Everyone is asking the same question this week: is Below on Netflix good? The new six-episode sea-monster thriller from creator Jesse McKeown debuted on October 8, 2026, shot straight to the top of Netflix’s global TV chart within two days, and opened to a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Four days later, the picture is more complicated. Here is the show’s story, the critic and audience scores, and an honest answer on whether it deserves a spot on your watchlist.
Below on Netflix: What the Show Is About
Below is a Canadian supernatural thriller set in Snooks Arm, a fog-drenched fishing community on the coast of Newfoundland. Josh Hartnett stars as Calvin Penney, a fisherman haunted by his father’s mysterious death, who is determined to hold his hometown together. He teams up with Dr. Fonda Howander, a marine biologist played by Mackenzie Davis, after a terrifying sea creature begins attacking the community.
The ensemble also includes Charlie Heaton — fresh off Stranger Things — as Calvin’s son Wade, alongside Ruby Stokes, Rohan Campbell, Willow Kean, Kaleb Horn, and Natasha Henstridge. Created by Jesse McKeown (The Umbrella Academy) and filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, the limited series runs six episodes of roughly 40 minutes each — about four hours total, a single weekend binge.
Mackenzie Davis plays marine biologist Dr. Fonda Howander. Photo by JoshPopov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Is Below on Netflix Good? The Rotten Tomatoes Numbers So Far
The short answer: Below is a critic’s show that audiences are still arguing about — the score settled after an initial flawless 100%. Here is where things stand on Rotten Tomatoes right now:
| Rating source | Below score | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer | 84% | 38 critic reviews |
| Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter | 59% | 100+ audience ratings |
| Metacritic | 69 / 100 | 16 critics (“generally favorable”) |
For comparison, ScreenRant gave the series 5 out of 10, while Ready Steady Cut awarded 3.5 out of 5 and called Hartnett’s work perhaps the most mature leading-man performance of his career. Variety was among the most enthusiastic, blending praise for the show’s horror, suspense, and climate-crisis themes, and singling out episode 4, “The Ocean Will Have Us All,” as especially riveting.
Charlie Heaton plays Wade, the son of Hartnett’s Calvin Penney, in the six-episode series. Photo by JoshPopov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What the Reviews Agree On — and Where They Split
If critics agree on anything, it is Hartnett himself. Digital Spy praised his “charmingly ragged turn,” while The Verge‘s Andrew Webster called the series “surprisingly authentic and funny.” Tell-Tale TV found the heart of the story in its message that “community and family are worth fighting for, even if the thing you’re fighting is a giant sea creature.” The A.V. Club also liked the character-driven approach, noting that the short six-episode run mostly avoids streaming-drama bloat.
However, the reservations are consistent too. ScreenRant warned that the show’s identity crisis kicks in around the 60% mark, with the mystery drifting into Scooby-Doo territory as more villains pile in. Bloody Disgusting enjoyed the gorgeously shot Newfoundland setting but felt the creature-feature elements were familiar and that the final episodes abandon the horror waters almost entirely. Radio Times found the scares predictable but still compelling, calling Below “worth diving in” if you loved Widow’s Bay.
Why Audiences Are Less Convinced Than Critics
The gap between 84% (critics) and 59% (audience) is the real story of this release. First, the pacing: several reviewers flagged that the show loses steam toward the end, and early viewer reactions echo that the back half trades scares for melodrama. Second, the monster itself: the series shows its creature more than Spielberg ever did, and some viewers found the reveal less scary than the buildup. Third, accents and tone — even the friendliest reviews admit the cast’s Newfoundland dialects are shaky, and the sappy final note split audiences hard.
Chart-wise, the show still conquered. Below hit No. 1 on FlixPatrol’s worldwide Netflix TV chart on October 10, just two days after release — so millions of curious viewers are answering the “is it good” question for themselves right now.
The Verdict: Should You Watch Below on Netflix?
Below is worth your weekend if you want a fast, four-hour, spooky-season binge with a strong cast, a gorgeous Newfoundland backdrop, and a story about a fading fishing town, warming oceans, and corporate greed. Think Come From Away meets Jaws, with a little Stephen King dread on top — just do not go in expecting the scares to stay scary all the way through.
Jesse McKeown, creator of Netflix’s Below and a writer on The Umbrella Academy, developed the series from Newfoundland’s real history of floating houses. Photo by JoshPopov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Is There a Below Season 2?
Netflix ordered Below as a limited series, so a second season was never the plan — although reviewers noted the finale leaves the door ajar. Treat it as a self-contained six-episode story for now.
Related on The Celeb Watch: read our breakdown of the Mahershala Ali thriller that just hit 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, check the first-look photos from Miami Vice 85 with Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan, and see the rare Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte outing on the London Tube.
