Netflix is bringing one of the biggest financial scandals in recent history to the screen with The Altruists, an eight-part limited series starring Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle.
Inspired by the extraordinary rise and fall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the drama explores the relationship between its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, and his former girlfriend and business associate, Caroline Ellison, whose ambitions to transform the financial world ended in a multibillion-dollar fraud scandal.
Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, the series promises a revealing look at the personal relationships, questionable decisions and extraordinary wealth behind the collapse of a cryptocurrency empire. Ahead of its November 2026 Netflix release, here’s everything to know about The Altruists, including its plot, cast, trailer, filming locations and release date.
What Is the Plot of The Altruists?
The Altruists follows the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison, two ambitious young entrepreneurs who became central figures in one of the most notorious financial scandals of the cryptocurrency era.
Bankman-Fried founded FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange that grew into a multibillion-dollar business, while Ellison became chief executive of Alameda Research, a trading firm closely connected to FTX.
The pair believed they could use their extraordinary financial success to make a positive difference in the world. However, their ambitions unravelled when FTX collapsed in November 2022, exposing the misuse of billions of dollars in customer funds.
The Netflix series explores not only the financial scandal but also the complicated romantic and professional relationship between Bankman-Fried and Ellison, examining how their personal decisions contributed to the downfall of their empire.
Bankman-Fried was subsequently convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison, while Ellison pleaded guilty, cooperated with prosecutors, and received a two-year prison sentence.
Who Stars in The Altruists?
Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner stars as Caroline Ellison, the former chief executive of Alameda Research who became a key figure in the FTX scandal.
Garner is best known for her performances in Netflix’s Ozark and Inventing Anna, as well as The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Irish actor Anthony Boyle portrays Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur and founder of FTX.
Boyle previously appeared in Masters of the Air, Say Nothing and Netflix’s House of Guinness.
The supporting cast includes:
- Alex Lawther as Sam Trabucco
- Karan Soni as Nishad Singh
- Matt Rife as Ryan Salame
- Madison Hu as Constance Wang
- Eugene Young as Gary Wang
- Naomi Okada as Claire Watanabe
- Paul Reiser as Joe Bankman
- Robin Weigert as Barbara Fried
- Jennifer Grey as Sara Fisher Ellison
- Hudson Williams as Duncan Rheingans-Yoo
- Terry Chen as CZ
The series was created by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind The Imitation Game, alongside co-showrunner Jacqueline Hoyt.
Is There a Trailer for The Altruists?
Yes. Netflix released the official trailer for The Altruists. Check it out below!
Where Was The Altruists Filmed?
Although The Altruists tells the story of a cryptocurrency empire with international connections, the Netflix limited series was filmed primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
According to production reporting from Hollywood North Buzz and What’s on Netflix, filming began on July 1, 2025, and continued until November 2025.
Vancouver served as the principal production base, with locations across the Canadian city used to recreate settings associated with the rise and fall of FTX.
One confirmed filming location was The Stack, an office skyscraper on Melville Street in downtown Vancouver. The production was spotted filming at the building on July 3 and 4, 2025, according to Hollywood North Buzz.
Located in Vancouver’s central business district, The Stack is a modern commercial tower known for its distinctive stacked architectural design. Its contemporary office environment provided a fitting backdrop for a drama centred on the world of cryptocurrency, financial technology and extraordinary corporate wealth.
The production reportedly operated under the name Fogo Island Productions during filming.
While Vancouver has been identified as the main filming location, not every setting featured in the series has been publicly matched to a specific real-world property.
What Have the Cast and Crew Said About The Altruists?
Creator and co-showrunner Graham Moore has explained that he was fascinated by the personalities behind the FTX scandal and wanted to explore the complicated relationship between Bankman-Fried and Ellison beyond the financial headlines.
Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, Moore said: “From the very beginning, I was so fascinated by both Sam’s and Caroline’s real stories.” He added that the pair were so extraordinary that he could not have invented characters as compelling as the real people themselves.
For Moore, the series offered an opportunity to explore the private moments that traditional news reporting could not fully capture. “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 explained.
Co-showrunner Jacqueline Hoyt was similarly interested in exploring the motivations and relationships behind the scandal.
“Like most people, I was aware of the FTX scandal through news headlines, but I didn’t know anything about the motives and relationships between the real people,” she told Netflix.
Hoyt said she hoped the drama would give audiences a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between the two central figures and the decisions that led to their downfall.
Moore also addressed the central contradiction at the heart of the story: how two people who believed they were acting for the greater good became involved in serious financial crimes.
“I genuinely believe that both Sam and Caroline were deeply committed altruists from day one, who set out to do as much good for as many people as they could in their lives,” he told Netflix.
When and Where Will The Altruists Be Released?
The Altruists will premiere globally on Netflix on Thursday, November 19, 2026. All eight episodes of the limited series will be available to stream on the same day.
The production is part of Netflix’s ongoing collaboration with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, which has previously produced projects including Leave the World Behind, Rustin and American Symphony.