Josh Hartnett’s Intense 6-Part Deep-Sea Thriller Is a Streaming Juggernaut in 76 Countries

Josh Hartnett’s new Netflix series, Below, set in Newfoundland and following a deep-sea mystery, is dominating Netflix charts. According to FlixPatrol, the 6-part miniseries is number one in 76 countries worldwide and is in the top 10 global charts in other countries. The show was only released on October 8, 2026. It was created by The Umbrella Academy writer Jesse McKeown.

According to FlixPatrol’s chart for October 11, the series is the top TV show in 76 countries, spanning the United States, Britain, Brazil, Germany, France, and beyond. Hartnett now fronts a theatrical hit this month, making this a rare double win for an actor in the middle of a notable comeback right now. 

Josh Hartnett’s Below Rules Netflix Within Two Days of Release

Josh Hartnett in Below | Credits: Netflix

FlixPatrol ranks the streaming numbers on Netflix in 93 countries, and ranking at the top in 76 of them is no small feat. Below reached number one in the United States within just two days of release and has been on the top 10 global charts in other countries like Argentina, Indonesia, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The small-town mystery is set in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, where Josh Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, a fisherman. The series has received great reviews so far, with Rotten Tomatoes putting the critics’ score at 82% and the audience score at 61%. Below also holds first place on the worldwide TV list with 883 points. East of Eden, which stars Hartnett’s Oppenheimer co-star, Florence Pugh, follows with 605. 

Small-town mysteries are always a hit on streamers, with Netflix’s own Stranger Things revolutionizing things for the streamer. This year’s Widow’s Bay, for Apple TV, won big at the Emmys, and it was also a small-town horror mystery. Halloween season might have also piqued the interest of viewers who wanted to get their scaries on.

Creator McKeown revealed that he was interested in setting a show in Newfoundland after he visited the province multiple times and found the dark, unsettling vibe ripe with potential (via Netflix).

I’ve been coming to Newfoundland for many years, and it’s become a part of my life. I just always felt like I wanted to set something here, that this would be a great place for something big and something kind of epic. It’s such a unique landscape and such a rugged, dangerous, isolated, scary place in a lot of ways.

The show sees Hartnett’s Penney team up with a marine biologist, Dr. Fonda Howander, to confront a deep-sea lurking creature that has terrorized his town for ages. He also has a dark past, where his father disappeared at sea.

Josh Hartnett Continues His October Streak with Below

Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway in Verity | Credits: Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures Releasing

Josh Hartnett’s success with Below continues a streak for the actor in October. Just last week, he saw the release of the psychological erotic thriller, Verity, and it had a spectacular opening. The Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson starrer earned $32.7 million on its opening weekend in North American markets and $62.5 million worldwide (via Deadline). It beat out Tom Cruise’s Digger, which had the star’s lowest opening in 19 years.

It is a much-deserved career resurgence for Hartnett, who has been a heartthrob since his Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down Days. The actor has been experimenting with his career with interesting supporting roles in the past few years. He was part of the large ensemble cast of Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, and he led M. Night Shyamalan’s serial killer drama, Trap.

Josh Hartnett seemed to have predicted Below’s success early, as he even joined the behind-the-scenes team as an executive producer. Talking about the uniqueness of the story, Hartnett told Netflix that he got through the first two scripts of the show in under an hour.

I read the first two scripts in less than an hour. The voice was so clear, the concept was so engaging, and the character was fantastic. I’d never read anything like it before. I had never read anything that was set in Newfoundland before. I didn’t understand the long history of Newfoundland being its own country and having its own dialect and its own very specific ancestry.

Few actors have had the insane month he has had in October (and we are only 10 days in). It is interesting to see where the actor goes from here, as he has one movie lined up, White Lies, which is directed by the legendary Oliver Stone.

Have you watched Below yet? Comment your thoughts.