Josh Hartnett in Below Episode 6 Image via Netflix By Carly Lane Published Oct 8, 2026, 3:01 AM EDT Carly Lane is an Atlanta-based writer and critic who has been with Collider in some form or fashion since 2021. She considers herself a television nerd, diehard romance/sci-fi/fantasy reader, and nascent horror lover. Her fondness of books is only eclipsed by the towering TBR that her shelves can't possibly contain. She is the author of A REGENCY GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE: 1800s ADVICE ON 21ST CENTURY LOVE, FRIENDS, FUN AND MORE , published through DK Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and currently available wherever books are sold. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap For many, the possibility of what's really beneath the water is a terrifying notion, so it's hardly surprising that deep-sea threats have fueled countless horror and thriller stories over the years. From Jaws to The Meg , Creature from the Black Lagoon to Underwater , these tales of unknown perils lurking fathoms deep are all rooted in what could finally come to the surface and make themselves known to the unsuspecting characters who believe they're safe on land.
Some of these hover more decisively in the category of "creature feature," where an oversized fish, bordering on monster status, is willing to defend its territory by any means necessary. Others are more wrapped up in psychological horrors, where fears rooted in very real anxieties prove more unsettling than anything the ocean itself could birth. Jesse McKeown 's new Netflix thriller, Below , combines both of these concepts, using the ominous threat of a mysterious sea creature to offer a quieter examination of family, legacy, and community. Its refreshingly brisk run of six episodes — all of which were provided for review — means the series never overstays its welcome, but it also results in the story only going so deep into its most intriguing themes.
Calvin Penney ( Josh Hartnett ) is a consummate fisherman who hails from generations of the same , steadfast in his convictions and dedicated to providing a comfortable life for his family in the remote Newfoundland town of Snook's Arm. His humble existence hasn't come without loss, though, starting with the death of his father decades prior, which he himself witnessed at a young age. By present day, Calvin is a widower and father to three children — Mary ( Ruby Stokes ), who's sought a bigger life beyond her small-town upbringing; Jay ( Rohan Campbell ), whose reckless ways with money are starting to have dangerous consequences; and Wade ( Charlie Heaton ), who's remained in Snook's Arm with the hope of one day becoming his father's right-hand fisherman.
Even though his kids are now essentially grown-ups themselves, Calvin alternates between trying to let them chart their own path and not wanting them to forget their roots. To a point, that might be impossible when Snook's Arm is small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business; in addition to Calvin's sister, Ruth ( Willow Kean ), who also happens to be the town's harbormaster, the locals give the adage "it takes a village" whole new meaning .
The 'Below' team also reveals the bizarre true story that inspired the series.
When a massive iceberg drifts in from the Arctic, it seems like the…