Netflix’s young adult sports drama series Olympo is an unexpected, highly bingeable summer treat that’s likely to appeal to a wide audience, even those who might not consider themselves fans of the sports genre. Created by Jan Matheu, Laia Foguet, and Ibai Abad, the Spanish-language show immerses viewers in the high-pressure and intensely focused lives of high-performance Spanish athletes.
The well-defined, hyper-ambitious, and competitive characters are irresistible, and the setting is an inspired locale that the showrunners have exploited for maximum entertainment value. Olympo is steamy, surprising, and often wildly energetic; it’s hard to imagine this won’t be an international hit for the streamer.
What Is ‘Olympo’ About?
Netflix has asked critics to remain tight-lipped about the (twisty, often exciting) plot of Olympo prior to the show’s release, but most of the series’ events take place at the Pirineos HPC (High Performance Center), where determined young athletes compete tirelessly, sometimes ruthlessly, in pursuit of placement at European finals and potential Olympics glory. The ensemble series’ central focus is Amaia Olaberria (Clara Galle), a principled and steely synchronized swimmer whose cold determination often brings the ire of her peers — not least of all her rugby player boyfriend Cristian Delallave (Nuno Gallego).
Zoe Moral (Nira Oshaia) is a track star with a background mired in tragedy and consequences. Real-life former Uruguayan rugby player Augustín Della Corte (who made his acting debut in J.A. Bayona‘s 2021 survival thriller Society of the Snow), plays Cristian’s best friend and teammate, Roque Pérez. Due to his superior athletic abilities, but more so due to personal scandals concerning his sexuality, Roque receives a disproportionate amount of attention from the looming sports apparel brand Olympo. The corporation’s motives and operation are mysterious, bordering on sinister, and their sponsorship is a tantalizing possibility for the youths. A series of disturbing events within HPC fuels suspicions of doping, or even a mass conspiracy.
‘Olympo’ Is Original, Irresistible, and Will Leave You Wanting More
Olympo feels really fresh within the current TV landscape. The world of young high-performance athletes is obviously ripe with possibilities for TV drama, and this is a smart show brought to life by engaging young actors. The characters are distinct from the jump, and even as many of them succumb to various pressures and make mistakes, it’s easy to root for them.
The series’ consistent and numerous, softcore-adjacent sex scenes might feel gratuitous within a different context, but considering the setting, they really aren’t. There’s actually a fair amount of character development to be found in the sexy bits, and they ultimately just add to the already considerable entertainment value. Olympo pulsates with kinetic energy throughout via production values that don’t skimp, with impressively immersive cinematography featuring both athleticism on land and underwater. The entire season is punctuated with a thumping electronic score and inspired, often distinctly American needle drops.
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‘Olympo’s Entire Cast Is Great, but There’s One Notable Standout
One of the most impressive things about Olympo is its casting; there’s a certain amount of athleticism that can’t really be faked on-screen, and the ensemble consists of fine actors who’ve given the relationships of these characters a convincing reality. Yet it’s Augustín Della Corte who steals the show as controversial rugby player Roque, who remains consistently, rather intensely sympathetic throughout the entire series despite virtually everyone else around him making highly questionable choices at one point or another. The show needed at least one character to root for throughout amidst the widely toxic and occasionally outright amoral competitiveness, and Roque more than delivers. Gallego (of Netflix’s Elite) is also a standout, as Roque’s darkly conflicted best friend, but it can’t really be denied that Roque is ultimately the series’ greatest character.
Olympo is impressive in a lot of different ways, and it’s really easy to recommend, but if there’s one notable flaw, it’s the broader plot concerning the show’s eponymous corporation. Although serviceable and suitably mysterious, it frankly isn’t as gripping as the parts of the show where we’re just watching the athletes interact at the HPC. The storyline concerning the company could have delved deeper into satire, but it’s not as compelling as the admittedly very memorable youths. Still, this captivating, character-driven surprise is easily one of the most purely entertaining series of the summer so far. Olympo‘s first batch of episodes also arrives at an unexpected and satisfying conclusion that makes it easy to get excited about a potential Season 2.
Olympo premieres June 20 on Netflix.
Olympo
Olympo is a fresh, engaging sports drama about the pressures and competition of high-performance athletes.
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Daniel Barone, Marçal Forés, Ibai Abad
- Writers
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Laia Foguet
- The performances are all compelling, with Augustin Della Corte a standout as controversial rugby player Roque.
- Olympo squeezes plenty of drama and tension from its high-stakes setting.
- The characters are interesting enough that it’s easy to want a second season.
- The broader story concerning the corporation Olympo isn’t as interesting as the young characters who become entangled in it.
