Below Netflix is bringing Josh Hartnett back to the small screen – and this time, there’s something lurking beneath the waters of Newfoundland.
The six-part thriller sees the Trap and Oppenheimer star trade Hollywood for a remote Canadian fishing community, where a mysterious sea creature begins wreaking havoc. And with Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton and Station Eleven’s Mackenzie Davis joining him, there’s plenty to get excited about ahead of its spooky-season arrival.
Even better for us, Below wasn’t simply set against Newfoundland’s dramatic coastline – the Netflix series actually filmed there, making the landscape a major part of the story.
Here’s everything we know about Below Netflix, from its story and cast to its release date and filming locations.
What is Below about?
Hartnett stars as Calvin Penney, a fisherman living in a small Newfoundland community who remains haunted by the mysterious death of his father decades earlier.
Things take a considerably darker turn when an unidentified sea creature begins terrorising his hometown. With his family and community under threat, Calvin teams up with visiting marine researcher Fonda Howander to work out exactly what is lurking beneath the water – and uncover secrets connected to the island along the way.
The series comes from creator and showrunner Jesse McKeown, whose previous credits include The Umbrella Academy and Canadian drama 19-2.
Rather than simply dropping a monster into an isolated coastal setting, McKeown wanted Newfoundland itself to be central to the story. The creator told Netflix’s Tudum that he has been visiting the province for years and had long wanted to set a project there, describing its landscape as rugged, isolated and at times frightening, while contrasting that with the warmth and humour of its communities.
Who is in the Below Netflix cast?
Josh Hartnett leads the Below Netflix cast as fisherman Calvin Penney, while Charlie Heaton plays his son Wade and Mackenzie Davis stars as marine researcher Fonda Howander.
Willow Kean plays Ruth Penney, Ruby Stokes is Mary Penney, Rohan Campbell plays Jay Penney, and Kaleb Horn stars as Noah. Netflix also lists Natasha Henstridge and Mary Walsh among the ensemble cast.
Behind the camera, McKeown serves as showrunner and executive producer, while Hartnett is also an executive producer. Episodes were directed by Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver and Stephen Dunn, with Karen Walton, Perry Chafe and Natty Zavitz joining McKeown on the writing team.
Where was Below filmed?
This is where Below Netflix gets particularly interesting for travellers: the series was filmed on location in Newfoundland, Canada, meaning the rugged coastal scenery you see on screen is the real deal.
The eastern Canadian province is known for its wild Atlantic coastline, colourful fishing communities, dramatic cliffs and enormous icebergs drifting south along the aptly named Iceberg Alley – all of which make a pretty spectacular backdrop for a story about something sinister emerging from the ocean.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s film commission, PictureNL, was involved with the production. CEO Laura Churchill said the province’s landscapes, local crews and storytelling traditions made it particularly well suited to a production of this scale.
Production reporting places filming in Newfoundland and Labrador between July and October 2025, giving the production several months on location.
It wasn’t exactly a case of staying safely on dry land. Speaking to Netflix, Heaton recalled filming out on the ocean and working alongside the Coast Guard, with the cast driving boats and kayaking as part of the production. Hartnett also immersed himself in the region before playing Calvin, listening to local radio and fishermen as he worked on the distinctive Newfoundland accent.
For Hartnett, filming somewhere so closely tied to the story also offered an introduction to a part of Canada he knew relatively little about beforehand.
All of that should make Newfoundland much more than a pretty backdrop when the series arrives – something McKeown appears to have intended from the beginning.
When is Below released on Netflix?
Not long to wait. All six episodes of Below arrive on Netflix on October 8, 2026, making the sea-creature thriller particularly well timed for Halloween viewing.
Netflix has already released the full trailer, which offers a much better look at the chaos heading Calvin’s way – including an ominous warning to stay away from the water and one particularly unsettling house disappearing beneath it.
Is Below a limited series?
Yes. Netflix describes Below as a six-episode limited series, so the mystery is currently presented as a single contained story rather than the beginning of an ongoing multi-season drama.
Of course, we’ll have to wait until October to find out exactly what is hiding beneath Newfoundland’s waters – and whether it leaves any room for more.