Introduction
When something terrifying rises from the water, the people who live beside it have nothing to hide behind. That simple idea drives Below, Netflix’s six-part horror series starring Josh Hartnett as a stubborn fisherman who has to protect his family and his community when a mysterious sea creature begins to terrorize their town.
Set in a small Newfoundland village and made as a Canadian production, it blends monster-movie thrills with folklore, family drama and a very real story about a community being pushed to the edge of disappearance. Early critics have compared it to Jaws, and also to slower, spookier tales such as The Fog.
Here is everything you need to know before you press play: the plot, the cast, the episodes, the scares, what works, what doesn’t and our honest verdict.
Quick Facts
| Title | Below |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Format | Limited series, 6 episodes |
| Release date | October 8, 2026 |
| Genre | Horror, thriller, supernatural drama |
| Creator and showrunner | Jesse McKeown (The Sinner, The Umbrella Academy) |
| Directors | Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver, Stephen Dunn |
| Writers | Karen Walton, Perry Chafe, Natty Zavitz |
| Premiere | World premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2026 |
| Filming | 75 days across Newfoundland and Labrador, including St. John’s, Petty Harbour, Brigus South and Pouch Cove |
| Country | Canada |
| Setting | Snook’s Arm, a fictional fishing village in Newfoundland |
| Rating | TV-MA |
| Total runtime | About 4 hours (episodes run 37 to 47 minutes) |
| Main cast | Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Willow Kean, Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Rohan Campbell, Natasha Henstridge, Mary Walsh |
| Our rating | 7 / 10 |
What Is Below About? (Spoiler-Free)
Calvin Penney, played by Josh Hartnett, is a stubborn fisherman in a small Newfoundland town. Decades ago, his father died in mysterious circumstances, and Calvin has never stopped being haunted by it.
When an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing the community, Calvin finds himself on the front line. He has to protect his family and the way of life he is fighting to keep, while a visiting marine researcher, played by Mackenzie Davis, helps him uncover the island’s buried secrets.
That is the setup, and we will leave the rest for you to discover. What is worth knowing is that the creature is not the whole story: early reviews say the series moves from a monster thriller toward something eerier and more supernatural.
The Setting: Snook’s Arm, Newfoundland
The show takes place in the fictional fishing village of Snook’s Arm, and the location is one of its biggest strengths. Mist-covered streets, run-down buildings and small boats creaking in the harbour give the series a strong sense of place.
Two details ground the story in real concerns:
- Come Home Week: The first episode is titled “Come Home Year,” and the story uses a homecoming event as a backdrop, bringing people back to a place that is slowly emptying out.
- A village under threat: The series also touches on a government-ordered relocation of the village. This echoes the real history of Newfoundland’s resettlement programs, in which many small coastal communities were moved or closed. The show uses this as a grounded, political tension alongside the supernatural one.
The result is a horror story with a real emotional stake: the community is threatened by something from the sea, and by the possibility that it will vanish anyway.
Cast and Characters
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Josh Hartnett | Calvin Penney, the stubborn fisherman and single father at the centre of the story |
| Mackenzie Davis | Fonda Howander, a visiting marine researcher |
| Charlie Heaton | Wade, Calvin’s son |
| Willow Kean | Supporting cast |
| Ruby Stokes | Supporting cast |
| Kaleb Horn | Supporting cast |
| Rohan Campbell | Supporting cast |
| Natasha Henstridge | Supporting cast |
| Mary Walsh | Supporting cast |
| David Wenham | A smaller role |
Josh Hartnett is the draw. Critics describe him as a charismatic lead whose quiet, strained warmth carries the emotional weight of the show. Charlie Heaton, Rohan Campbell, Ruby Stokes and Natasha Henstridge also earn praise, and the ensemble makes the town feel lived-in.
Episode Guide (Spoiler-Free)
| # | Title | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Come Home Year | 47 min |
| 2 | Crown and Anchor | 37 min |
| 3 | Sir John Franklin | 40 min |
| 4 | The Ocean Will Have Us All | 39 min |
| 5 | Little Pot Rock | 41 min |
| 6 | The Unfathering Deep | 37 min |
The titles hint at folklore, local history and a deepening sense of dread, and the whole season takes about four hours, which makes it an easy weekend binge.
Calvin Penney: The Heart of the Show
Calvin is a single father who has had a hard run: setbacks, tragedy and the unexplained death of his own father decades ago have left him feeling increasingly cut off from his community. Josh Hartnett has said, in interviews, that the creature’s arrival forces Calvin to face those problems head-on while he tries to keep his children safe.
That matters because it turns the monster story into a character story. Calvin is not a heroic monster hunter; he is a tired man with a lot to lose. Critics describe Hartnett as charismatic and grounded, and his quiet strain is what keeps the drama working when the plot is conventional.
Charlie Heaton as Wade plays Calvin’s son, and the father-son relationship is a major emotional thread. Mackenzie Davis as Fonda, the marine researcher, is an outsider who brings scientific curiosity and her own stake in what is happening in the water.
