13 November 2026
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Riotis a six-episode prison drama inspired by real events, set in Poland in 1989 – at a time when the entire country is celebrating freedom, yet behind prison walls, violence, humiliation, and the ruthless power of the system still reign. Borys Szyc and Filip Pławiak play former cellmates who, years later, find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict and try to prevent bloodshed. The series, based on a screenplay by Łukasz Bluszcz and Marcin Kubawski, directed by Mateusz Rakowicz and Marek Lechki, and produced by Maciek Kubicki, will premiere on Netflix on December 9, 2026.
It tells the story of a prisoner revolt that quickly escalates from a struggle for amnesty into a desperate fight for dignity and survival. We experience this story through the perspectives of a convict, a young politician, and a prison psychologist, as well as through multifaceted supporting characters – inmates, guards, and officials – who together reveal the complex workings of prison life. These are characters entangled in a world of fragile alliances and ambiguous choices, completely defying simple judgments.
What genre is the series Riot?
Mateusz Rakowicz, director:The series’ starting point is primarily a prison drama, but I wanted to go beyond its classic interpretation, in which the conflict between the inmates and the system is the main focus. We were more interested in a story told from the characters’ perspective – through their emotions, motivations, and moral choices – while at the same time told with the grandeur of an action movie, designed to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat and emotionally engaged. Thanks to this, despite the scale and intensity of the events, the focus remains on the people placed in an extreme situation where nothing is clear-cut.
What inspired the creators to make the series?
Łukasz Bluszcz, screenwriter:We were inspired by real events – some of the largest postwar uprisings in Europe, which took place in Poland in 1989. Years ago, I co-produced a documentary about them, and ever since then, this story has stayed with me, as if it were demanding a more complete telling. It is incredibly complex – criminal, political, and historical – yet deeply human, because it touches on fundamental emotions and desires: the struggle for freedom, the need for dignity, and the hope for change. From the very beginning, our ambition was to create a series inspired by real events that would draw viewers right into the heart of the rebellion and let them feel its tension, what was at stake, and its emotional weight.
Who are the characters in Riot?
In the series, we witness a rebellion against the system from three different perspectives. We see it through the eyes of hopeless convicts led by Reagan (Borys Szyc), the politically connected Janek Chmielewski (Filip Pławiak), and prison psychologist Agnieszka Czajka (Anita Szepelska), who tries to understand the inmates and reform the system from within. Behind bars, a ruthless hierarchy reigns, and the loyalty and solidarity of the unwritten code of the prisoners (including Ryszard Kakietek, Michał Pietrzak, and Michał Felczak) clash with the old guard of prison guards (including Filip Karaś, Marcin Cieślikowski, and Jan Aleksandrowicz-Krasko), shaped by martial law. The inmates must also contend with representatives of the prison system and administration (including Rafał Maćkowiak, Artur Kujawa, Jacek Poniedziałek, and Robert Wabich), for whom democracy means a loss of control, and concessions to the inmates are a sign of weakness.
The hope for amnesty, doled out by the authorities, was intended to keep the desperate prisoners in the system’s grip; however, its withdrawal had the opposite effect: it sparked an even stronger determination to fight ruthlessly for dignity and survival.
PREMIERE DATE:December 9, 2026.
DIRECTORS:Mateusz Rakowicz (episodes: 1, 2, 4, 5), Marek Lechki (episodes: 3, 6)
CINEMATOGRAPHY:Jacek Podgórski
SCREENPLAY:Łukasz Bluszcz, Marcin Kubawski
CAST DIRECTORS:Paulina Krajnik, Nadia Lebik
EDITING:Sebastian Mialik, Aleksandra Gowin
CREATIVE PRODUCER:Łukasz Bluszcz
PRODUCER:Maciej Kubicki (Telemark)
CAST:Borys Szyc, Filip Pławiak, Anita Szepelska, Jacek Poniedziałek, Rafał Maćkowiak, Matylda Giegżno, Szymon Warszawski, Robert Wabich, Artur Kujawa, Ryszard Kakietek, Michał Pietrzak, Michał Felczak, Katarzyna Borkowska, Michalina Pitry, Karol Wróblewski, Andrzej Andrzejewski, Karolina Rzepa, Winicjusz Bartków, Michał Zborowski, Paweł Tchórzelski, Filip Karaś, Marcin Cieślikowski, Jan Aleksandrowicz-Krasko, Maciej Kosiacki, Marek Kossakowski, Marcin Sitek, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Kacper Męcka, Judyta Paradzińska, Marcin Mazurek, Antoni Sałaj, Paweł Mandziewski, Bernadetta Statkiewicz, Barbara Kurzaj, Rafał Dziwisz
Senior Publicity Manager | POLAND & CEE
