The Waterfront connects Netflix with a horror and teen drama mastermind

What happens when you add a dash of Virgin River to Ozark? Well, it sounds an awful lot like Netflix's upcoming show from Kevin Williamson called The Waterfront. While that title might sound serene and comforting, the family drama will offer up anything but comfort and serenity to its central family. This isn't the Serenity, South Carolina of Sweet Magnolias.

During Netflix's upfront presentation, the streamer announced that they have teamed with Dawson's Creek creator and Scream writer Kevin Williamson for family drama series The Waterfront. According to Netflix, this series is inspired by true events and follows the ups and downs of the Buckley family as their fishing empire faces serious decline. Here's the synopsis:

"The Waterfront dives into the story of the flawed Buckley family as their attempts to retain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire drive them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat."

Now, it's unclear what exactly these "increasingly dangerous means" are that the Buckley family will turn to. Are they of the Outer Banks and Ozark "increasingly dangerous means" variety or are they a bit on the lighter side a la Virgin River? We'll have to wait and see, but with Williamson involved, we're leaning toward the former. Over the course of his career, he's told a dark tale or two.

If there's one thing Williamson knows well, it's a dysfunctional family. The prolific screenwriter got his start with the 1996 teen slasher film Scream, which was all about and continues to be based deeply in generational family trauma. He's back again directing the upcoming seventh installment, which features the franchise's queen of familial dysfunction, Sidney Prescott (The Lincoln Lawyer's Neve Campbell).

Williamson's first foray into television with The WB's 1998 teen drama series Dawson's Creek proved an impactful and influential piece pop culture that helped define a generation. Within the series, there were nothing but dysfunctional families, none more so than Joey Potter's (Katie Holmes) family. Joey's dad was in jail, and when he showed up in the series, the show had some of its most dramatic moments unrelated to romance.

The Buckley family in The Waterfont already has shades of the Potters, and that of course means it's going to be some deliciously soapy drama. But let's not forget that Williamson also had a hand in developing and writing The CW's The Vampire Diaries, another teen-centric series with centuries of troubled families. Additionally, he created the shows The Following, Stalker, Time After Time, and Tell Me a Story.

While a Netflix original series, the show will be produced by Universal Television, where Williamson's company Outerbanks Entertainment has an overall deal. The Waterfront was announced as in development in February before Netflix picked it up in May. As of the show's announcement, Netflix hasn't revealed any character details or castings, but we'll be sure to keep those interest in the know on what's sure to be a future hit show.

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