Behind the Scenes
- Creator’s passion project: Jesse McKeown, a Toronto-born filmmaker, says he felt compelled to write the show for about 18 years. His wife is from Newfoundland, and they live there on and off, which is where his fascination with the province’s fishing communities and isolated coastline began. He has said the appeal was the contrast between how beautiful the landscape is and how unforgiving and scary it can be.
- Shot in Newfoundland and Labrador: Filming took 75 days, in places including St. John’s, Petty Harbour, Brigus South and Pouch Cove, which is why the village feels real.
- A large Canadian production: Netflix hired more than 700 primary cast and crew and worked with more than 650 Canadian vendors.
- Experienced team: McKeown has credits on The Sinner and The Umbrella Academy, director Jamie Childs has worked on The Sandman, and writer Karen Walton is known for Ginger Snaps.
- A festival opening: The series had its world premiere as the Primetime Opening Night selection at TIFF, with the first two episodes screened in September 2026.
- A notable music cue: Early viewers singled out a Danzig needle drop.
How Big a Hit Is Below?
| First four days (Oct 8 to 11) | About 17 million views, No. 1 on Netflix’s global English-language TV chart |
| Canadian record | The most-viewed debut ever for a Canadian Netflix title, according to Netflix |
| Reach | Reported at No. 1 in 53 countries and in the top 10 in 90 |
| Second week (Oct 12 to 18) | About 21.2 million views, still No. 1 |
| Comparison | Nobody Wants This Season 1 debuted with 10.3 million views and East of Eden with 6.5 million |
In short, it became a global hit within days. Viewership figures change weekly, so check Netflix’s Top 10 page for the latest numbers.
What the Critics Said
Reviews are positive but not rapturous.
- Early festival reactions (first two episodes): Positive. Dread Central called it an atmospheric sea-monster tale lifted by its performances, scoring it 3.5 out of 5, and another outlet described it as a fresh, reverent take that avoids being a pastiche of horror classics.
- A full-season review (3 out of 5 stars): This critic found it worth watching but short of its ambitions. They praised the high-concept premise, the unease and dread, and the cast, including Hartnett, Davis and Heaton, but said the focus is unclear, the pacing is uneven and the ideas are more interesting than their execution.
- Comparisons: Jaws for the small-town monster anxiety, ‘Salem’s Lot for a community corrupted from within, and The Fog and Messiah of Evil for the slow-burn, campfire mood.
- Themes: Beyond the creature, reviewers noted themes of community tension, personal reckoning and even eco-terrorism.
Our reading: The pattern is consistent. The atmosphere and the acting are the selling points, and the plotting and pacing are where it loses ground.
What Works
1. Atmosphere
This is the show’s standout feature. The fog, the weathered village and the creaking boats make the horror feel immersive. Critics compare the slow-burn campfire-story mood to The Fog.
2. The cast
Hartnett leads a strong ensemble, and the performances are widely cited as the main reason to watch. The characters feel like a real community, which makes the threat matter.
3. A monster with something behind it
The creature is described as enormous and hungry, but the series suggests it is not the only danger. The mix of monster horror and supernatural dread keeps it from feeling like a simple creature feature.
4. Real-world grounding
The village relocation story and the Newfoundland setting give the series a sense of loss and place that most monster stories lack.
5. It does not shy away from horror
The series is TV-MA and has been described as surprisingly bloody, so horror fans get genuine scares and not just suspense.
What Doesn’t Work
1. A familiar start
Early reviews say the first episode leans on familiar sea-monster conventions, including dock attacks and the kind of beats that Jaws made famous. For some, it feels average at the start.
2. Borrowed ideas
Critics noticed echoes of Jaws, a vision sequence that recalls The Ring, and a tone close to The Fog. The comparisons are not all negative, but the show is not breaking new ground.
3. A slightly lesser peer
One reviewer called Widow’s Bay the closest tonal match and judged Below to be slightly lesser. If you have seen that show, you may find this one a notch below.
4. Uneven pacing and a payoff that may not stick
Critics who saw the full season described the focus as unclear, with plenty of questions raised but not always answered with urgency, and uneven pacing from episode to episode. The ending is complete, but one reviewer felt it may not land with lasting impact, and that the ideas are more interesting than their execution.
How Does It Compare?
| Title | How it compares to Below |
|---|---|
| Jaws | The clear influence: a coastal town, a monster and a reluctant hero |
| The Fog | Similar slow-burn, spooky-campfire atmosphere |
| The Ring | A vision sequence that echoes its imagery |
| Widow’s Bay | The closest tone, though Below is judged slightly lesser |
Is It Scary? A Viewer Guide
- Rated TV-MA: Expect violence and graphic moments.
- Scare style: More atmospheric dread and creature attacks than constant jump scares.
- Gore: Reportedly surprisingly bloody for a streaming series.
- Best for: Viewers who enjoy slow-burn horror with a monster.
- Not for: Anyone who dislikes graphic violence or sea-creature horror, especially if you are nervous around deep water.
Who Should Watch It?
