Netflix’s Below has a clear review-score gap: Rotten Tomatoes currently lists an 82% Tomatometer from 34 critic reviews and a 60% Popcornmeter from more than 100 audience ratings. That 22-point difference helps explain why the Newfoundland-set creature thriller can look like a critical success while leaving some viewers unconvinced. These scores are a snapshot and can change as more reviews and ratings arrive.
The divide makes more sense when you consider what critics and viewers may be measuring. Critics often weigh atmosphere, performances, craft, originality, and themes. Viewers deciding whether to binge six episodes may care more about suspense, character attachment, pacing, and whether the finale rewards their time. Below is ambitious, but its execution is uneven enough to frustrate people who mainly want a tightly plotted monster story.
What do the current Rotten Tomatoes scores mean?
At the time of checking, Rotten Tomatoes lists 82% from 34 critic reviews and 60% from more than 100 audience ratings. The Tomatometer measures the share of counted professional reviews marked positive; the Popcornmeter reflects audience ratings. An 82% score does not mean every critic gave the series an 8.2 out of 10.
The gap is real, but a 60% audience score is mixed-to-positive rather than proof that audiences universally reject the show. The number of audience ratings is modest compared with a long-running series, so the score may move as more people finish the episodes and submit ratings.
Why critics respond to Below’s atmosphere
The series places a supernatural threat inside a struggling Newfoundland fishing community, where family history, local identity, economic uncertainty, and the sea are inseparable. The isolated coastline gives the story a distinctive mood, and the creature premise blends maritime folklore with environmental unease.
Rotten Tomatoes’ first-review roundup describes a fresh angle on creature horror, with Hartnett’s performance and the setting standing out even as some critics question the pacing. The Guardian’s review calls the series ridiculous but entertaining, while arguing that its climate-change ideas are too faint to compete with the louder monster-movie elements. That helps explain a strong critic score without suggesting that reviewers agree on every detail.
Why some viewers are less convinced
The same ingredients that make Below unusual can also make it a difficult sell. Its six-episode structure leaves room for local characters and social themes, but several reviews argue that the middle and later episodes lose momentum. Viewers expecting every episode to raise the danger or deliver a satisfying clue may see community disputes and eccentric personalities as detours.
The creature creates another challenge. A mystery can be frightening when viewers only glimpse the threat and do not understand its limits. As a series explains more about the monster, the danger can become less mysterious. Even viewers who enjoy the effects may feel the final stretch does not sustain the tension established at the beginning.
Climate anxiety and corporate power add another fault line
Below gestures toward climate anxiety and the power struggles threatening small communities. The mysterious ice and creature suggest that changes in the natural world can have consequences residents neither control nor fully understand. Relocation pressure turns survival into something more complicated than defeating a monster.
For some critics, those ideas add substance to the genre premise. Others argue that the series raises them without developing them enough for the emotional payoff to land. Viewers seeking a sharp environmental allegory may be disappointed when the story returns to creature-feature spectacle; viewers looking for uncomplicated horror may wonder why it pauses for political and family conflicts. The show’s ambitions do not always reinforce one another.
Is Josh Hartnett the reason to keep watching?
Hartnett’s performance is one of the most consistent points of praise. Calvin is a grieving fisherman trying to protect his family and keep his town from losing its future. Hartnett gives him a grounded center even when the surrounding story becomes strange. But a strong lead performance cannot fix every structural issue if viewers are not invested in the supporting characters or find the plot hard to follow.
Charlie Heaton’s restless Wade and Mackenzie Davis’s scientist Fonda bring different energies to the story, though reviews disagree about how fully the series develops the people around Calvin.
Watch the Below trailer
The trailer gives a quick sense of the show’s mix of coastal mystery, family conflict, and creature horror. Expect an offbeat small-town thriller rather than a purely realistic drama or nonstop scares.
Is Below worth watching despite the mixed reactions?
Yes, if you enjoy atmospheric creature features, unusual coastal settings, and horror that mixes scares with family and community drama. The series has enough personality to stand apart from generic monster shows, and Hartnett gives it a strong center. If your priority is airtight plotting, consistently escalating suspense, or a fully developed climate-change message, you may share the reservations reflected in the lower audience score.
The fairest reading is not that critics are right and audiences are wrong. They can be responding to different strengths and weaknesses: critics have recognized the atmosphere and performances, while the more modest audience score suggests the pacing, tonal shifts, and story payoff do not work for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
What is Below’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
When checked on October 11, 2026, Below had an 82% Tomatometer from 34 critic reviews and a 60% Popcornmeter from more than 100 audience ratings. These figures can change.
Why do critics rate Below higher than audiences?
Critics have highlighted the atmosphere, Newfoundland setting, and Hartnett’s performance. More mixed audience reactions may reflect concerns about pacing, character development, tonal shifts, and the resolution of the monster and environmental themes.
How many episodes does Below have?
Below is a six-episode limited series on Netflix, released on October 8, 2026.
Where can I check the latest ratings?
Check the Rotten Tomatoes series page for the latest critic and audience scores.
Sources
- Rotten Tomatoes: Below series scores
- Rotten Tomatoes: Below First Reviews
- The Guardian: Below review
- The Daily Beast: Below review
- Netflix Tudum: Below trailer and series information
By Shivam Das
