Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Josh Hartnett’s Below Turns Sea Monster Horror Into Climate Thriller
Below is a thriller about a family living in a small Newfoundland town.
Josh Hartnett plays Calvin, who has carried painful memories about his father for many years.
When strange things happen in the water, Calvin and a scientist try to understand what is going on.
A mysterious sea creature is part of the danger.
The town is also struggling as fishing declines and resources become scarce.
The show asks how people react when their home and way of life begin to change.
It mixes scares with a story about family, grief and survival.
The review says it is gripping, though Hartnett’s accent sometimes sounds less convincing.
Netflix’s six-episode thriller Below stars Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney, a widower in Newfoundland.
The story follows Calvin’s family and the town of Snook’s Arm as strange events emerge from the water.
A mysterious sea creature and an enormous iceberg are linked to disturbing changes in the community.
The series explores climate change, declining fishing, limited resources, human greed and family grief.
The review praises the show’s atmosphere and brisk pace, while noting Hartnett’s Newfoundland accent sometimes feels unconvincing.
- Who
- Calvin Penney, played by Josh Hartnett, his family, and scientist Dr Fonda Howander, played by Mackenzie Davis.
- What
- A six-episode thriller about strange events in the water, a mysterious sea creature, and a community facing environmental and social decline.
- When
- The story begins in 1986 and follows Calvin roughly 40 years later.
- Where
- Snook’s Arm, Newfoundland; the story also begins as Calvin’s family moves from Little Pot Rock.
- Why
- The events prompt Calvin and Fonda to investigate what is happening in the water as the town confronts environmental change and a threatened way of life.
Hold on to home
Accept change
The town’s future
Hold on to home
Calvin refuses to give up on Snook’s Arm and tries to protect his family and home.
Accept change
The younger generation sees little left to hold on to as fishing declines and resources become limited.
Responding to crisis
Hold on to home
The series depicts people trying to survive and preserve their community amid unsettling changes.
Accept change
The review highlights how greed and resistance to change can worsen the consequences of environmental decline.
- Series
- Below
- Platform
- Netflix
- Format
- Six episodes, each 45 minutes or less
- Lead actor
- Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney
- Scientist
- Dr Fonda Howander, played by Mackenzie Davis
- Setting
- Snook’s Arm, Newfoundland
- Key themes
- Environmental decline, greed, family grief and survival