Cast: Holt McCallany as Harlan Buckley, Melissa Benoist as Bri Buckley, Jake Weary as Kane Buckley, Maria Bello as Belle Buckley, Rafael L. Silva as Sean, Danielle Campbell as Peyton Buckley, Brady Hepner as Diller, Humberly Gonzalez as Jenna, Topher Grace as Grady, Dave Annabele as Wes, J. Elliot as Tommy, Gerardo Celesco as DEA Agent Marcus, Michael Gaston as Sheriff Clay porter,

Created By: Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek, Scream)

Streaming Service: Netflix

length: 8 episodes

Release Year: 2025

Audio description By: Descriptive Video Works

Written By: Connor DeWolf

Narrated By: Paula Hoffman

What Is it?: The Buckley family has kept their seaside restaurant and fishery in the family for generations. Now, it seems that their North Carolina property is at risk of being lost due to financial failure, and they are looking for a chance to turn it around. turns out, they are pretty good at smuggling drugs, which might be a problem as others encroach on that territory as well. The Buckley family is willing to negotiate or fight to keep what is theirs, but the patriarch of the clan certainly isn’t backing down from the fight.His wife is exploring other options, financially and otherwise, and his son is reluctant to follow in his footsteps. They also have a daughter who is a recovering addict, whose love interest is DEA, and she’s legally prohibited from contacting her son, who is around all the time.

What Works: Topher Grace. Unforgettable. It is truly some of the most against type casting probably ever, but I found his affability useful in making his character seem that more dangerous. He does read as someone with a personality disorder, and a true sociopath. He’s the antagonist of the series, running a bigger criminal enterprise than the Buckley family, and someone they either have to work with or against.He was also used to great effect in Black Klansman for the same reason. Even though he comes across as nerdy and harmless, when he steps into these roles, there’s something about his cheerful demeanor, and friendly persuasion that makes him an interesting and effective villain.

The rest of the cast does mixed work, with more experienced actors like Holt McCallany and MAria Bello rising to the top. Some of the smaller rolls get a little too roped into a soapy nature, and can’t find their way out of occasionally cringey writing. However, McCallany and Bello at the head of the family bring wisdom, both to their characters and the cast. they never get tripped up, or feel defeated by any aspect of the show.

Also, this series is willing to kill off characters to let you know they mean business, and they do it pretty quickly so all future scenes of peril have a greater weight. I certainly was surprised by more than one death this season. It has a future, with an ending opening the door for a second season.This feels like a void filler for anyone missing Ozark or justified.

What Doesn’t Work: it is occasionally silly, like using jellyfish in buckets at torture. and, some of the character moments are a little soapy, and too Days Of Our Lives. Kane has an ongoing spout with his wife, and there’s definitely interactions with them that are just odd.

It isn’t quite at the same quality as Ozark or Justified, but it seems like a broadly entertaining version which is becoming more and more the Netflix brand. It’s too violent to be a successor for Virgin River, but it can find a place in and around the Ginny and Georgias of the world.

The Audio Description: Great. It tracks a large ensemble, and it sticks with the violence. It has some great moments, as the episodes love to end on cliffhangers. It isn’t really for the family, and well described overdose scenes, or a man running away being gunned down, remind you that this is for grown ups.Connor did a solid job with the script, and Paula Hoffman is used to this type of material. oddly, even though I’ve heard her on a dozen things, I keep not hearing her voice. it almost feels lighter? Brighter? If that makes any sense. not a bad thing.

Why You Might Like it: You love linear storytelling and family crime dramas. Think not just Ozark or Justified, but it has shades of Bloodline, with the soapy sudsy melodrama of Carolina set shows like One Tree Hill and Dawson’s Creek

Why You Might not Like it: It does play easier and broader, accepting it has no real future at the Emmys, but if you are simply into prestige dramas, this won’t cut it. As much as it may aspire to be Ozark, Ozark was a way better show. This is fine, but Ozark was perfect.

Final Thoughts: topher Grace’s oddly memorable turn is worth the watch alone. Weird but ultimately brilliant casting.

Fresh: Final Grade: 7.6/10