Netflix Cancels Crime Drama Series That Hit No. 1 on the Charts After Just 1 Season

Another Netflix hit bites the dust after one season despite topping the charts.

Deadline reports that crime drama The Waterfront has been canceled.

Sources say that creator Kevin Williamson told the cast about the decision, while crew members are also aware that the streamer will not be moving forward with Season 2. The news comes as a surprise. The series premiered in June and spent five weeks in the global Top 10 for English-language series on Netflix and was No. 1 three times. It peaked at 11.6 million views for its first full week of release.

Additionally, the star power wasn’t so bad, either. Along with the series being created by Williamson, who is behind Scream, Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries, The Following, and Tell Me a Story, the cast includes Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly González, Danielle Campbell, Brady Hepner, and Maria Bello. The Waterfront is inspired by true events and follows the flawed Buckley family as they attempt to regain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire, which drives them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat.

The Waterfront is among the many shows to be canceled by Netflix this year. The streamer also recently axed FBUAR, Queer Eye, The Residence, Pulse, and No Good Deed, among others. The show performed higher than other freshman dramas, including Ransom Canyon and Forever, both of which were renewed by Netflix. As for a reason for the cancellation, allegedly, Netflix didn’t feel confident in the viewership or completion rate enough to secure a renewal, even despite the high viewership.

It’s unknown if studio Universal Television will be shopping the series around elsewhere, but with NBCUniversal streamer Peacock, that could be a possibility. That being said, it’s also unknown if the series coming from an outside streamer made it have higher expectations, but Netflix did renew Universal TV shows A Man on the Inside and Four Seasons

Kevin Williamson serves as executive producer and showrunner on The Waterfront, which is also executive produced by Ben Fast for Outerbanks Entertainment, Michael Narducci, and Marcos Siega. Topher Grace, Dave Annable, Michael Gaston, Gerardo Celasco, and Zach Roerig guest star on the series. Whether The Waterfront will get a new chance at life is unknown, but for now, fans will have to settle for the first and only season, which consists of eight episodes.