It's official, Netflix has canceled the Southern crime series The Waterfront after a single season. The decision comes slightly over two months after the show's one-drop premiere on the platform on June 19, 2025.A show by Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Vampire Diaries), The Waterfront followed a North Carolina fishing dynasty, the Buckley family, trying to save their maritime heritage at all costs. The show stars Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), and Jake Weary (Animal Kingdom).Ahead of the cancellation news, Williamson told TIME in mid-June that he "would love very much" if Netflix gave them a chance to create a second season, adding that he already had plans for a second and third season. However, shortly after the news broke that the streaming platform wouldn't be going forward with The Waterfront, Williamson shared his reaction on Instagram. Alongside a picture from the show, he wrote:"While I'm sad the Buckleys won't be back for season 2, I'm celebrating the joy that was season 1."A still from the series (Image via Netflix)He also thanked his "dream cast and crew," and the people he worked with from Universal Television, calling the entire experience of working on the series "one of the best experiences of my life."Why did Netflix cancel The Waterfront? Reasons exploredFor those who watched and liked the show and were hoping for The Waterfront season 2, Netflix's cancellation may come as a surprise, especially as it topped Netflix's charts soon after its premiere. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Southern crime drama failed to get a high score, with 68% from critics and 67% from the general audience at the time of writing.However, shortly after the series debuted on Netflix on June 19, 2025, it brought a significant viewership on the streamer. According to Forbes, citing a Netflix TUDUM report, the show topped the streamer's Top 10 Global TV Shows chart for three weeks straight. It reported its highest viewing numbers on its second week (June 23-29), with 11.6 million views. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Southern crime drama is also at the top of the Top US Shows charts for the week of June 16-22. It dropped to the second spot the following week (June 23-29), with Squid Game season 3 taking its previous spot.Despite the initial buzz, its viewership significantly dropped in the third week and beyond. While it still topped Netflix's global shows chart in its third week, it recorded 5.6 million views, almost half of its second-week viewership numbers (11.6 million).In its fourth week, it dropped even further to 3.9 million, demoting the show to second place; by its fifth week, it was down to seventh place with only 2.1 million views. Six weeks after the premiere, The Waterfront season 1 was completely dropped from the Top 10 Global TV Shows on Netflix.While Netflix didn't officially share the reason for the cancellation, the declining viewership numbers don't lie. Deadline also mentioned a source close to the show's production saying that Netflix didn't feel like the show's viewership and completion rate were high enough to secure a second season.That said, The Waterfront fared better in terms of viewership and chart ranking compared to the other two shows Netflix has canceled so far. The streamer has previously cancelled The Residence and Pulse, which peaked at No.2 (8.8 million views) and No.3 (8.5 million views), respectively.All eight episodes of The Waterfront season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.