While the similarities between Netflix’s hit horror show Below and an earlier viral hit series from 2026 were a little overblown, there is one bizarrely striking coincidental link between them. Throughout the history of TV and movies, there have been innumerable instances of similar projects arriving at the same time by virtue of pure coincidence or, as it is also known, “parallel thinking.”
This occurs when the creators of two unrelated movies or shows have similar ideas around the same time, resulting in two strikingly similar but unconnected projects arriving in quick succession. While shows like Disney’s Wednesday copycat Coven Academy are the result of creators actively trying to build on the success of another series, the fact that, for example, the serial killer thriller The Following and the Hannibal Lecter series Hannibal began airing within a few weeks of each other is just an unlikely coincidence.
The same thing happened more recently when, after the success of Apple TV’s deadpan horror comedy Widow’s Bay in April 2026, Netflix’s sci-fi horror Below arrived in October of the same year. Both Widow’s Bay and Below focused on strange, unexplained horrors invading a small, remote seaside community, causing havoc for the isolated and already economically deprived population. Not only that, but there was another even more specific link between the two shows.
Netflix’s Below & Widow’s Bay Both Have Widower Protagonists
Matthew Rhys’s beleaguered mayor Tom Loftis is a widower in the aptly titled Widow’s Bay, and his grief over his wife’s untimely death plays a major role in the show’s story. Meanwhile, Josh Hartnett’s fisherman Calvin Penney is also a widower in Below, and this worsens his struggle to provide for his family. Although there are differences between the two shows, this particular story choice is a remarkably specific grace note shared by the two shows.
To be fair, the script for Widow’s Bay had been around for over a decade, according to creator Kate Dippold’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter, before the show finally happened. Meanwhile, Below‘s creator told Gizmodo he had no idea Widow’s Bay existed until after the Netflix show wrapped. Once Below creator Jesses McKeown saw promotional materials for the Apple TV series, he breathed a sigh of relief, since the tonal differences between Below and Widow’s Bay were immediately obvious.
Below is a limited series, whereas Widow’s Bay ends on a cliffhanger that directly sets up a second season. Similarly, despite some hints at potential supernatural elements, Below is firmly a sci-fi thriller where Widow’s Bay is an explicitly paranormal horror story. Even the way that Below and Widow’s Bay handle their respective widowers highlights their differences. Widow’s Bay’s Tom is a lonely, distant father of one older teen, and his comparatively stable job is contrasted with the rest of the island’s financial hardship.
Below’s Widow’s Bay Comparisons Are A Bizarre Coincidence
In contrast, Below’s Calvin is a busy, overworked father who struggles to provide for his numerous kids, but remains close to all of them. This comparison alone, along with the eventual explanation of Below’s sci-fi-style monstrous threat, proves that the Netflix show is more like a mix of The Thing and Jaws, while Widow’s Bay is far closer to Parks and Recreation meets Midnight Mass, Salem’s Lot, or another Mike Flanagan/ Stephen King small town supernatural horror.
However, with all of these tonal differences and distinctions in mind, the similarities between the two projects still seem even stranger. After all, here are two shows that don’t have the same style, genre, or story in common. As such, the odds of both Widow’s Bay and Below sharing isolated seaside settings, unexplained monsters, aging widower protagonists, and a focus on a small town’s financial struggles really is a weird coincidence.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
- Release Date
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2026 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Jesse McKeown
