Netflix's mythical suspense thriller Below has quickly become the streaming service's most-watched series since its release this week, but viewers have been left distracted by the cast's accents, with many deeming them as “laughable”.
The show revolves around stubborn fisherman Calvin Penney, played by Josh Hartnett, who spots an unidentified sea creature that starts terrorising his hometown. In a bid to keep his close-knit community and his son Wade (Charlie Heaton) safe, Calvin teams up with a visiting marine researcher to confront the creature before it's too late.
What is the accent in Below on Netflix?
Below was filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, so the accent in the show is Newfoundland. But it is the accent itself that has continued to distract fans, with many flocking to X to mock the stars' attempts as well as express their confusion.
“What the hell accent is that?!” someone simply exclaimed. A second echoed: “Love the premise & the cast.. BUT the fake accent is triggering me.” Someone else remarked: “The show Below is doing real good with the newfoundland accents I KEEP LAUGHING.”
Fans react to the accents
A fellow user said: “Just started watching Below on Netflix. The Newfie accents are f****** laughable”, as another added: “Josh Hartnett's Newfoundland accent is noticeably bad especially when his scene partners are local.”
While speaking to Extra TV, Hartnett praised co-star Heaton for his accent from the very beginning, as he shared: “When we did our first reading of the show, Charlie wasn't even in the country yet.
“And he came on screen in front of us in the conference room and had his accent down flat and none of us were even brave enough to try it at that point, all the rest of us in the room. I was very impressed. And you [Heaton] had all this energy and was also apologising and I'm like 'Don't! Go, go, go.' You were killing it.”
Below is available to watch on Netflix.
