Summary
Netflix remains the biggest and best streaming service out there because of the sheer depth and breadth of its offerings. It’s always getting new stuff, and a lot of that stuff ends up being good, popular, or both.
At the moment, the most popular show on Netflix is a new mystery thriller called Below, starring Josh Hartnett as an iceberg harvester (which is a real job, in case you’re wondering) living in the remote Canadian village of Snook’s Arm.
Below is a horror sci-fi thriller family drama
It’s got everything
Below begins in 1986, when a family is hauling their house across the water so they can resettle in Snook’s Arm. This scene is based on an actual practice where the Canadian government relocated people who lived in remote areas to bigger population centers, which would be easier to provide with public services. Something drags the house underwater, and the patriarch of the family dies.
The man’s son is scarred forever by the experience. This is Hartnett’s character, Calvin. We pick up with him 40 years later when he has a family of his own, and the government is once again trying to get people to accept an offer to relocate them, since Snook’s Arm is losing its population. The townspeople will vote on whether to follow through.
Meanwhile, the town is plagued by a raft of disappearances. A mysterious, foul-smelling iceberg drifts into the bay. Animal remains are found on the shore. If you’ve seen Jaws (or even just heard of it), you know where this is going: there’s something in the water, and it’s not good. Calvin’s son Wade (Stranger Things veteran Charlie Heaton, who nearly steals the show) has a close encounter with the creature and becomes weirdly obsessed and deranged, giving the story a horrific, Lovecraftian feel.
But Below isn’t just a horror series. We get to know Wade’s extended family. There’s a subplot about merchants using the situation with the creature to encourage people to leave town so they can mine the area for cobalt and copper. Below has a lot on its mind, and takes its time teasing out the themes over the course of its six episodes. It adds up to a well-paced, slow-burning creature feature.
What record did Below break?
Greetings from Canada
According to Deadline, Below is the most-viewed debut ever for a Netflix Canadian title. That’s appropriate, because Below wears its Canadian identity on its sleeve. It was filmed on location in Newfoundland and Labrador, and features some hauntingly beautiful shots of the Canadian countryside. It may even owe its existence to a 2023 bill called the Online Streaming Act, which encourages more Canadian content on streaming services.
And we have to talk about the accents, for which the show has already gotten a lot of attention. Canadian accents are already oft-parodied, but Below gives us something new for our ears to feast on as it zeroes in on the very specific dialects in the northeastern part of the country. The characters hit their Ds with the force of a hammer and curl their Os with lilting precision. It’s a little bit Scottish, a little bit Irish, a little bit British, and hard to stop imitating after you hear it.
As a non-Canadian, I can’t say for sure whether these accents are accurate, but I’m willing to give Canadian creator and showrunner Jesse McKeown the benefit of the doubt. Neither Hartnett nor Heaton are Canadian, but throw themselves into this linguistic adventure with vigor. Other cast members, like Mackenzie Davis (who plays marine research scientist Fonda Howander) and Rohan Campbell (who plays Calvin’s other son Jay) are.
Not everyone is enjoying Below
There’s trouble on the open water
While Below has an enviable 87% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it must be said that audiences are less enthused, with only 55% approving. While plenty loved the series, others thought it got worse as it went alone, and were unsatisfied by how the story with the creature is resolved. We won’t give away the particulars here, but it suffices to say that Below is not a Jaws rip-off, for better or worse.
Personally, I enjoyed that Below zigs a little when we expect it to zag, and that it does not end up being a cut-and-dried horror show in the end. That element is there, but if you want a straight-forward scary show set in a small coastal town, there’s always Widow’s Bay over on Apple TV.
Things are looking up for Below
Below ends in a way that sets up more story down the line. At the moment, Netflix has not renewed the show for a second season, but given its success, that certainly seems like a possibility. In the meantime, the show makes a perfect weekend binge. Most of the episodes run under 40 minutes, so the series can be watched fairly quickly. You can mainline this show, pick up a new accent to try out at family functions, and be done in time for a seafood dinner.
- Release Date
- 2026 - 2026-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Jesse McKeown Cast
Josh HartnettCalvin Penney - Mackenzie DavisFonda Howander - Charlie HeatonWade Penney - Ruby StokesMary Penney