Stream It or Skip It: ‘Below’ on Netflix, Where Josh Hartnett Faces Down A Sea Monster In Newfoundland 

There’s something in the water! And it’s not just Josh Hartnett in a sturdy fisherman’s knit sweater. Below, an eight-episode miniseries from creator-writer Jesse McKeown (The Umbrella Academy, Letterkenny), features Hartnett trying to keep things together in his tiny fishing village while a threat from the depths makes deadly waves.  

BELOW: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? 

Opening Shot: Newfoundland, 1986 — a house towed by boat across calm waters. Until the ride is agitated by an unknown something in the deep, the house sinks, and a family is left without their father.

The Gist: Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) watched his dad go under. And 40 years later, as he ekes out a living as a fisherman in Snooks Bay, Newfoundland, the Canadian government is still trying to relocate these remote coastal villages. “I’m not moving an inch,” Calvin tells his sister Ruth (Willow Kean), their conversation steeped in the region’s traditional dialect. But some residents, like Jan (Natasha Henstridge), would appreciate the cash subsidy.

At the same time, a giant blue iceberg has appeared in the harbor. There is precedent, since these days guys like Calvin earn more cash hunting ice chunks for a local vodka distiller than they do netting actual fish. But the ice is also slimy, smells like ammonia, and has marine researcher Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis) concerned. 10,000-year-old ice could contain more than water. 

Calvin’s kids who fled, Mary (Ruby Stokes) and Jay (Rohan Campbell), have come back for Snooks Bay’s homecoming. And Calvin’s son Wade (Charlie Heaton) wants to impress his dad as a fisherman. And maybe Calvin can finally get his family fishing business off the ground, with this new onset of ice-ly opportunity. But considering the bits and pieces of destruction shown early on in Below, there is something making its presence felt around this quaint, mildly eccentric corner of Newfoundland, and it’s not just hangovers from Blue Star beer.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Take the local flavor and horror-comedy of Widow’s Bay, cross it with cold weather thriller Fortitude, throw in some Tremors, and you’ve got supper on the boil for Below.  

Our Take: The last time we were this compelled to follow Josh Hartnett into the ether, he was protecting his remote Alaskan village from vampires. It can be a challenge for shows like Below to establish local flavor while getting its main action moving, but with Hartnett’s charmingly ragged performance, and a solid group around him, this series does it well. It also doesn’t scrimp on suggesting how crazy and sea monster-y things could really get. Early notes of warning aren’t jump scare-y, but they are foreboding and satisfyingly intriguing. We can’t wait to see what kind of fight begins — and who becomes fish food. 

Performance Worth Watching: Charlie Heaton is a frazzled delight as Wade, who takes too many mushrooms but is also a good dude. Wade is the loosey-goosey opposite of who Heaton was as Jim Dycker in Industry.  

Parting Shot: Calvin and Dr. Howander, trawling the harbor for Wade, who was last seen taking pot shots at the massive mysterious iceberg, make a startling, spoiler-worthy discovery.

Our Call: STREAM IT! The HARTNAISSANCE continues! In Below, Josh Hartnett leads a fun cast of characters on a strange journey into the watery unknown. Your Spooky Season content needs more sea creature in it.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.