Diksha Sundriyal
Created by Kevin Williamson, Netflix’s ‘The Waterfront’ is a crime drama series that follows the misadventures of the Buckley family. Set in the North Carolina town of Havenport, the story begins with the family fighting for its survival. Under the leadership of patriarch Harlan, they established a fishing empire for themselves, but when he stepped back, the family business started to crumble. His wife, Belle, and son, Cane, try to make ends meet by getting involved in illegal activities, and soon, what is supposed to be a minor job turns into a nightmare as they get entangled with more dangerous people while the cops try to sniff out their crimes. The eight-episode first season sets the stage for a thrilling journey, and interestingly, the roots of the story can be found in reality.
The Fictional Waterfront Has a Personal Connection to Kevin Williamson
‘The Waterfront’ and its protagonists, the Buckleys, are fictional creations, the inspiration for which came from Kevin Williamson’s past. The creator of the show has never shied away from talking about the story of his father getting involved in some criminal activities for which he eventually went to prison. He has imbued several of his works with a personal touch, but this is the first time he has leaned into the darker aspects of his father’s past.
Born and raised in New Bern, North Carolina, Williamson grew up amongst fishermen. It had been his family trade for generations, but in the 80s, his family, like many others making their living from fishing, took a pretty bad hit. It was in these difficult times, when his father struggled to put food on the table, that he received an offer to become a drug runner. What would have been a one-time thing expanded into something more as his father saw that this was the only way for him to provide for his family. All he had to do was transport drugs on his trolley, and he was paid enough to not just feed his family but also send his children to college.
Eventually, this criminal undertaking caught up to him, and he spent some time in prison, but it did make his son think about how desperate times can make a good man opt for things that they wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. His father’s experience showed Kevin Williamson that there is more to people than what appears on the surface, and most people operate in a grey area to ensure their survival. He had wanted to bring his father’s experiences to the screen for a while, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that he gave serious thought to the idea, which eventually turned into ‘The Waterfront.’
The Buckleys Represent the Duality of Human Nature
While Kevin Williamson was inspired by his father and his life to create ‘The Waterfront,’ he took a heavily fictional approach to telling that story. He borrowed some elements from his father’s persona to craft Harlan’s character, but for the most part, the Buckley family patriarch remains fictional like the rest of them. Williamson wanted to present the challenges of running a commercial fishing business, but his focus was on highlighting the light and the darkness inside every character.
When Williamson started writing the show, he knew there couldn’t be an entirely good or bad character. Everyone, at some point in their lives, is guilty of making questionable choices and mistakes that may or may not spiral into something worse. However, this doesn’t mean that they are a hopeless cause or cannot do a good thing because they have done a couple of bad things. It was this duality of human nature that he wanted to highlight through the story of the Buckley family, where everyone is trying to survive in their own way. This dichotomy is also reflected in the setting of the story.
With the fictional town of Havenport, Williamson wanted to present a picturesque place whose beauty lures you in, but whose darkness becomes evident at the most unexpected of times. “The worst things can happen during the day, and the best things can happen at night. We can have a beautiful walk along the moonlit ocean, and then, of course, someone can also get their face blown off,” he told Netflix’s Tudum, describing the fictional town, whose upheaval resonates with that of the family that once ruled it.
Read More: Is Havenport a Real Town in North Carolina?
