People are very split on Josh Hartnett’s new limited series below.
There has been significant buzz surrounding “Below” ever since the preview was released and for one very simple reason:
People like shows about mysterious monsters and a small town with deep secrets.
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Well, it was recently released, and it’s certainly drawing some interesting reactions.
Josh Hartnett stars in Netflix’s new miniseries “Below.” (© 2026 Netflix, Inc.)
“Below” draws mixed reactions.
Spoilers below.
The series focuses on a small fishing community in Canada that finds itself being absolutely terrorized by an unknown sea creature and a massive iceberg that mysteriously appears in the harbor.
I had the chance to bang it out over the course of a few days, and the main problem is that “Below” is essentially two different shows that play out over six episodes.
One track is a horror series about an unknown creature taking down boats and killing people. The second track is (possibly?) supposed to be an uplifting story about understanding nature.
Well, those two things don’t exactly naturally mix.
Charlie Heaton as Wade in episode 106 of Below. (Courtesy of Netflix)
The ending was also a bit of a strange choice. Right after a bow has been put on the situation, and the sea creature has been pushed off, the community discovers more massive chunks of ice that are nesting more violent monsters.
So, a limited series ends on a cliffhanger? Make that make sense. There are also plenty of reactions on Reddit, and it’s a very mixed bag:
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- Started off strong then just went downhill fast and if you watch till the end you know what I mean. I don’t want to spoil anything. But I was disappointed could have been so much better.
- An amazing concept. Totally ruined by introducing too many plot lines that were pointless or opened up and left alone without closure. This show had WAY too much going on. A miniseries ending on a “cliffhanger” is just ridiculous and just shows the writers couldn’t help themselves from throwing more and more and more random s— into their story
- It’s aight. Josh carries it.
- The first 3 episodes were so exciting, kept me hooked! I even started recommending it to others. But 4-6 were very mediocre, and made me lose interest, esp the Little Pot Rock side story that emerged from nowhere and ended nowhere. The bunch of icebergs they show at the end, do they signify more giant creatures emerging from the depths? I feel like it had such high potential to be a wonderful show but by ep 4 something went wrong.
- It’s a fun small-town vibe with a solid mystery (at first). They don’t stick the landing, though. The story takes some unjustified and downright bizarre turns. First four episodes are fun. Last two episodes are rough.
- I liked it a lot.
- I wanted it to be more spooky season vibe and it was just bad accents and a hectic plot.
- Yeah started very strong and then didn’t quite get as dark as I hoped, episode 5 was a bit strange. Overall I really enjoyed it, felt it was worth the watch but it didn’t quite go where I was hoping. Still a solid 8/10 for me. Held up by high production value and the intrigue.
- All-the-tropes into 6 episodes. It was ok. Some parts strained credulity when it otherwise tried to take itself seriously.
Here’s my breakdown of what went well and what did not with “Below.”
Pros:
- Outstanding acting from Josh Hartnett and Charlie Heaton.
- The first few episodes are really solid and set the tone for a great horror-mystery
- Cinematography is very well-done.
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Cons:
- Ending felt childish and then felt unnecessary with the cliffhanger.
- Accents got more annoying with every passing episode.
- The entire cult storyline was downright bizarre.
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BELOW. Josh Hartnett as Calvin in episode 101 of Below. (Cr. Jan Thijs/Netflix© 2025)
“Below” is probably worth watching if you have some free time and are interested in the genre. It’s a shame it couldn’t stick the landing and take what felt average and turn it into something outstanding. Have you already seen it? Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.