Below Review
Director: Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver, and Stephen Dunn
Date Created: 2026-10-08 15:25
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Below Review: Created by Jesse McKeown and directed by Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver, and Stephen Dunn, the Netflix series stars Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney, a Newfoundland fisherman struggling to keep his family together, alongside Mackenzie Davis as marine researcher Dr Fonda Howander and Charlie Heaton as his son, Wade Penney. The ensemble also includes Ruby Stokes as Mary Penney, Rohan Campbell as Jay Penney, Willow Kean as Ruth Penney, Kaleb Horn as Noah Townsend, Mary Walsh as Mayor Linda Best, and Natasha Henstridge as Jan Hicks. The series has six episodes, each running approximately 40 minutes.
Below Review
Netflix’s Below series unfolds in a setting located in Snooks Arm, Newfoundland, in which Calvin struggles with declining fish catches, family issues that are yet to be sorted out, and emotional scars following the unexplained demise of his dad. The story further gets complicated when a menace starts terrorising the residents in the area surrounding the small coastal village. Calvin partners up with Fonda to find out the menace lurking beneath the water, but the inquiry slowly exposes the menace faced by the community to be bigger than just some unknown creature. In the process of fighting for their lives and source of livelihood, the series relates their predicament to the greater issue of land and sea.
One of the things I find most fascinating about the Netflix series Below is the fact that its creatures may not be the scariest element of the show. At first, this series will encourage you to be scared about the things that may come out of the water. It does so by creating an eerie atmosphere through some unknown events taking place in an isolated area. The more time I spend with these characters, however, the more fascinated I become with the things that happen on land.
And this is what turns the series into something more than just an ordinary monster story. The fishing industry plays a significant role in the local community’s identity, but its decline questions its future. The community’s desire to remain here does not stem from stubbornness; it is connected to centuries spent in the same spot and their entire way of life built around the local waters. The environmental issues provide the story with some sense of meaning, thus turning the creature’s existence into a struggle of man vs nature.
But at the same time, the 2026 series Below seems unable to pick out which of its concepts should get top billing. For instance, the problems faced by Calvin’s family, the conflicts in the town politics, the secret about his father, and the danger under the water each have the potential to lead to an interesting story. In some instances, they all vie for attention at the same time, and just as one becomes interesting enough to hold on to, it gets sidelined for another concept.
Calvin is by far the best justification for sticking with the show. The performance of Josh Hartnett gives Calvin an exhaustion and groundedness that allows his desperation to be understood without having him be a one-dimensional hero who can do everything well. Calvin wants to save his children, but at the same time he is dealing with a great deal of hurt from the past and doesn’t know how to hold his family together. His instinct to protect can make him a hard person to cope with, but that is what makes him believable. He is not always correct, but he is driven by his fear of losing them.
Wade portrayed by Charlie Heaton adds a different layer to the family story because he faces not only threats posed to him due to the situation in the town, but also an emotional and psychological gap between father and son that turns their dialogue into something more complicated than just a family dispute. While Calvin tries to protect his son from danger, it does not necessarily mean that he understands him.
Mackenzie Davis makes sure that Fonda is also made a vital participant in the investigation process. The scientific mind of the latter is a completely different approach from the townspeople’s fearfulness and brings the story above the level of pure speculation. In particular, I enjoyed the way the character’s connection with Calvin is not used to add a romantic plot twist into the series.
The monster itself is yet another element of the Netflix Below series for which I am ambivalent. The understanding of its behaviour that is acquired toward the end of the show changes the perspective and makes one think if the seemingly terrifying monster is actually the villain of the piece. Another similarity between this monster and Calvin is the association of this monster with maternity. However, the discovery of the monster’s true nature is not very shocking; moreover, I wanted the mystery to provide some unique information. The special effects can also be rather unreliable at times.
Even with these limitations, however, the setting of Newfoundland is one of the strengths of this series. There is something about the coast, cold water, and isolated nature of this location that cannot easily be recreated in any other place. Humour and interaction within the community help ensure that it does not become too morbid all of the time. This is a community with history, arguments, and lives outside of the crisis at hand.
The one thing that disappoints me the most is the fact that the human drama does not always get a suitable payoff. Josh Hartnett’s Below series has raised valid points about corporate greed, uprooting communities, and exploiting natural resources, but sometimes there are things that feel too rushed. For example, the struggle between saving the town and the creature can be made more potent by having a more solid build-up. There are times when a new twist comes after not fully exploring its consequences.
Netflix Below Review: Summing Up
Overall, the 2026 Below series is an excellent thriller, which works most effectively when the horror of the monster in the show helps tell the story of Calvin, Wade, and their community trying to protect their way of life. The performance, atmosphere, and environmental messages in this make it well worth seeing despite the flawed plotting and clichéd mystery plot. While I would have liked a tighter plot and better resolution, the series is still able to go beyond a standard sea monster show.
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