Updated on:12/26/2025 06:47 PM 
Netflix has green-lit an eight-episode limited series titled The Altruists, a gripping dramatization of the eight-billion-dollar collapse of crypto exchange FTX and the downfall of its co-founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. This highly anticipated Netflix crypto drama explores one of the most significant financial failures in the history of digital assets.
The show, produced under Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground banner, will star Julia Garner (three-time Emmy winner) as former Alameda Research chief executive Caroline Ellison and Anthony Boyle as Bankman-Fried. The casting announcement has generated significant buzz in both entertainment and cryptocurrency communities.
The narrative will chart FTX's meteoric rise to a peak valuation of thirty-two billion dollars in January 2022, the exposure of the massive customer shortfall, and Bankman-Fried's eventual conviction in March 2024. This crypto exchange failure story has captivated global audiences, making it perfect for a limited series adaptation.
The series will also explore the brief romance and professional partnership between Bankman-Fried and Ellison, whose shared belief in effective altruism framed their actions as ostensibly mission-driven even as fraud mounted. Their relationship forms a central part of the FTX scandal narrative that Netflix aims to portray.
There is obvious interest in how SBF will be portrayed in the series. Will he be shown to be a flawed altruist (as the title may suggest) or as a criminal mastermind, hellbent on defrauding investors and retail crypto investors alike? This portrayal will likely shape public perception of the crypto exchange collapse for years to come.
Higher Ground might also have to navigate the optics of its founders' political ties, especially in light of Bankman-Fried's bipartisan campaign donations. The intersection of politics and cryptocurrency adds another layer of complexity to this already compelling story.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) and veteran showrunner Jacqueline Hoyt (The Good Wife) will steer the writers' room. The pilot is set to be directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now), whose reputation for character-driven storytelling fits the project's ambition to balance boardroom tension with personal drama in this cryptocurrency scandal.
With casting confirmed and pre-production underway, location scouts are finalizing Vancouver stand-ins for FTX's former Nassau headquarters and crypto conference venues. The writers' room convenes in June, and an initial outline is said to emphasize the tension between philanthropic intent and unchecked hubris that characterized the FTX scandal.
This Netflix miniseries about the FTX collapse is expected to become one of the most-watched crypto-related shows when it premieres, offering viewers an inside look at one of the most dramatic failures in cryptocurrency history.
