capable to ideate him scribbling “Ozark” + “Yellowstone” connected a cocktail napkin during nan Golden Globes — but it’s still a look that’s works.

Except successful Williamson’s telling, nan family already has a inheritance successful smuggling drugs. Harlan did it for years because his dada did it earlier him, which makes Cane’s prime little stupidly hopeless and much stupidly fated. Harlan bitches and moans astir Cane’s foolish endeavor, but nan Buckleys return to nan supplier waste and acquisition for illustration ducks to h2o — because they are and person ever been drug-trading ducks who unrecorded connected nan water. Each week, a fewer trips to nan unfastened water get added to their shared Google calendar, but their lives different proceed uninterrupted. There’s nary stressful money-laundering learning curve, nary awkward interactions pinch nan locals, and nary competency porn regarding really they get distant pinch it. What’s near is simply a flavorless, ill-defined routine, and a ho-hum regular isn’t nan worldly of awesome drama.

OK, fine. “Yellowstone” didn’t dangle connected an off-to-the-races opening either, and it turned out… uh, it was very successful. Maybe “The Waterfront” will really beryllium astir the waterfront. The Buckleys, aft all, don’t conscionable catch, clean, and administer fish. They person cousins each complete town, and they ain their ain edifice overlooking nan water that’s tally by Harlan’s wife, Belle (Maria Bello). His girl Bree (Melissa Benoist) useful there, too, but aft watching each 8 episodes, I still can’t show you really her occupation differs from her mom’s.

Jake Weary and Melissa Benoist successful ‘The Waterfront’Courtesy of Dana Hawley / Netflix

Maybe nan redundancy is intentional, since Bree seldom useful and whitethorn person missed immoderate fewer shifts she’s assigned while successful rehab. A self-described alcoholic and “pillhead,” Bree isn’t clued into nan family’s illicit broadside hustle — a separation that’s hardly justified onscreen but could beryllium easy explained by crippled specifications I’m barred from discussing. Officially (and shared successful position vague capable that Brie doesn’t really cognize what she’s asking to beryllium fto successful on), she has to beryllium she’s superior astir her sobriety earlier she tin transportation from edifice “manager” to cocaine trafficker, not that specified a move would thief triumph backmost her son, Diller (Brady Hepner), whose begetter took retired a restraining bid against his ex-wife erstwhile she burned down their location — pinch Diller inside.

(Side note: No matter really propulsive aliases immersive, location isn’t a TV play successful beingness that could get maine to judge nan fixed sanction “Diller.” Did they sanction him aft a billionaire? A comedian? A pickle? Or possibly a saccharine dainty astatine Dairy Queen? Please, prospective parents retired there, fto nan immense disparity of imaginable inspirations service arsenic informing capable to take a different moniker. If “The Waterfront” was a drama aliases a satire? Sure. But a humorless crime saga wherever a terrified mother shouts “Diller” pinch nan aforesaid affectional strength arsenic Ellie crying retired for Joel? Absolutely not.)

Despite nan Buckleys’ luxurious waterfront spot and mini fleet of shiny shipping vessels, “The Waterfront” ne'er bothers to stress what makes Havenport, North Carolina — aliases its esteemed fishery — truthful special. Episode 1 head Marcos Siega (known for “Dexter,” “Dexter: New Blood,” and nan upcoming “Dexter: Resurrection,” successful summation to Williamson favorites for illustration “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Following”) chiefly frames scenes successful close-up, for illustration nan accepted TV of yore, alternatively than strive for nan “cinematic” scene-setting that convinced truthful galore “Yellowstone” viewers to sojourn Montana. There’s a vessel present and a formation there, but nan ocular template evokes impersonal wealthiness much than immoderate circumstantial place. Perhaps a perpetual ray breeze is suggestive of coastal North Carolina (and obscurity else)?

As for nan interpersonal succession play that made “Yellowstone” nan populist replacement for existent “Succession,” “The Waterfront” lacks nan existential anxieties that plagued John Dutton (and Logan Roy), arsenic good arsenic nan clash created by a family that doesn’t abide by daddy’s designs. There’s a tinge of disapproval successful really Harlan sees his timid son, but it’s thing adjacent to nan communal scorn that drove truthful galore blow-ups and near-reunions betwixt John and Jamie (Wes Bentley), fto unsocial Logan (Brian Cox) and immoderate of his children. The Buckleys want to get along, which would beryllium good — a crime play built astir nice, loving family of criminals could, theoretically, beryllium absorbing — isolated from their fluctuating feelings make it difficult for immoderate of their fights to time off a mark. (A spoiler-free example: Harlan doesn’t moreover fuss hiding really often he cheats connected his wife, and she doesn’t care, which makes immoderate of nan season’s soapier twists consciousness that overmuch emptier.)

Early on, nan family’s information for breaking bad is written disconnected acold excessively quickly and ne'er revisited: “You cognize what Cane’s up against,” Belle says. “Overfished waters, biology quotas, state prices.” OK… truthful show america that! Get immoderate predatory fishermen progressive who are encroaching connected nan Buckleys’ cherished waters. Toss successful an uncaring authorities supplier pinch an axe to grind. Watch Belle aliases Bree sweating complete nan books, firing staff, aliases different struggling pinch nan regular grind of moving nan family’s beloved business. Make america consciousness really difficult they’re moving to gain each that money nan correct way, alternatively than really easy it is to postulation cocaine.

Instead, “The Waterfront” cooks up bland, predictable melodrama (like Cane’s precocious schoolhouse sweetheart moving backmost to town) and random, royal unit (like a little but sadistic torture series midway done nan season). Alluding to its desired audience, astir of nan show is group to a country-rock soundtrack, including a peculiarly bloody segment conversely group to Rodney Atkins’ wholesome anthem, “True South.” Like nan remainder of nan show, it’s each vibes and nary soul.

But that’s conscionable really it goes successful “The Waterfront.” Nothing that’s heard has to mean anything, it conscionable has to sound for illustration it does. Nothing that happens has to evoke immoderate existent emotions, it conscionable has to punctual you of shows that did. Even if you haven’t seen “Ozark” aliases “Yellowstone” — heck, moreover if “The Waterfront” is nan first bid you’ve ever seen — there’s nary mistaking a sinking ship. Let’s conscionable dream Holt — a mercurial bulldog of an character worthy building a existent show astir — makes his measurement backmost to coagulated ground.

Grade: D+

“The Waterfront” premieres Thursday, June 19 connected Netflix. All 8 episodes will beryllium released astatine once.