Netflix's new six-episode miniseries "Below" starts with a mysterious and menacing premise involving a house sinking in the waters of Newfoundland, Canada, in 1986. The story then shifts to the present day where Calvin Penney (played by Josh Hartnett) grapples with his past and environmental challenges while dealing with a monstrous threat resurfacing from the sea. While praised for its distinct portrayal of Newfoundland’s culture and accent, the series struggles to maintain intrigue beyond its captivating opening, failing to fully capitalize on its promising elements.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In the Netflix miniseries Below, set in 1986 on remote Newfoundland island in Canada, an entire house floats through foggy waters before being mysteriously sunk by an underwater force. This event compels young Calvin to cut the rope, saving his family but drowning his father. The series then jumps to the present day where Calvin, now a widowed fisherman unable to practice due to environmental laws, makes ends meet by harvesting arctic ice for tourists' cocktails. His son Wade entertains Airbnb guests despite being unemployed and disinterested in fishing. Though Below starts with gripping visuals and an eerie premise, it struggles to maintain the same level of intrigue throughout its six episodes.
Written for “Josh Hartnetts New Show” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
In the opening scenes of Netflix’s horror-lite miniseries Below, a two-storey home floats across foggy waters, being pulled by a small tugboat holding the Penneys, a local family of four.
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home → open → four
It’s 1986, and small towns on the remote Canadian island of Newfoundland are being resettled by the government, consolidated into larger communities.
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towns → ’ → communities
Disaster strikes when the home is sunk by an underwater force, compelling young Calvin to cut the rope to save everyone on-board – and doom his father, trapped in the house.
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home → strike → house
Below’s intriguing, menacing opening isn’t matched as the six-episode series jumps forward to the present day.
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series → match → day
Calvin (Josh Harnett, the former ’00s heartthrob experiencing a renaissance spurned by darker roles in Trap and Oppenheimer) is now a hardened widower and fisherman, albeit one who can’t fish due to environmental laws.
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who → experience → laws
He makes his money by harvesting arctic ice, used in an expensive cocktail for tourists.
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He → make → tourists
His oldest children have left, though his layabout son Wade (Charlie Heaton of Stranger Things) entertains their Airbnb guests: “I consider myself a fisherman, though I’ve never fished”, he tells a couple, no doubt a well-worn line.
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he → leave → couple
Harnett, Heaton and the rest of the cast deliver Newfoundland’s distinct accent – a jarring blend of Canadian, Irish and The Simpsons’ Sea Captain – and strange slang with full-throated enthusiasm.
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Harnett → deliver → enthusiasm
Sweetest ice you’ve ever seen” are common.
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you → see → ?
Speaking of ice, it’s a giant smelly piece in the harbour that marks the creature’s return, wreaking bloody havoc.
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that → speak → havoc
Inspired by showrunner Jesse McKeown’s (The Umbrella Chronicles) own time on Newfoundland, Below is a thoughtful, distinct portrait of an eclectic, subarctic community for whom struggle is built into its identity.
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struggle → inspire → identity
It’s also a B-movie-inspired monster bash.
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It → ’ → ?
That mix can work.
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mix → work → ?
Years before remaking Carrie, Mike Flanagan unleashed vampires onto a small, isolated island town to great effect in Midnight Mass, a Netflix miniseries that delivered both scares and cerebral thrills, reflecting on how a remote community can continue after its industry and culture has effectively died.
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industry → remake → scares
A similar backdrop’s at play with Below’s Snook’s Arm: a real Newfoundland town closed by the Canadian government in 2017 but here still alive in 2026, albeit fighting off both another resettlement and a menacing, ultra-powerful sea monster.
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backdrop → ’ → resettlement
Putting aside the body count, maybe it’s just what the town and Calvin need?
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town → put → what
Unfortunately, Below is most intriguing in its mysterious first half before so many of its promising elements – including David Wenham as a shadowy Australian researcher – come up bust or fail to thrill.
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many → include → researcher
It’s enjoyable enough, but you get the sense Below’s monster story was Frankensteined together.
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story → ’ → sense
Below is streaming on Netflix now.
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Below → stream → Netflix
We’ve got you.
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We → get → you
Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
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Watchlist → get → ?
- Carrie is back: Stephen King didn’t want another remake.
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King → want → remake
This is what convinced him.
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what → convince → him
- East of Eden review: Is the new Netflix adaptation worth watching?
- 70 Up: TV’s most fascinating experiment comes to an end.
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experiment → watch → end
Meet the man who inspired the show.
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who → meet → show
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