'The Altruists' sets Netflix release date as Julia Garner’s new drama revisits the FTX scandal
In 'The Altruists', even romance sounds like a calculation. “Going all-in is the only mathematically optimal strategy,” Julia Garner’s Caroline Ellison says in the trailer. Anthony Boyle plays Sam Bankman-Fried, whose financial ambitions become entangled with their relationship. Netflix’s drama follows the pair through the rise and collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
The eight-episode limited series premieres November 19 on Netflix. All episodes will arrive together, giving viewers the entire story at launch. The streamer released the trailer, introducing the people behind the business and the relationship at its center. Garner and Boyle lead a cast that includes Alex Lawther, Karan Soni and Matt Rife.
The official logline describes Bankman-Fried and Ellison as “two hyper-smart, ambitious young idealists who tried to remake the global financial system in the blink of an eye — before they were accused of stealing $8 billion.”
Bankman-Fried founded FTX in 2019. Ellison led Alameda Research, the trading firm affiliated with the exchange, and was also his girlfriend. Their overlapping personal and professional lives form the basis of the drama. FTX went under in late 2022, turning the exchange’s collapse into a scandal that drew attention far beyond cryptocurrency.
The series also explores moments beyond the public record. In Tudum’s feature, co-showrunner Graham Moore explained why that mattered. “One thing we could do in telling this story that, say, a newspaper might not be able to do is we could try to create not just the moments that happened on camera, but the ones that happened off camera — the intimate moments,” he said. Moore developed the series with fellow co-showrunner and writer Jacqueline Hoyt.
The supporting cast plays figures from the companies and the pair’s family circles. Lawther portrays Sam Trabucco, while Soni plays Nishad Singh and Rife appears as Ryan Salame. Madison Hu plays Constance Wang, Eugene Young portrays Gary Wang, and Naomi Okada appears as Claire Watanabe. Recurring cast members include Hudson Williams as Duncan Rheingans-Yoo, Jennifer Grey as Sarah Fisher Ellison, Paul Reiser as Joe Bankman and Robin Weigert as Barbara Fried.
'The Altruists' draws inspiration from New York Magazine reporting by Kevin T. Dugan and Jen Wieczner. Moore and Hoyt also serve as executive producers. James Ponsoldt directed the opening episode and is an executive producer, with Garner also holding that credit. The series comes from Higher Ground Productions, with New York Magazine/Vox Media Studios also represented among its executive producers.
