Below on Netflix: Is Josh Hartnett's Sea Monster Series Worth It?
TL;DR — Below is a six-episode Netflix thriller, released on October 8, 2026, in which Josh Hartnett plays a Newfoundland fisherman whose community is being picked off by something in the sea. Mackenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton co-star. Episodes run about 37 to 47 minutes, so it is a weekend watch. Critics are mostly positive (82% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic): the setting and cast earn praise, the creature plot less so. Worth it if you like slow-burn dread more than gore.
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Take the quizThe essentials
- Released: October 8, 2026, on Netflix, all six episodes at once, after a preview at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Created by: Jesse McKeown, who was also showrunner.
- Directors: Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver and Stephen Dunn, two episodes each.
- Length: six episodes of about 37 to 47 minutes.
- Reviews: 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic.
What it's about
Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) fishes and harvests icebergs out of Snook's Arm, a small Newfoundland outport. When residents and visitors start disappearing, he teams up with Dr. Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis), a marine biologist, to work out what is hunting them. Running underneath the monster plot is a quieter story about a town that is already shrinking, with a family spread across Montreal and Alberta and a local official whose job is relocating people.
That last detail has real roots. Between the 1950s and 1970s, Newfoundland's government moved thousands of people out of remote outports, and around 300 communities were abandoned. Below uses the creature as a way into that history and into the decline of the fishery.
Who plays whom
- Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney.
- Mackenzie Davis as Dr. Fonda Howander, from the Seal Cove Ocean Science Center.
- Charlie Heaton (Jonathan in Stranger Things) as Wade, Calvin's oldest son.
- Ruby Stokes as Mary, Calvin's daughter, and Rohan Campbell as Jay, his youngest son.
- Willow Kean as Ruth, Calvin's sister and the harbourmaster.
- Mary Walsh, the Newfoundland comedy veteran, as the mayor, with Natasha Henstridge, David Wenham and Tantoo Cardinal in supporting roles.
Episode guide
- 1. Come Home Year
- 2. Crown and Anchor
- 3. Sir John Franklin
- 4. The Ocean Will Have Us All
- 5. Little Pot Rock
- 6. The Unfathering Deep
Several titles are local references. A Come Home Year is a Newfoundland tradition of inviting people who moved away back for a summer of reunions, and crown and anchor is a dice game played at garden parties and fairs.
About the accents
"Newfoundland accent" has been one of the top related searches since the show launched. Much of the cast is from the province, and the dialect is thick in places, so subtitles help, especially in the first episode. Hartnett, who is American, has spoken in interviews about why he wanted to play a Newfoundland fisherman.
Is it worth watching?
- Yes, if you like atmosphere and slow-building dread. Reviewers consistently praise the coastal setting, the warmth of the community and Hartnett's grounded performance, and The Playlist called it "impressively tense".
- Maybe not, if you want a fresh monster. Several critics found the creature plot familiar, and Screen Rant gave it 5 out of 10, saying it never balances its family drama and its monster story.
- How scary: the creature is shown sparingly, and the series builds tension through disappearances and the sea itself rather than gore. It suits viewers who find Jaws scary but don't enjoy splatter.
Shows and films like Below
- Jaws (1975): the template for a coastal town, a predator and an official who would rather not close the beaches.
- The Terror (2018): ice, isolation and something hunting a ship's crew in the Arctic.
- The Rig (Prime Video, 2023): a North Sea oil platform and a mystery rising from the water.
- Midnight Mass (Netflix, 2021): a dying island community, faith and a threat that arrives by sea.
- Station Eleven (2021): more Mackenzie Davis, in a quieter story about community after catastrophe.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Below on Netflix? Six, all released on October 8, 2026. Episodes run about 37 to 47 minutes, so the whole series takes around four and a half hours.
Where was Below filmed? In Newfoundland, Canada, mostly in Brigus South, where existing houses were dressed as a church, a fish plant and other buildings for the fictional town of Snook's Arm.
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