Below Devours Netflix’s Canadian Debut Record — 17 Million Views in Four Days

You know that cold prickle when the water goes glassy-still and every instinct you own starts screaming swim? You’re on a dock in a Newfoundland outport, the fog is doing its thick theatrical thing, and somewhere under the black water, something enormous just turned toward you. Welcome to Below, fiends — and business is thrashing.

Netflix’s sea-creature limited series just devoured a record: Below pulled 17 million views in its first four days (October 8–11), the most-viewed debut ever for a Canadian title on Netflix. Deadline’s Katie Campione first reported it October 13, What’s on Netflix logged roughly 69.3 million hours viewed, and Netflix’s own Tudum confirmed the Canadian-debut record.

It didn’t just make a splash — it caused a riptide. Below seized #1 on Netflix’s global English TV chart for the week of October 5–11, leaving East of Eden (12.6M) and Disney+’s Percy Jackson (4.1M) floundering in its wake.

Josh Hartnett stars as Calvin Penney, a stubborn fisherman in coastal Snooks Arm, who teams with marine biologist Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis) when a giant sea creature starts terrorizing the town. Charlie Heaton, Rohan Campbell, Ruby Stokes, Willow Kean, and Kaleb Horn co-star. It’s a monster month for streaming horror — Mike Flanagan’s Carrie just conquered Prime Video — and Below is riding the wave.

Filmed in Newfoundland (Bay Bulls, Brigus South), Jesse McKeown’s six-episode series premiered two episodes at TIFF September 10, then washed ashore on Netflix October 8. Billed as a limited series — one-and-done, no season 2 announced. And if inescapable towns are your thing, FROM hits Netflix October 19.

Full disclosure, up front: your host hasn’t dove into all six episodes just yet — but with numbers this monstrous, Below just torpedoed to the top of the watchlist.

Watch the Trailer

Quick Specs

• Below (2026) — six-episode Netflix limited series by Jesse McKeown
• Cast: Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Rohan Campbell, Ruby Stokes, Willow Kean, Kaleb Horn
• Filmed in Newfoundland; TIFF premiere Sept 10; Netflix Oct 8
• Record: 17M views in 4 days — biggest Canadian Netflix debut ever

Harper’s Extras

• Hartnett learned the Newfoundland accent from a local fishermen’s radio station (per Tudum).
• The trailer opens with a house towed across the sea — then dragged under. Rude. (per Tudum)
• Heaton prepped in St. John’s bars, where his driver offered to bring supper around (per Tudum).

So here’s your dare, fiends: stream all six episodes with the lights on — and stay out of the water after dark. Actually, just stay out of the water. Keep it locked on Think Horror.