The short version: if you watched Inventing Anna for Julia Garner or Daisy Jones & The Six for the style, put this on your calendar for November 19, 2026. If you want a cozy holiday watch, skip it.
Netflix says The Altruists is an eight-episode limited series, and all eight episodes stream November 19, 2026. Julia Garner plays Caroline Ellison and Anthony Boyle plays Sam Bankman-Fried. The series follows the rise and fall of the FTX crypto exchange and the relationship at its center. Netflix calls the pair "Gen Z's Bonnie and Clyde." The trailer arrived October 8, 2026.
What's actually confirmed
All of the following comes from Netflix's Tudum pages:
- Creators: co-showrunners Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) and Jacqueline Hoyt (The Underground Railroad, Dietland). The series is inspired by New York magazine's reporting and produced with Higher Ground.
- Director of the first episode: James Ponsoldt, whose credits include Daisy Jones & The Six and Shrinking.
- The supporting cast: Jennifer Grey as Sarah Fisher Ellison, Paul Reiser as Joe Bankman, Robin Weigert (Big Little Lies) as Barbara Fried, and Madison Hu, Karan Soni and Alex Lawther.
- How Garner built the role: Netflix says Garner had only two recordings of Ellison to study. Boyle had a pile of video and audio of Bankman-Fried. Moore says he didn't want impressions.
- Where the real story ended: in Netflix's words, Ellison "ended up spending over a year in prison," while Bankman-Fried "is continuing to serve out his 25-year sentence."
Who it's for
Watch it if you like scam-and-ambition dramas told through a relationship, you've followed Garner since Ozark, or a Jennifer Grey and Paul Reiser double bill is reason enough. Hoyt told Tudum the story is about how the two "almost dared and cajoled each other" into building the company. Expect a character drama, not a finance lecture.
Skip it if you're tired of true-crime retellings of recent headlines, or you want something soothing in November. In that case, our Hallmark November lineup is the better use of your evenings.
One caution: Moore told Tudum the series set out to create "not just the moments that happened on camera, but the ones that happened off camera." Treat the private scenes as interpretation, not reporting.
Netflix price math for one binge
All eight episodes land the same day, so one month of Netflix covers it. Per Netflix's plans page, checked November 7, 2026:
- Standard with ads: $8.99 a month. The cheapest way to watch. Netflix says "most" titles are available on this plan, and a lock icon marks the ones that aren't.
- Standard: $19.99 a month. No ads, 2 screens at once.
- Premium: $26.99 a month. 4 screens and 4K, worth it only if your TV and your household need both.
If you only want this one show, subscribing on November 19 and canceling before your next billing date costs $8.99. Netflix bills monthly and offers no annual plans.
Shop the post
- Netflix Standard with ads: $8.99/month. Enough for an eight-episode binge.
- Netflix Standard: $19.99/month. Ad-free if you'll keep watching through the holidays.
- Netflix Premium: $26.99/month. Only if you need 4K or four screens.
- The Altruists on Netflix: the official title page, where the series streams from November 19, 2026.
Prices checked on Netflix's US Help Center on November 7, 2026. Taxes may apply.
