This might just be one of the most important — and infuriating — true-story series coming to Netflix in years.
The Retrievals is a brand-new Netflix Original limited series in the works, produced by six-time Academy Award-nominated actress Margot Robbie and written by Molly Smith Metzler, the acclaimed creator behind Netflix’s hit drama Maid. Based on the real-life Yale Fertility Center scandal, this one is already generating serious buzz — and rightfully so.
Table of Contents
Margot Robbie: Overview
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Title | The Retrievals |
| Type | Netflix Original Limited Series |
| Based On | NYT & Serial Productions Podcast |
| Producer | Margot Robbie (LuckyChap Entertainment) |
| Writer & Showrunner | Molly Smith Metzler (Maid) |
| Director | Lila Neugebauer (Causeway) |
| Filming Start | September 2026, New York |
| Expected Release | Late 2027 or Early 2028 |
What Is The Retrievals About?
The story is as disturbing as it is real. At a prestigious fertility clinic, women undergoing egg retrieval procedures — already an intensely painful process — were somehow experiencing far more agony than expected. When they raised concerns, they were dismissed. Repeatedly.
The horrifying truth that eventually surfaced: a nurse had been secretly diverting fentanyl from patients and replacing it with saline, leaving women to endure the procedures without adequate pain relief. What starts as a localized crime spirals into a much larger, deeply uncomfortable conversation about how women’s pain is routinely ignored and minimized in modern medicine.
It’s not just a crime story. It’s a reckoning.
The Dream Team Behind It
The creative lineup here is genuinely exciting. Molly Smith Metzler proved with Maid that she knows how to take gut-wrenching, systemic injustice and turn it into gripping, emotionally resonant television. Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap has a strong track record of backing fearless, female-led stories. And director Lila Neugebauer (Causeway) brings a precise, intimate visual style that’s perfect for this kind of story.
Also on board as executive producers are Susan Burton — the host of the original The Retrievals podcast from the New York Times and Serial Productions — and Caitlin Roper of the NYT, adding crucial authenticity to the project.
When Does It Start Filming?
Production is reportedly set to kick off in September 2026 in New York, running through to around February 2027. That puts the likely Netflix premiere somewhere in late 2027 or early 2028 — so this is one to bookmark now and come back to.
For more upcoming Netflix originals and OTT release updates, head over to our Netflix series tracker on Technosports and keep an eye on our most anticipated Netflix releases of 2027 roundup.
FAQs
Q: What is The Retrievals Netflix series based on?
A: It adapts the acclaimed podcast of the same name by the New York Times and Serial Productions, which investigated a real fentanyl theft scandal at a Yale fertility clinic.
Q: Who is producing The Retrievals on Netflix?
A: Margot Robbie is producing through her LuckyChap Entertainment banner, with Maid creator Molly Smith Metzler serving as writer, showrunner, and executive producer.
