Even though The Waterfront seemed to be one of the more promised new Netflix original series of this summer, the streamer opted to cancel the modest freshman hit rather than giving it a second season. The Buckley family's dark and dangerous business dealings with drug dealers won't continue in spite of a chilling season 2 twist being teased at the end of season 1.
In the weeks following the show's release, The Waterfront season 2 seemed all but guaranteed. The series spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the top 10 most-watched English TV List, and in the US, the show stayed put in the top 10 most popular shows ranking for over a month. People were watching the show for a long time after its release, but Untamed likely slowed its roll.
The data definitely backs up the fact that The Waterfront now stands among the most-watched shows to be canceled by Netflix. Kevin Williamson's North Carolina-set drama bested Ransom Canyon and Forever, which each earned season 2 renewals, which leads fans who were hoping for season 2 to wonder: Why in the world did Netflix cancel this show?
The Waterfront season 2 isn't happening for this ratings reason
While Netflix rarely offers up specific reasons for its cancellation decisions, Deadline has heard from sources the reason that ultimately sunk The Waterfront's ship. According to Deadline, Netflix wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with the overall viewership and completion rate of the series. Because these figures were lower than they would have liked, they opted to cancel the series.
Netflix doesn't share all of its ratings metrics with the public, though we do have access to certain weekly and cumulative viewership numbers for shows and movies released by the streamer and other outside entities. As for The Waterfront, sure the numbers were a bit modest, but they were trending higher than fellow canceled titles Pulse and The Residence.
The ever elusive completion rate is the figure that the public doesn't have access to, but apparently viewers weren't finishing all eight episodes of The Waterfront. As popular as it seemed to be at face value on the top 10 ranking, if a show isn't being finished by a sizable amount of viewers, then Netflix has decreased incentive to roll the dice and bet on a renewal.
Kevin Williamson reacted to the cancellation news
No matter how you slice it, it's very unfortunate that The Waterfront won't be back for season 2. The series had so much promise, especially from its cast, even if the stories were filled with tropes we've seen onscreen before. Williamson broke his silence and admitted he's "sad" the show has been canceled, but is "filled with gratitude" for having the chance to work with this cast and Netflix.
In addition to ratings figures contributing to renewal and cancellation decisions, Netflix also takes into account things like budget and how much people are talking about these shows. The Waterfront was prominently featured in the top 10, but were people really hyping it up on social media like The Hunting Wives or other shows that take positive chatter to awards shows?
Likewise, the series features a talented cast — Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary, Topher Grace, etc. — that might be a bit more costly when comparing its viewership performance and completion rate to its budget. Clearly, Ransom Canyon had a much higher completion rate that suggests the opportunity to build popularity with season 2.