Netflix to Premiere The Riot on December 9
The six-episode Polish prison drama is based on the largest prison uprising in postwar Europe.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Television
Netflix will release The Riot, a six-episode drama, globally on December 9, 2026, and has released the first trailer. The series is inspired by the largest prison uprising in postwar Europe, which followed a 1989 amnesty in Poland.
Why it matters
The series brings a little-known chapter of Poland's transition after communism to a global streaming audience. Its focus on how an amnesty that excluded many inmates sparked widespread revolt gives viewers a window into the period's social upheaval.
The Riot runs six episodes, with Mateusz Rakowicz directing four and Marek Lechki directing two. Its audience size and critical reception have not yet been reported.
The players
Netflix
Netflix is a global streaming service that produces and distributes original series such as The Riot to subscribers worldwide.
Borys Szyc
Borys Szyc is a Polish actor who plays the convict Reagan in The Riot.
Filip Pławiak
Filip Pławiak is a Polish actor who plays Janek Chmielewski, a rising politician, in The Riot.
The details
The Riot fictionalizes the uprising as Mroki prison and follows Borys Szyc's convict Reagan and Filip Pławiak's Janek Chmielewski, a rising politician and Reagan's former cellmate. Scripts were written by Łukasz Bluszcz and Marcin Kubawski.
Timeline
December 1989: Poland's new government passed an amnesty that freed thousands of prisoners but excluded many inmates.
December 9, 2026: The Riot premieres globally on Netflix.
Big Picture
The Riot dramatizes the prison revolts that followed Poland's December 1989 amnesty, the largest prison uprising in postwar Europe. It turns a specific post-communist transition event into a global streaming series.
The Riot will stream exclusively on Netflix starting December 9, 2026, so viewers need an active subscription to watch all six episodes. The series is available globally on the platform on the same day.
The takeaway
Viewers interested in the history behind the series can read about Poland's 1989 amnesty and the prison revolts before the premiere. Knowing the background will help frame the characters' choices as the story unfolds.
What happens next
The Riot premieres globally on Netflix on December 9, 2026.
Further reading
For more on streaming dramas like this one, explore the Television section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Movieweb.
