Netflix has just released a new series starring Josh Hartnett where he must do battle with a sea creature to protect his town. And it’s good.
Netflix
We are living in a Josh Hartnett renaissance at the moment, with the actor starring in the critically-hated but audience-loved Verity this past weekend, the Colleen Hoover adaptation that has put up great box office numbers. Now, Hartnett is starring in Netflix’s best new show of the week, Below.
Below is a limited series starring Hartnett, Blade Runner 2049’s Mackenzie Davis and Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton. It has a solid 82% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, which in this day and age, can absolutely be considered a success for a Netflix original series. The concept is certainly not quite what I was expecting:
“When a mysterious sea creature starts terrorizing a coastal town, a fisherman must fight to protect his family and his community’s vanishing way of life.”
I have not seen the show yet, so I don’t know exactly what the sea creature is. I have to assume it’s not a shark and we’re not just doing Jaws here. A giant octopus? A giant squid? A kraken? That big starfish from Suicide Squad? I suppose we have to watch to find out.
It’s a very good cast. Hartnett has been doing well lately, appearing in the Emmy-winning The Bear and playing a significant role in the Oscar-dominating Oppenheimer. And I don’t care if no one liked Trap. I liked Trap and he was awesome in it.
I’m also a huge fan of Mackenzie Davis. Yes, she had a great supporting role in Blade Runner, but mainly because of her work in both Halt and Catch Fire and Station Eleven, two of the best, most overlooked shows in the last ten years or so. Charlie Heaton I only know from Stranger Things and a brief spin on Industry. He’s fine, I guess.
Below was created by Jesse McKeown, who wrote a number of episodes of The Umbrella Academy, The Sinner and 19-2. All in all, good creator with a good cast, and solid reviews so far. Here’s a sampling:
Collider – “By the time you’ve concluded your own visit to Below, you might not be tempted to return, but you won’t regret spending a weekend there.”
The Verge – “Below is also surprisingly authentic and funny; anyone who has been to the East Coast will feel right at home when they see a bucket of salt beef or the dreaded screech.”
Funny, huh? Are we doing a Widow’s Bay here, perhaps? Well, it’s not getting those levels of reviews, certainly. One piece of good news here is that this is a miniseries and will not end on a cliffhanger, so no worries about Netflix cancelling it, as it often does with new shows. I’m going to watch just to see what the sea creature is.
Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Leave a comment