Review: Below (2026 Series)

BY: DAVEY

I’ll be honest up front. Sea monster horror has never really been my thing, and deep-water, Lovecraft-flavored stories usually leave me cold. Netflix’s Below won me over anyway, and I’ve been thinking about it since I finished it.

Below is a six-episode limited series from creator Jesse McKeown. It’s set in a small fishing town in Newfoundland, where something starts coming up out of the water and terrorizing the locals. Josh Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, a stubborn fisherman trying to hold his family and his town together, with Charlie Heaton and Mackenzie Davis alongside him.

The thing that hooked me was the town. The people in Below feel real. The family drama lands, the show has a warm sense of humor about small-town life, and the scares hit hard when they come. Newfoundland looks incredible on screen, all cold gray water and fog, and the show soaks up every bit of that atmosphere.

The acting is great across the whole cast. Hartnett’s Newfoundland accent might throw you off at first, but lean into it. Once you settle in, it suits the character and the place, and the family scenes are some of the best parts of the show.

Below does start slow. The early episodes take their time with the town and the people in it, and I can see some viewers getting restless. Stick with it. Much like Midnight Mass, that patience pays off, and once the story gets going the payoff is huge.

The show is also smart about what it lets you see. It keeps you guessing about what’s down there, and I won’t say a word more than that. Go in knowing as little as you can.

If you loved Midnight Mass, From or Widow’s Bay, put Below on your list. All six episodes are streaming now on Netflix.

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