“Ozark” sees Jason Bateman move from comedy to crime drama as Marty Byrde, a financial advisor who turns to a life of white-collar crime when he gets involved with a Mexican cartel (no, he’s not based on a real person). When things go awry, though, the cartel threatens him and his family, and Marty is forced into running their entire money laundering operation, working out of a new base, hidden away from prying eyes in the rural Ozarks (though it was filmed elsewhere).
Debuting on Netflix in 2017 and running for four seasons (all of which are still exclusive to the streamer), “Ozark” is a gritty drama that shows an ordinary man pushed to the brink when he goes too far in an effort to provide for his family. The series has been praised for its dramatic story, gritty tone, and the striking performances from a cast that includes the likes of Laura Linney, Julia Garner, and Esai Morales. It dives headfirst into the dirty dealings of the criminal underworld but is at its best when it explores the tough choices that people are often forced to make when their lives begin to fall apart. The series never shies away from showing the grim consequences of criminal life, either, and holds a spot among the best Netflix originals.
Still, “Ozark” is hardly the only show of its type, as it compares well to greats like “Breaking Bad” and “Fargo.” And there’s another show on Netflix that you should be watching if you love the Bateman-led series: “The Waterfront.” Staking out a spot in Netflix’s top ten when it debuted, the best part is that it’s just getting started. So what’s it all about, and why should “Ozark” fans tune in? Let us explain.
The Waterfront will take Ozark fans fishing for more
“The Waterfront” is the creation of movie and TV producer Kevin Williamson. If you recognize his name, it’s probably because you’ve seen his horror movies, as he’s responsible for classics that include “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” as well as The CW hit series, “The Vampire Diaries.” But he’s also the creator of “Dawson’s Creek” and the dark crime thriller “The Following” with Kevin Bacon. With all of that in mind, you’ll get a sense of what to expect from “The Waterfront” — a dark family crime drama with soap opera elements that critics are describing as the perfect binge watch.
The series stars Holt McCallany and Maria Bello as Harlan and Belle Buckley, a couple who own a restaurant and a port fishing business in the coastal town of Havenport, North Carolina. But when Harlan is away dealing with health issues, the business begins to suffer, and Belle makes the difficult choice to become involved with smuggling drugs for a local cartel. When Harlan returns, he finds that the dirty dealings may have saved their business, but they’ve also made them powerful enemies — enemies who are more than willing to use violence to keep them in line.
With a similar storyline that follows a husband and father willing to do whatever it takes to provide for his family, “The Waterfront” will remind “Ozark” fans of Marty Byrde’s desperate attempts to stay one step ahead of the law while fighting off attacks from all sides. It’s a story of family, forgiveness, and preserving one’s legacy, but with “Yellowstone”-like levels of soap opera drama.
The true story behind The Waterfront
With plenty of violence and soap opera drama at the heart of “The Waterfront’s” over-the-top story of a man who breaks bad and becomes a drug smuggler to support his family, it might be hard to believe that it’s all based on a true story. But while not exactly a beat-for-beat retelling, the series is indeed inspired by real-life events. In fact, it was loosely based on the exploits of series creator Kevin Williamson’s own family life in the 1980s.
Williamson was born in the shore town of New Bern, North Carolina, which is the basis for the show’s fictional Havenport. “I come from a family of fishermen—not just my dad, but the entire family,” he told Time Magazine. “Everyone I knew was a fisherman.” Unfortunately, in the 1980s, the business stopped booming, and the fishermen’s way of life began to slowly die out in the region. To make ends meet, Williamson’s father turned to drug smuggling.
“He was arrested for conspiracy to traffic marijuana—20,000 pounds,” Williamson revealed. Busted as part of an operation to shut down a drug cartel in the region, Williamson’s father thankfully only did about a year in the clink, but it’s an experience that has heavily influenced the writer’s many films and movies. And of course, the story also makes for great drama, so Williamson has long wanted to turn it into a series or movie. “I always told my dad I was going to write the story,” Williamson says. “He said, ‘Wait until I’m dead.'” After his father’s passing in 2020, the “Scream” creator knew it was time, and “The Waterfront” was born.
