Netflix cancels one of summer 2025’s most-watched shows

‘This is so ridiculous – another good show cancelled,’ one furious viewer said

Netflix has swung the axe on one of its most-watched shows of 2025.

The streaming service has become increasingly known for cancelling shows prematurely – and the latest to be added to the list is The Waterfront.

Released in June, the family drama about the downfall of a North Carolina fishing empire amassed an audience of 29.1 million streams across one month, placing it high on the service’s Top 10 throughout July.

Its cancellation, reported by Deadline, is considered a surprise, as shows with similar viewing figures often get renewed. The Waterfront stands as one of the most-watched cancelled shows in the streamer’s history.

For comparison, it was more viewed than this year’s romantic western Ransom Canyon, which pulled in 23.3m in one month and still managed to secure a season two renewal.

Last year’s Kaos, the cancellation of which led to outrage among fans, was streamed by 14.9m viewers in its first 30 days of release.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.

The Waterfront, created by Scream writer Kevin Williamson, starred Holt McCallany as the family patriarch, Maria Bello as his wife, and Jake Weary and Melissa Benoist as their two children.

The series follows McCallany’s Harlan, who starts colluding in drug smuggling with a vicious cartel in order to dig his family out of debt.

Holt McCallany in cancelled Netflix show ‘The Waterfront’ (Netflix)

“This is so ridiculous – another good show cancelled,” one fan wrote, stating: “Netflix need to stop it.”

“Dang it! I broke my own rule by getting invested in a show with less than three seasons,” another stated.

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Others expressed confusion over Netflix’s decision to cancel the show, arguing that it “doesn’t make sense”.

The Independent’s Nick Hilton gave the show three stars, writing: “It’s predictable to a fault, but it’s hard not to keep watching.”

He added: “It is hard to imagine that anyone at Netflix thinks The Waterfront is going to be a classic, or even a particular hit. Instead, it is television played about as safe as it comes.”

This isn’t McCallany’s first experience of a Netflix cancellation. He played one of the lead roles in David Fincher’s crime series Mindhunter, which came to an end in August 2019 after just two seasons.

Holt McCallany and Jonathan Groff in ‘Mindhunter’ (Netflix)

Since its untimely axing by the streaming service, the drama has generated an almost legendary status among TV viewers, who regularly hail it as the best series that Netflix prematurely cancelled.