Entertainment Blog #444 | Crew Girl [2026-] : Misfit to a Perfect fit...
When it comes to teen drama series, we have seen almost every kind of sport being used as the background for friendship, rivalry and romance. But rowing is not something we see very often. Crew Girl takes that less common sport and mixes it with the familiar world of high school relationships, family problems, competition and finding your place in a new environment. And even though the story follows many familiar YA formulas, the rowing setting gives it something different.
Crew Girl (2026) is a #drama #romance #sports #teen #tvseries created by Vivian Lin. The series stars Miku Martineau, Jessica Paré, Samuel Braun and Kyle Clark, with Thomas Cadrot, Connor Paton, Jude Wilson and others in supporting roles. The first season has 8 episodes and was released on Netflix on September 10, 2026.
The story follows Teagan Tao, a talented 16-year-old rower whose future suddenly changes after her father becomes involved in a financial scandal. Her family loses almost everything, forcing Teagan and her mother Ella to leave California and move to her mother's old hometown on the East Coast. For Teagan, this is not just moving to a new place. It means leaving behind the life and rowing career she had worked so hard for.
When Teagan arrives at Easton Prep, she discovers another problem. The school does not have a girls' rowing team. Instead of giving up on rowing, she joins the struggling boys' varsity crew as their coxswain. But the team is full of egos, rivalries and people who don't exactly want a new girl telling them what to do. Teagan has to earn their respect while also trying to rebuild her own confidence.
As the story unfolds, rowing becomes more than just a sport. Teagan slowly starts bringing the team together, while also dealing with the complicated relationship between Josh Regis, the arrogant team captain, and Cam Dillinger, the quieter underdog. Of course, this also creates the expected love triangle. But underneath the romance, the series is really about Teagan trying to understand who she is when the life she planned for herself disappears.
What stood out most after watching Crew Girl is how much the series is actually about starting over. Teagan loses her home, her social life and the future she thought she was going to have. But instead of allowing that to define her, she finds a different way back into the sport she loves. The crew team also has its own problems, and slowly Teagan learns that winning is not only about having the strongest individual athletes. Sometimes you need people who trust each other.
I also liked the rowing setting because it gives the series a different visual identity. The boats, water and training sessions make the show look quite beautiful, while the competitive races give the story some genuine tension. Miku Martineau also carries the series well as Teagan. She makes the character feel more than just another teenager caught in a love triangle. There is a clear sense that Teagan is trying to rebuild herself while everyone around her is also dealing with their own problems.
Of course, Crew Girl is not trying to reinvent the YA genre. There are love triangles, rich-school rivalries, family secrets, jealous friends and characters who sometimes make decisions mainly because the story needs them to. Some of these elements feel very familiar. But I don't think that is necessarily a big problem if you enjoy this type of series. The show knows what kind of audience it is made for and delivers exactly that. Critics have also pointed out that the series follows familiar YA territory, but many still found it charming and entertaining.
From a production standpoint, I think the biggest strength is the combination of sports and scenery. The rowing environment makes the series feel different from the usual high-school football, basketball or hockey dramas. At the same time, the eight-episode format gives enough space for Teagan's family problems, the team dynamics and the romantic storylines to develop together. Netflix has also clearly positioned it as an easy-to-binge sports romance rather than a heavy drama.
Critically, Crew Girl has received a generally positive but not overwhelming response. Rotten Tomatoes currently has the first season at 77% from critics and 62% from audiences. The positive reviews mainly praise the cast, the rowing setting and the show's charm, while the main criticism is that many of the storylines and YA tropes are very familiar.
For me, Crew Girl works best when it focuses on Teagan and the team rather than the romance. The love triangle is there because this is a YA series, but the more interesting story is watching someone who had everything planned out suddenly lose control of her life and slowly build something new. It may not be the most original teen drama, but it is an easy and enjoyable series to watch, especially if you like sports, romance and coming-of-age stories.
Can Teagan really rebuild her rowing career after everything her family has lost? Can a team that barely trusts each other become strong enough to compete together? And between Josh and Cam, who will Teagan finally choose when she has to decide what she really wants? It’s up to you to find out.