The Waterfront, Netflix’sOzarkreplacement, is slowly falling off of the streaming giant’s charts. Coming three years afterOzarkended, the show follows the fictional Buckley family, as they attempt to continue their dominant and criminal fishing empire. The eight-episode season 1 was released on June 19 and proved to be an instant streaming success.
However,The Waterfrontearned middling reviews, withScreenRant’s Greg MacArthur calling it"a watered-down version" ofOzark,Bloodline, andSuccession. Still, it has been extremely successful, earning a place in Netflix’s top 10 shows list since it first debuted last month, and it has enjoyed a relatively enduring level of popularity.
According to a report fromFlixPatrol, though,the show is finally starting to lose momentum. It has fallen off of the top 10 list in many countries, including New Zealand, Portugal, and Ukraine. While it does still remain in the United States, Canada, and Australia, it is beginning to falter and is poised to drop off completely in the coming days.
What This Means For The Waterfront
The Show Has Likely Already Peaked
While not encouraging forThe Waterfront’s renewal chances, it is not necessarily discouraging either. Every show will inevitably see a decline in attention, as viewers complete season 1 and move on to other, newer series.The Sandman,Untamed,Quarterback, and other shows all offer competition to a series that has already been seen.
After a full month,losing momentum was somewhat inevitable. Last week,The Waterfrontwas able to maintain the #2 spot among Netflix’s English-language shows, though it was blown out of the water bySquid Gameseason 3. After four weeks in the top 10,The Waterfronthas nothing left to prove.
Netflix still needs to make a decision aboutThe Waterfront’s future, but there is not necessarily a rush. With limited visual effects and a relatively inexpensive cast, the show should be relatively easy to produce.Netflix is still reviewing its numbers, but a renewal order could come fairly soon.
Our Take On The Waterfront’s Streaming Success
It Isn’t An Adequate Ozark Replacement
Netflix has picked upa reputation for canceling shows far too soon.Netflix’s controversial cancellationsincludeShadow & Bone,The OA,Sense8, and the renownedMindhunter. The streaming giant even canceledWarrior Nun, which had generally strong reviews and a deeply enthusiastic fanbase.
These decisions are generally made for financial purposes, but every early axe takes away an opportunity for a show to gain momentum as it goes.Ozarkwas an exception, as it ended when its creators decided that the story had come to a natural conclusion. Netflix, still chasing its success, has beenlooking for an effective replacement ever since.
The Waterfrontcould have been that replacement, but ithas not maintainedOzark’s longevity. It has fallen out of the top 10 in a majority of countries, and it has not prompted anywhere close to the amount of discussion or attention. While a drop-off is natural with time, there is evidence thatThe Waterfrontcannot truly replaceOzark.
