Crew Girl: Netflix's New 8-Part Teen Drama Series Is Gossip Girl Meets Friday Night Lights

Published Sep 10, 2026, 2:35 PM EDT

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

Netflix's new 8-part teen drama series is a perfect combination of Gossip Girl and Friday Night Lights and is built for a quick binge this weekend. Released on Thursday, September 10, 2026, this brand-new coming-of-age tale is recommended for fans of shows like Prime Video's Off Campus that combine high-school drama and budding romances with the pressures and thrills of elite competitive sports.

Crew Girl is already making waves on Netflix and looks to be one of the most promising new series on the streamer this weekend. With just eight episodes, all between 40 and 55 minutes, it's very easy to start and finish in just one weekend, or even one day. The story follows Teagan, played by Miku Martineau, a 16-year-old student and rower who is forced to switch schools after her father is caught in an illicit financial scheme. She moves to an idyllic small town in New England where she must earn a spot on a new, mostly-male crew team.

Crew Girl Brings Gossip Girl-Style Drama To A Competitive Rowing Team

Crew Girl is already one of the best new shows to binge-watch on Netflix and is poised to become one of the platform's biggest streaming hits this weekend, September 11–13, 2026. The series interestingly brings the same degree of drama that made Gossip Girl an iconic series during the late 2000s and early 2010s, with the fierce competitive spirit that made Friday Night Lights one of the most celebrated sports shows of the 2000s. If you were a fan of either series back then, Crew Girl should provide some nostalgic enjoyment while also maintaining a modern sensibility.

From the moment you press play on Crew Girl, the audience is instantly pulled into Teagan's world of competitive rowing, supported by upbeat background music that may remind viewers of other popular sports-themed dramas like Luca Guadagnino's hit movie Challengers. Within minutes, viewers are caught up to speed on Teagan's unfortunate situation involving her father's financial fraud, as she explains through voiceover that she and her mother, Ella, played by Jessica Paré, have no other choice but to start a new life in a new town.

Early reviews for Crew Girl have been mostly positive, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 71% at the time of writing, which is subject to change as new reviews are published. Screen Rant's Liz Hersey gave the series a respectable 7/10 stars, noting, "While Crew Girl isn't destined for awards and mass acclaim, its warm, empathetic escapism makes it prime for cozy repeat viewings." Similarly, Ready Set Cut gave Crew Girl 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "Crew Girl succeeds as a surprisingly earnest, wholesome teen drama that treats its sport with real heart and respect."

Netflix’s New 8-Episode Teen Drama Is Built For A Quick Weekend Binge

Image via Netflix

Like most Netflix shows these days, especially those released on Thursdays, Crew Girl is designed to be binge-watched in just a few sittings and is the ideal length to start tonight and finish by Sunday. Although it hasn't cracked Netflix's Top 10 list yet, which is currently being dominated by big new releases such as The Gentlemen season 2, Beauty in Black season 3, and Outer Banks season 5, Crew Girl is trending now and should gain enough momentum to break in as one of Netflix's most-watched new shows this weekend.

Apart from its wholesome coming-of-age story and enticing mix of high school sports and drama, one of the most appealing qualities of Crew Girl is its relatively short length. The entire series has a runtime of just 6 hours and 8 minutes, which really does make it possible to binge-watch in just a night or two. The first two episodes are the longest of the series at 55 and 51 minutes, respectively, and the average episode length after that drops to roughly 43 minutes apiece. If you love a good comfort show set in a small town that offers romantic drama with a competitive edge, then don't hesitate to dive into Crew Girl this weekend on Netflix.

Crew Girl - Season 1

7/10