Who are the Buckleys in ‘The Waterfront’?
Kevin Williamson likes to etch his personality into all his works. And The Waterfront on Netflix might just be his most personal work yet. While Dawson’s Creek and The Vampire Diaries may have been rooted in his childhood, The Waterfront is a “little more about adult Kevin.” At the heart of the Netflix series is the North Carolina fisherman, a dysfunctional family, small-scale business owners, and large-scale evil forces. But who exactly are the Buckleys in the Netflix series?
The Waterfront, Netflix’s latest crime drama series, premiered on June 19th, 2025. Despite its relatively recent release, it has been the talk of the streaming town. In a conversation with Tudum, Williamson described The Waterfront as a “memory piece,” set in the modern world. The Waterfront comprises a broken family on a mission of reform, marred by uncertainty. And the Buckleys are that fragmented family.
Harlan Buckley is the head of the Buckleys, someone who has a checkered past. When his fishery business begins to crumble, he travels the extra mile to prevent his empire from hitting rock bottom. The Buckleys are used to practising leadership in Havenport.
But The Waterfront is not just about Harlan; it’s just as much about his wife Belle, daughter Bree, and son Cane. So, to get an in on about the Buckleys, here’s all you need to know.
Get to know the Buckleys from The Waterfront
Harlan
Holt McCallany, who co-led David Fincher’s Mindhunter, portrays Harlan Buckley in The Waterfront. Neither the creator nor McCallany could pigeonhole Harlan into the blacks and whites of a bad guy or a good guy. “Harlan is very imperfect. He has a lot of flaws, but he also has a lot of good qualities,” McCallany told Tudum. The most important things in his life are his family and his failing business.
Although he would do whatever it takes to keep his boat from sinking, it’s hard to overlook his moral ambiguity in certain situations. Harlan has operated in the grey area. While he took a step back following two heart attacks, something brought him back to it.
Belle
Emmy-nominated Maria Bello plays Belle, the matriarch in The Waterfront. Belle and Harlan are similar in more ways than one. They are complex and have a common trait: they both want to save the family. However, Belle’s running of the fishery raises eyebrows. And when the incompetence finally takes toll, it becomes inevitable that the Buckleys change their ways of doing business.
Williamson was inspired by his own father while casting Harlan. And Belle’s relentlessness was a reminder of his mother. He describes Belle as a “survivor.” “I love her tenacity. When everyone else has been knocked down, she’ll still be something,” he explained.
Bree
Portrayed by Melissa Benoist, Bree is the Buckley daughter who was formerly tasked to oversee the fishery’s finances. However, unable to contain her on demons, she has lost the custody of her son, and of course, her ability to run the business in The Waterfront.
But as a Buckley, loyalty is in her DNA. Like Harlan, she is “flawed.” However, she’s a loving person who has much more to her than impulsiveness.
Diller
Diller is Bree’s son in The Waterfront. After Bree lost his custody, Diller had been living with her ex-husband. He is a bitter adolescent whose hostility towards Bree has no bounds. Although she is on a mission to reconcile, Diller confides in his grandfather, Harlan, instead.
Cane
Cane is the Buckley son portrayed by Jake Weary in The Waterfront. Although Cane belongs, his attempts to impress Harlan never really slow down. Like the other Buckley members, Cane is a layered character. “Cane is raw. He wears his heart on his sleeve,” Weary told Tudum. However, one thing about Cane is that he cannot really say no to Harlan.
Cane is important to the business. He likes the financial independence it brings him. However, building the fishery business was perhaps not his ultimate dream.
Peyton
Peyton is Cane’s wife and the mother of their eight-year-old daughter, played by Danielle Campbell. She’s no secondary character. In fact, her presence is crucial. Emotions may run high between the Buckleys, but she’s someone who gets the complication between Cane and Harlan. Moreover, she’s meticulous and has a presence of mind. She clocks everything around her only to use it later on.
