The Waterfront Season 1: Full list of cast explored
Another dysfunctional family drama is coming to Netflix with The Waterfront season 1, which will premiere on the streamer on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Set against the backdrop of coastal North Carolina, the 8-episode series is inspired by true events about a family, their mini fishing empire, and what they are willing to do to ensure that their family legacy remains.
The Buckleys are the stars of The Waterfront season 1, a family who ruled Havenport's fishing industry and restaurant scene for decades. However, their once supreme empire is crumbling, so they become increasingly desperate to keep their finishing and restaurant businesses afloat, and smuggling opiates could be the answer. But that comes with its own set of complications.
An impressive list of cast will bring to life the story of the Buckleys in The Waterfront season 1, including Primetime Emmy and BAFTA-nominated actors.
Main cast and characters in The Waterfront season 1
Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley
Veteran actor Holt McCallany leads the cast of The Waterfront season 1 as the patriarch of the Buckley family, Harlan. He's a second-generation in the Buckley fishing business and spent his formative years helping his dad build the family empire in the '80s. These days, he has taken a step back from the family business, loves his whiskey, and is recovering from two heart attacks.
McCallany's acting career spans over three decades, and he has 90 titles in his filmography, per IMDb. Some of his more well-known ones include Mindhunter, Fight Club, Nightmare Alley, and The Lincoln Lawyer. He also recently starred in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning as Serling.
Maria Bello as Belle Buckley
Primetime Emmy-nominated actress Maria Bello stars as Belle, the family's matriarch in The Waterfront season 1. After her husband steps back from their family business, Belle and her son take over. However, she's better known for her complex personality and fashion sense than her business acumen.
Bello stars as Jack Sloane in the long-running police procedural NCIS from season 15 to 18 and in the medical procedural ER from season 3 to 4. In movies, some of her notable works include A History of Violence, Lights Out, and The 5th Wave.
Jake Weary as Cane Buckley
Actor Jake Weary plays the Buckley son, Cane, who takes over the Buckley empire with his mom in The Waterfront season 1. He has a complicated relationship with his father and as is eager to prove his worth in the family business as he is eager to spend the money their empire affords him.
Weary is best known for his role as Deran Cody in the hit crime series Animal Kingdom. He also starred in It Follows, It: Chapter Two, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, and Westhampton.
Melissa Benoist as Bree Buckley
The other Buckley sibling, Bree, is played by actress Melissa Benoist. In The Waterfront season 1, she has a complicated personal life. She once handled the business's finances, but her alcohol addiction got the better of her. Bree is trying to recover and get her life in order to maintain a relationship with her son, whose custody she lost because of her addiction.
Benoist is most known as the actress behind Kara Danvers, aka the titular role in Supergirl. Before getting her own show on The CW, she played the same role in Batwoman, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow. Her other works include The Girls on the Bus, Waco, and The Longest Ride.
Brady Hepner as Diller Hopkins
Actor Brady Hepner joins the cast of The Waterfront season 1 as the Buckley grandson, Diller. She's Bree's son, but after she lost custody of him, Diller now lives with his father. He idolizes his grandfather, but he remains resentful of her once-alcoholic mother.
Hepner landed episodic roles in FBI: International, See/Saw, and Chicago Fire. He also starred in a handful of movies, like Resisting Roots, The Black Phones, and Abraham's Boys.
Danielle Campbell as Peyton Buckley
Actress Danielle Campbell plays Peyton, Cane's wife, in The Waterfront season 1. Netflix describes her character as a "proper Southern woman" who is built to sparkle. She loves her husband and possesses a true understanding of his complex relationship with his father.
Campbell is best remembered as Davina Claire in The CW's The Originals, but she also appears in Alive in Denver, Tell Me a Story, and The Rookie.
Humberly Gonzáles as Jenna Tate
BAFTA-nominated actress Humberly Gonzáles joins The Waterfront season 1 cast as Jenna Tate, a journalist who returns to Havenport to take care of her sick father. She was Cane's high school sweetheart, who seems to still hold Cane's affection despite him being married now.
Gonzáles stars in the hit Netflix series Ginny & Georgia, which just returned to the streamer for its third season. Her other works include Star Wars Outlaws, Utopia Falls, In The Dark, and the Fallen Angels Murder Club movie series.
Rafael L. Silva as Shawn West
Brazilian actor Rafael L. Silva plays Shawn in The Waterfront season 1, a character that Netflix teased to hold a lot of mystery as far as the Buckleys are concerned. He's a new hire at the family's restaurant, working as a bartender, but his coming to Havenport includes bringing a secret that can upend the entire family's lives forever.
Silva stars as Carlos Reyes in 9-1-1: Lone Star, which is currently in its fifth season on Fox and Hulu. He has a few other works outside the 9-1-1 universe, like the movie Fluidity and the TV series The Corps.
The Waterfront season 1 supporting cast and characters
The rest of the recurring cast and characters in the series include:
- Gerardo Celasco as DEA Agent Marcus Sanchez
- Michael Gaston as Sheriff Clyde Porter
- Zach Roerig as Troy
- Topher Grace as Grady
- Dave Annable as Wes Larsen
- J. Elliot as Tommy
- Joshua Mikel as Rodney Hopkins
- Andrew Call as Deputy Sawyer
- Josh Crotty as Nate
- Tony DeMil as Raf
- Lucas Hyde as Tim
- Billie Roy as Savannah
- Brian Ashton Smith as Reggie Miller
- Terry Serpico as Emmett Parker
- Betsy Graver as Georgina
- Derek Russo as Shep
- Chelsea Harris as Annie
- Joshua Brady as Hollis
- Kynzie Colmery as young Bree
- Austin Alexander as Stevie
- Bryan Terry Snell as Levi
More actors are joining the cast in single-episode roles to add depth to the characters' storylines.
Catch The Waterfront season 1 when it airs on Netflix on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
