Netflix’s Biggest Sci-Fi Creature Feature Could Succeed Where Apple TV+’s ‘Monarch’ Fell Short

Published Jul 31, 2026, 6:34 PM EDT Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism. A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture. On November 17, 2023, Apple TV+'s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters proved there's an audience for prestige giant monster television, especially with a star-studded cast including Kurt Russell, his son Wyatt Russell and Anna Sawai. But while the series did achieve success, its emphasis on franchise mythology over creature action left some viewers wanting more. That's why Netflix's upcoming thriller Below, which premieres on October 8, 2026, could be the perfect replacement. The series, starring Josh Hartnett and created by Jesse McKeown, will swap Monarch's globe-spanning lore for a small Newfoundland town haunted by a mysterious sea creature. By doing so, the series will have the opportunity to deliver a focused, suspenseful monster story that caters to giant monster fiction and thriller fans alike. What Will 'Below' Be About? In Below, Hartnett stars as a "big-hearted but stubborn" fisherman named Calvin Penney, who is living a quiet life in a small Newfoundland town while still grappling with the tragic and mysterious death of his father decades prior. Part suspense-filled thriller and part family drama, the series follows his character as he tries to protect his family and his community when an unknown sea creature surfaces near the town to terrify its residents. His only hope is a visiting marine biologist named Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis), whom he joins to learn more about the animal and the island's dark secrets to prevent further tragedy. In the trailer for the series, it opens with a warm familial atmosphere within Calvin's town. He can't imagine living anywhere else, between the idyllic setting, the tight-knit community, and the happiness of his wife and kids. But as sweet reunions take place in the tight-knit community, the cozy feeling is replaced by an oppressive, haunting air hanging over them all. "There's something out there," Calvin says in a voice-over, "It's coming." In one of the last moments of the trailer, Calvin, like Martin Brody in Jaws, struggles to make everyone aware of the danger and keep them out of the water. "Everybody back from the water," he shouts. The cast of Below also includes Charlie Heaton, Willow Kean, Ruby Stokes, Rohan Campbell and Kaleb Horn. 'Below' Could Fix 'Monarch's Biggest Weaknesses Image via Netflix While it is certainly too early to assert anything about Below as fact, the series' synopsis delivers an exciting premise. After all, one of the biggest criticisms surrounding Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was that, despite being set in the MonsterVerse, it seemed more interested in its sprawling human drama than the Titans themselves. So while the series earned praise for expanding the franchise's mythology and delivering impressive visual effects, many viewers felt its dual timelines, multiple family storylines, and emphasis on world-building slowed the pacing and kept the giant creatures offscreen for long stretches. "All the interpersonal stuff seems rather… well, small compared to the existence of walking, dinosaur-shaped atomic bombs," wrote one review on Rotten Tomatoes. "Adding a more human element to the MonsterVerse is a nice touch, but Monarch suffers from overwrought melodrama and occasional cringe-inducing dialogue," echoed another review. "We also don’t get enough monsters." In the trailer for Below, however, the series seems to be avoiding those pitfalls entirely. Instead of juggling a globe-spanning mythology, the six-episode series centers on a single isolated Newfoundland fishing town, where a mysterious sea creature is intrinsically linked to the community's secrets and one family's past. That narrower, more focused scope means that the creature will be the heart of the story rather than feeling like an occasional interruption, while the show's horror-driven approach promises sustained tension instead of a sprawling franchise setup. If Below succeeds in making its monster an essential part of every twist rather than simply the payoff, it could deliver the focused creature feature experience that some viewers felt Monarch never fully embraced. With that said, while there are still a few weeks until Below lands on Netflix, the series certainly has the potential to not only become a Netflix hit, but to deliver a suspenseful and carefully constructed giant monster drama. With Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' positive and negative reviews in mind, the series could also succeed in the many of the ways the 2023 Apple TV show fell short, and finally provide a thriller that delivers on drama, tension, family history, and, of course, plenty of giant monster action. Release Date October 8, 2026 Network Netflix Showrunner Jesse McKeown Directors Jamie Childs, Stephen Dunn, Helen Shaver Writers Perry Chafe, Jesse McKeown, Karen Walton, Natty Zavitz Cast Rohan Campbell Jay Penney