Netflix enjoyed a hot start to the month of October. Two new shows landed to open up the month, with the first being a huge hit, only to be dethroned by the second. Headlined by Florence Pugh, the adaptation of East of Eden collected 6.5 million views in just four days to climb to the top of the weekly TV chart.
A week later, Below arrived. Starring Josh Hartnett, the Newfoundland-set thriller joins a crew of fishermen as they look to uncover the mysteries of an ancient, mythical threat that awaits beneath the waves. Given its theme and setting, it’s not a surprise that Below was able to enjoy such a hot start.
Catching the Wave at Just the Right Time
A fair few recent productions have decided to take inspiration from fishing. One of the headline acts of this wave of interest in the activity swims in online gaming circles. The many Big Bass Bonanza slots remain a dominant force in this pool thanks to the first game popularising the now-commonplace fishing free spins feature.
It’s in this game mode that players can potentially catch the fish carrying cash values, with a sequence of catches helping to level up the round with more spins and multipliers. Online casino gaming isn’t the only place that fishing is finding a crowd, though, with film and TV long having an eye on casting a line.
Some early viewers of Below cited Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay as being quite similar in its experience, being based on the harbour. Around those, we’ve got several popular fishing shows, like Grand Fishing Adventures and Gone Fishing, jumping into the spaces left by re-run favourites like Wicked Tuna, River Monsters, and Extreme Fishing.
To Catch a Great Sea Monster
On 8 October, all six episodes of the mini-series Below hit Netflix. Just a couple of days later, Hartnett’s thriller leapt past East of Eden to make it to the top spot. Given the figures that led to East of Eden topping the charts and how recently it was released, it’d be fair to assume that Below hauled in a mighty audience at launch.
Fishing is at the core of the premise of the show. It takes place in a fishing village in Newfoundland, complete with a burly crew of fishermen just looking to catch their fish, get home to the warmth, rinse, and repeat. The hook of the show is that they find themselves up against a supernatural threat that continues to torment the local area.
While many critics have cited it as less than a five-out-of-five, those who put it down as a four- or even a three-star show still praise its run. It’ll be hailed as chaotic and even ridiculous, but also as a lot of fun in the same review. Many are also looking to see if a second season will come along, but as it stands, there aren’t plans for another run.
The immediate success of Below has only furthered the excellent start to October that Netflix is enjoying right now. With Halloween capping off the month, you can bet that even more people will be flocking to the streamer to enjoy its library over the coming weeks.
