That started behind the scenes as the cast and crew engaged in Newfoundland and Labrador’s most famous tradition. Visitors, who they called CFAs (or Come from Aways—this is also where Broadway hit musical draws its name), get “screeched in” by kissing a cod to become honorary citizens. So they all went to St. John’s Christian’s Pub to pucker up. “The guy there is such a great character, and he has a routine and speech that’s very entertaining,” Fréchette says.
When it came to filming locations, the remote regions posed practical challenges, so the majority of the sets were built by production, a joy for Fréchette, who was trained as an architect. “I was stunned by the humble architecture, built by boat owners and builders,” he says of the homes’ low ceilings. “The structures are very endearing and make you think of a boat, so I wanted to follow that thread.”
That’s also what helped root the fantastical storyline into reality. “This was vernacular architecture—architecture without architects—just following the needs of the people out of survival, and I found that so beautiful,” he says. “So I really tried to mimic what I was seeing all around me that survived the decades.”
And it’s clearly had an effect on audiences. According to data provided by Booking.com, not only have searches for the province’s capital of St. John’s risen 16.9% by Americans on the platform compared to last year, but the coastal town of Twillingate, home to the floating icebergs, has skyrocketed 123.7%.
Here, Fréchette shares the filming locations from the popular Netflix series Below.
BELOW. Willow Kean as Ruth in episode 104 of Below. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix© 2026Courtesy of Netflix
