A daughter vanishes. A coastal empire crumbles. And behind every calm wave… something is rotting. It’s being called “Ozark with saltwater” — but darker, sharper, and far more personal. 👉 The title? You’ll find out soon enough!

Netflix’s new Ozark replacement series, The Waterfront, has surged up the global streaming charts after premiering on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Created by Kevin Williamson of Scream and Dawson’s Creek acclaim, The Waterfront has held the #1 spot on Netflix’s global TV streaming charts for the past week for English-language shows. In its opening week, it generated 8.3 million views to become the most-watched series on Netflix during the last full week of June 2025. It surpassed another popular Netflix series, Ginny & Georgia season 3, which pulled in 8.1 million views over the same period.

Holt McCallany leads the cast of The Waterfront alongside Jake Weary, Melissa Benoist, Maria Bello, Rafael L. Silva, and Humberly González. Topher Grace guest stars as the zany season 1 antagonist Grady. The Waterfront earned a 70% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and is already generating buzz for a potential season 2, which Williamson already has plans for if and when Netflix gives him the green light. In the same vein as Ozark, The Waterfront follows a seemingly perfect family in a scenic town who harbor dark secrets, including having a drug smuggling operation masquerading as a respectable business.

What The Waterfront’s Streaming Success Means For Its Renewal Chances

The Waterfront Hopes To Stay Afloat As Netflix’s Most-Viewed New Show In June

    The Waterfront looks to close out June 2025 as the most-watched new original Netflix series heading into the start of summer. The real test of its current viewership dominance will be seeing how long the series can maintain its lofty status on the global streaming charts. With the impending release of Squid Game season 3 on June 27, there’s virtually zero chance that The Waterfront will finish June in the number one overall TV spot on Netflix. However, it could close out the month by still leading on the English-language chart, which would still be a major accomplishment heading into the 4th of July weekend.

How The Waterfront performs on Netflix’s streaming charts in its second week should be a major determining factor in its season 2 renewal chances. At a glance, The Waterfront had a stronger first week of viewership than Netflix’s mid-April release, Ransom Canyon, which was just renewed for a second season. That said, Ransom Canyon improved from its first-week viewership of 7.2 million to a second-week viewership of 9.4 million, holding a position in Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows (English-language, United States) for four consecutive weeks. The Waterfront will likely have to follow a similar trajectory if it hopes to return for a second season.

Our Take On The Waterfront Becoming An Instant Netflix Streaming Hit

The Waterfront Received The Same RT Acclaim As Ozark Season 1

The Waterfront Stars Tease The Buckley Family Body Count: “We’re All Very Good At Disposing Bodies At This Point”

The Waterfront may not have the overall acclaim or viewership as Ozark, but it is actually right on pace with the celebrated Jason Bateman-led crime series, which won 4 Emmys and lasted four seasons on Netflix. Ozark season 1 debuted with an identical Rotten Tomatoes score of 70% as The Waterfront season 1, which is a strong indication of its renewal chances.

Ozark season 1 debuted with an identical Rotten Tomatoes score of 70% as The Waterfront season 1, which is a strong indication of its renewal chances.

In my review of The Waterfront season 1, I noted that the series in its current form felt like a watered-down version of Ozark and was greatly enhanced by Topher Grace’s unhinged villain. Ultimately, as a Netflix series, The Waterfront will either live or die because of its viewership numbers, not so much its critical acclaim, which will be determined this summer.