- Watch it if you love Jaws-style monster stories, atmospheric horror, small-town settings or Josh Hartnett.
- Skip it if you want fast, non-stop action or a completely original take on the monster genre.
If You Liked Below, Watch These Next
| Title | Why watch it |
|---|---|
| Jaws | The original coastal-town monster story |
| The Fog | Slow-burn, spooky and set by the sea |
| The Ring | A haunting supernatural mystery with water at its heart |
| Widow’s Bay | The closest tonal peer to Below |
| Hostage and Two Graves | Short, tense Netflix thrillers, covered in our summer 2025 Netflix guide |
| The Conjuring: Last Rites | Faith, family and a haunting, in our review |
Our Take
Below is a moody, atmospheric sea-monster series that earns its place on your watchlist mostly through its setting and its cast. The foggy Newfoundland village, the creaking boats and a lead actor who can carry quiet grief make the horror feel real. Josh Hartnett is excellent as a man who is tired, stubborn and still willing to stand between his town and the dark.
We like that it is about more than the creature. A community facing both a monster and the threat of disappearing gives the story an emotional weight that a simple creature feature lacks, and the supernatural turn adds a layer of dread beyond teeth and tentacles.
It is not flawless. The opening leans on familiar monster-movie beats, and its influences, from Jaws to The Ring, are easy to spot. Over six episodes the pacing is uneven, and some of the questions it raises are not answered as urgently as we would like. If you want something that reinvents the genre, this is not it. But if you want a well-acted, atmospheric horror series you can finish in a weekend, it delivers.
What stayed with us
- The place. Newfoundland is a character. The fog, the cold water and the sense of a village at the edge of the map do much of the work that a larger budget would do elsewhere.
- The father and son. Hartnett and Heaton give the family story a warmth that makes the danger personal.
- The idea that the community itself is under threat. Even without the creature, the town is fighting to survive, which gives the horror a meaning beyond the scares.
What held it back for us
- A middle stretch that does not always move with urgency.
- A few familiar monster-movie beats that we have seen done before.
- An ending that is complete and satisfying in its way, but not as memorable as the build-up promised.
Who we would recommend it to: viewers who like a slow-burn creature story, fans of Jaws and The Fog, and anyone who wants a short, moody, well-cast series for a weekend.
A note on the ending (mild spoiler). According to the creator, the ending is meant to be a happy one, with Calvin and his family living to fight another day, and it was not designed as a setup for a second season.
Final Verdict
Below will not change the monster genre, but it does not need to. It succeeds as a moody, well-cast horror series with a strong sense of place and a lead performance that gives the scares emotional weight. Watch it for the atmosphere, for Josh Hartnett, and for a story where the monster in the water is only part of what the town is afraid of.
Rating: 7 / 10
Have you watched it? Tell us in the comments whether the ending worked for you.
Our rating: 7 / 10
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | 8.5 / 10 |
| Performances | 8 / 10 |
| Story and originality | 6.5 / 10 |
| Scares | 7 / 10 |
| Setting and theme | 8 / 10 |
| Binge value | 7.5 / 10 |
FAQs
1. When does Below come out on Netflix? October 8, 2026.
2. How many episodes does Below have? Six, each between 37 and 47 minutes long.
3. Who stars in Below? Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton lead the cast, with Willow Kean, Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Rohan Campbell, Natasha Henstridge and Mary Walsh.
4. Where is Below set? In the fictional fishing village of Snook’s Arm in Newfoundland, Canada.
5. Is Below a limited series? Yes. Netflix lists it as a limited series, so it should tell a complete story in one season.
6. Is Below based on a true story? No, the creature and the story are fictional, though the village relocation theme echoes real Newfoundland history.
7. Is Below scary? It is more atmospheric and eerie than constantly jumpy, with some graphic violence. It is rated TV-MA.
8. Is it like Jaws? It borrows the coastal-town, monster-and-reluctant-hero setup, but it shifts toward folklore and supernatural dread.
9. Is there a season 2? Not at the moment. Netflix still calls it a limited series, and Josh Hartnett has said there are no plans, though he added that “the door’s not closed” and that a massive hit could change things. Creator Jesse McKeown said he did not write the ending as a setup for a second season. Given its viewing numbers, a future decision is possible, but nothing has been announced.
10. Is Below a hit? Yes. It earned about 17 million views in its first four days, the biggest debut ever for a Canadian Netflix title, and about 21.2 million in its second week.
11. Where was Below filmed? Across Newfoundland and Labrador, including St. John’s, Petty Harbour, Brigus South and Pouch Cove, over 75 days.
12. What is the creature in Below? The series keeps its nature a mystery, so we will not spoil it. Critics say the creature is only part of the threat and that the story leans into the supernatural.
13. What did critics think of Below? Mostly positive but mixed. Festival critics praised the atmosphere and the cast, while a full-season review gave it 3 out of 5, noting uneven pacing and an unclear focus.
14. Is the Below ending happy? According to the creator, yes, in the sense that Calvin and his family live to fight another day.
15. Is it suitable for kids? No. It is rated TV-MA.