Josh Hartnett and Mackenzie Davis in Below on Netflix.
Photo credit: Netflix
Netflix’s Newfoundland-set thriller Below has spent two consecutive weeks atop Netflix’s global English-language television chart, generating a reported 38.2 million equivalent full-series views between October 8 and 18. Its 21.2 million views in the second chart week set a new single-week record for a Canadian Netflix original title, according to the streamer.
The first period, October 8–11, covered four days and brought 17 million views. The second, October 12–18, covered seven days, making a direct comparison of the viewing pace misleading. The series’ international reach has also brought attention to its Newfoundland setting, where viewers have been discussing the accents, the portrayal of outport life and the ending, while local industry and tourism representatives consider what the exposure might bring.
The viewing figures have raised questions about whether Below could continue. As of October 22, Netflix has announced no second season, and creator Jesse McKeown has described the six episodes as a complete story. Star Josh Hartnett has also said there are no current plans, although he would be interested in returning to the role.
A Canadian Netflix record
Below debuted on October 8 with all six episodes released at once. Within its first four days, it had reached No. 1 on Netflix’s worldwide English-language TV ranking. Netflix said it topped the national chart in 53 countries and entered the Top 10 in 90, giving the production a reach far beyond its Newfoundland setting.
In the October 12–18 chart, Below remained No. 1 in English-language television with 86.4 million hours watched. The 21.2 million views calculated from those hours were the highest reported by Netflix for a Canadian original title in a single week.
Netflix calculates a “view” by dividing total hours watched by a title’s running time. The combined 38.2 million is therefore a standardized viewing measure across the two periods; it does not count individual people or establish how many viewers finished all six episodes.
Created by Canadian screenwriter McKeown, Below stars Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney, a fisherman trying to keep his family and the residents of Snooks Arm safe when a mysterious creature begins attacking the community. Mackenzie Davis plays marine researcher Fonda, and Charlie Heaton plays Calvin’s son Wade. The story draws on Newfoundland’s fishing history, outport resettlement and local folklore, with the six episodes moving from a family homecoming toward a confrontation at sea.
Newfoundland audiences recognize the details — and question some of them
Local reaction has been enthusiastic in some quarters and pointedly critical in others. Before the wider release, PictureNL executive Laura Churchill attended screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Majestic Theatre in St. John’s. Speaking to VOCM, Churchill said the Newfoundland audience responded to local references that might be less apparent to viewers elsewhere. She contrasted that experience with seeing the show introduce the province to an international festival audience.
Online discussions from people posting in the r/newfoundland community have been more varied. Some praised the opportunity to see familiar places and a production rooted in local traditions. Others felt the series leaned too heavily on drinking, fishing and familiar rural stereotypes. In one discussion, a viewer wondered whether the principal scientists were all meant to be outsiders, while commenters pointed out that some research characters appeared to be local. The argument was as much about the range of Newfoundlanders shown onscreen as about individual plot details.
Accents have prompted their own debate. Some commenters found the performances convincing enough, while others thought the speech wandered toward Irish accents or changed between scenes. The show had a Newfoundland dialect coach, Gander-born Alison Kelly, who explained to VOCM before its premiere that she deliberately combined features of several regional accents because the fictional Snooks Arm has no single real-world dialect to reproduce. That choice offers context for the performances, though viewers are entitled to disagree about the result.
Smaller details have prompted discussion as well, including an exchange about whether the way characters use iceberg ice in drinks matches local practice. These comments represent individual experiences and opinions, rather than a survey of viewers across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Critics and viewers have different reactions
Below has fared better with professional critics than with viewers rating it on Rotten Tomatoes. As of October 21, the review aggregator listed an 87 per cent critics’ score from 47 reviews, compared with a 52 per cent audience score drawn from more than 250 ratings. Those percentages reflect different groups and rating methods, so they should not be read as a scientific poll of the audience.
The critical response includes praise for the Newfoundland setting and the series’ willingness to connect its creature story with family tensions and a community facing economic uncertainty. Rebecca Onion of Slate was particularly enthusiastic about its local character; Ben Travers at IndieWire gave it a more qualified C+. Audience comments on Rotten Tomatoes and other discussion forums frequently separate the promising early episodes from a later story that some found increasingly difficult to follow. Others enjoyed the shift into full creature-feature territory and the way the finale resolved Calvin’s family story.
Attention for a growing Newfoundland industry
The series’ production was substantial for Newfoundland and Labrador. According to Netflix, filming took place over 75 days and involved more than 700 primary cast and crew members, over 425 daily hires and extras, and more than 650 vendors. The company estimates that the production contributed more than $90 million to the Canadian economy, with most of that benefit accruing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Those are Netflix’s economic-impact estimates, rather than an independent assessment.
Local participation extended into the onscreen details. Fishing for Success worked with the cast and crew on traditional fishing practices, while Newfoundland knitters, including those associated with NONIA, supplied wardrobe pieces. Memorial University marine biologist Annie Mercier advised on the creature’s biology, and the production used the Society of United Fishermen Lodge in Pouch Cove.
The wider provincial industry was already reporting record activity. According to a federal government profile of PictureNL, film and television production in Newfoundland and Labrador reached $149.5 million during the 2025–26 fiscal year, supporting more than 2,500 full-time employment opportunities. Those are province-wide figures covering multiple projects, including productions unrelated to Below.
The tourism discussion is less settled. The show’s publicity included a Times Square billboard featuring Hartnett and promoting Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as a Netflix map identifying filming locations. Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador welcomed the exposure, although no reported visitor-spending figures have established whether the series has increased travel to the province.
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador president Amy Coady has connected the attention to the infrastructure available in rural communities. In an October 19 VOCM report, she pointed to cell service, roads, water and sewer services, and accommodations as concerns for communities that may wish to welcome more visitors or film crews.
Could Below return for Season 2?
Warning: The following section discusses the series finale.
The ending gives viewers reasons to wonder about another story. Calvin and Wade return to the water and encounter more icebergs, while the Crocker family’s interest in acquiring land around Snooks Arm has hardly disappeared. The creature’s immediate story reaches a conclusion, but the pressures facing the community remain.
In an October 8 interview with TV Insider, McKeown said the final image had been part of his plan from the beginning. He wanted the series to have a beginning, middle and end while leaving some uncertainty about what comes next for the community. Executive producer Jessica Rhoades said the team had concentrated on making the six-episode story work, rather than developing a promised continuation.
Asked where the characters might go, McKeown suggested that the Crockers would probably renew their efforts to secure the land, potentially with a higher offer. He also questioned whether Calvin’s new business and improved relationship with his family would be enough to keep everyone in the community. Those were observations about the fictional characters’ possible futures, with no announcement of further episodes attached.
Hartnett has been similarly cautious about a second season. In an October 9 interview with Men’s Health, he said he knew of no plans to continue the series and that McKeown and the cast had moved on to other projects. He said he would welcome another chance to play Calvin if plans changed, adding, “For me, the door's not closed, but it's a limited series.” Hartnett also said a continuation was not in development at the time of the interview.
Netflix still identifies Below as a limited series, and no further episodes have been announced. The current six-episode story ends with possibilities for the people of Snooks Arm, but whether those possibilities become another production remains undecided.
