Netflix’s FTX drama “The Altruists” now has a trailer, bringing Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison’s relationship—and the crimes behind the exchange’s collapse—to the screen. Released on October 8, 2026, the preview introduces an eight-episode series starring Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner, premiering on November 19, 2026.
Key takeaways
All eight episodes debut together on November 19, 2026.
Anthony Boyle portrays Bankman-Fried; Julia Garner portrays Ellison.
Higher Ground, started by Barack and Michelle Obama, is among the producers.
According to CoinCentral, Netflix shared the trailer through a post on X. The story centers on Bankman-Fried, who ran FTX, and Ellison, who led its sister trading firm, Alameda Research.
Netflix’s FTX drama arrives on November 19
All eight episodes of “The Altruists” will become available on November 19, 2026, crypto.news reported, citing Netflix’s release notice. The series was first announced in May 2025 and follows the pair’s relationship and decisions before their crypto businesses collapsed.
Cast and production behind “The Altruists”
Starring as Bankman-Fried and Ellison are Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner, with Boyle known for roles in Say Nothing, Masters of the Air, Tetris and Tolkien, and Garner recognized for Netflix projects such as Ozark, Inventing Anna, Maniac and The Get Down.
Former Alameda co-chief Sam Trabucco is portrayed by Alex Lawther, and ex-FTX executive Ryan Salame is played by Matt Rife. Nishad Singh is portrayed by Karan Soni, while Gary Wang is played by Eugene Young.
Bankman-Fried’s parents, Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried, are brought to life by Paul Reiser and Robin Weigert. Ellison’s mother, Sarah Fisher Ellison, is played by Jennifer Grey, and Terry Chen takes on the role of former Binance chief Changpeng Zhao.
Among the producers is Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. Serving as co-showrunners, co-writers and executive producers are Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt. The first episode was directed by James Ponsoldt, with the series drawing on reporting from New York Magazine.
Trial testimony and personal decisions shape the drama
Netflix’s FTX drama connects the characters’ stated charitable beliefs with their approach to risk. One trailer line describes “going all-in every time” as “the mathematically optimal strategy.”
At Bankman-Fried’s 2023 criminal trial, Ellison testified that his understanding of effective altruism—a philosophy centered on maximizing good, including generating money for charitable purposes—led him to believe that prohibitions against lying and theft did not strictly apply to him.
Moore described people who began with charitable intentions before persuading themselves to commit crimes, with dishonesty escalating from a “little white lie.” According to Hoyt, the two had pushed each other toward building a company they thought could transform the finance industry, yet their relationship ultimately played a role in bringing about its downfall.
TechCrunch quoted Moore telling Netflix: “From the very beginning, I was so fascinated by both Sam’s and Caroline’s real stories.” Moore also said the drama explores private interactions beyond publicly recorded events.
The criminal case behind the series
After collapsing, FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022, and U.S. authorities subsequently brought fraud charges against Bankman-Fried and other executives. He was found guilty by a jury on seven counts related to fraud and conspiracy, and is now serving a 25-year prison sentence.
According to a March 2024 Department of Justice sentencing release, Bankman-Fried misappropriated over $8 billion from customers, committed fraud against FTX investors totaling more than $1.7 billion, and defrauded Alameda lenders of over $1.3 billion.
The department said customer deposits financed investments, political contributions, real estate and Alameda loan repayments. Its account also described systems allowing Alameda effectively unlimited cryptocurrency withdrawals, false lender statements, inflated investor figures and backdated documents.
Three years of supervised release were ordered by Judge Lewis Kaplan, along with forfeiture exceeding $11 billion, with recovered funds authorized for victim compensation. An appeals court upheld the sentence in August 2026, rejecting Bankman-Fried’s argument about possible customer repayments.
In September 2026, Bankman-Fried requested U.S. Supreme Court review of his conviction and challenged the forfeiture amount. He separately requested a pardon from Donald Trump.
Ellison pleaded guilty and testified against him. She was released from community confinement in January 2026 after a two-year sentence and agreed to a 10-year ban on serving as an officer or director at public companies.
Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.