Missing Stranger Things? Netflix’s Stephen King-Esque mystery thriller is officially described as the perfect replacement

Let's be honest, when Stranger Things finally wrapped up on New Year's Eve 2025, Netflix suddenly felt a bit emptier. The Duffer Brothers' mega-hit had been the streamer's great comfort watch for nearly a decade, so naturally, everyone started hunting for a series that could fill that nostalgia-horror hole. Netflix tried a few things—shows like The Boroughs in particular were blatantly riffing on the retro vibes. But now, they're pushing something else as their next big supernatural event: a new limited series called Below, due to land on October 8th.

Into the Deep: Below on Netflix

This time around, we're headed to Newfoundland, which is not your typical small-town America for a genre like this. The premise: after a violent run-in with some sort of monstrous sea creature, a fisherman named Calvin—played by Josh Hartnett, who's having quite the genre resurgence himself—goes full protective mode over his family and their seaside community. It's a miniseries, so expect it all to wrap by the end, no agonising multi-year cliffhangers.

Below releases on Netflix 8 October 2026.

Charlie Heaton fans might want to pay attention here. He's swapped Hawkins, Indiana for the windswept Canadian coast, playing Calvin's son Wade. If you think this sounds strangely familiar, you aren't wrong—Heaton basically spent five seasons of Stranger Things playing the quiet, overlooked brother determined to keep his family together while monsters crawled out of the woodwork. Now he's on the other end of that dynamic, but still very much in the thick of family drama and otherworldly terror. Clearly the man has a type.

Stranger (Fishy) Things

Heaton himself is pretty open about why he keeps ending up in these sorts of projects. Here's how he put it in an interview with ScreenRant, discussing the similarities between his last and current gigs:

Clearly, I just can't get enough. Yeah, there are nods and themes that I think translate, and I think if you are a fan, it's the genre, isn't it? So, if you're a fan, in some ways, it's [the same] genre. They marry each other quite well, I think.

The formula is all there: tiny towns, residents poking at things they really shouldn't, horror bubbling up from beneath the surface (sometimes literally, in this case). Below is trading bikes and demogorgons for trawlers and aquatic nasties, but the DNA is frankly obvious. If you enjoyed how Stranger Things handled its weird family units facing down unspeakable monsters, you'll probably find this well within your wheelhouse.

The Cast

• Josh Hartnett as Calvin, the fisherman and patriarch fighting to shield his family
• Charlie Heaton as Wade, Calvin's son

No word yet on whether Below plans any bonkers plot twists on par with Stranger Things' later seasons, but if the on-screen chemistry between Hartnett and Heaton delivers, expect plenty of fraught father-son moments to go with your horror setpieces. There's only so many ways you can skin a supernatural cat, but with the genre working so well for Netflix in the past, they'd be daft not to try again—especially with this pairing up front.