Crew Girl

The Netflix TV show Crew Girl follows in the footsteps of successful coming-of-age dramas like Sterling Point and The Summer I Turned Pretty. It follows Teagan, an ambitious high school rower (Miku Martineau) trying to fit in on the boys’ crew team at a fancy prep school. The show’s got a plucky fish out of water, a love triangle with two very different boys (Kyle Clark and Sam Braun), and a dreamy sunlit setting. But does Crew Girl sink, swim, or row? Looking for more teen coming-of-age stories? Check out these episodes: You’ll want more time in ‘Sterling Point’ https://www.npr.org/2026/09/04/nx-s1-5954272/youll-want-more-time-in-sterling-point ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has drama, romance and the music of Taylor Swift https://www.npr.org/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5538427/the-summer-i-turned-pretty-has-drama-romance-and-the-music-of-taylor-swift The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/1200336830/the-delightful-my-old-ass-seeks-wisdom-from-hindsight Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour: Letterboxd https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/ / Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pchh Our weekly newsletter https://www.npr.org/newsletter/pop-culture Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org http://plus.npr.org/. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This message comes from Capella University. That spark you feel, that's your drive for more. Capella University's FlexPath learning format lets you earn your degree at your pace without putting life on pause. Learn more at capella.edu.

• 0:15Speaker 01

  Are there any oh damn moments? No, but are there heck yeah moments? There are.

• 0:26Stephen Thompson?

  The Netflix TV show Crew Girl follows in the footsteps of successful coming-of-age dramas like The Summer I Turned Pretty and Sterling Point. You've got a plucky fish out of water, a love triangle with two very different boys, and a dreamy, sunlit setting. But does Crew Girl sink, swim, or, well, row? I'm Stephen Thompson. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is culture critic Kristin Meinzler. Hey, Kristin.

• 0:51Speaker 03

  Hey, Stephen. Nice to see you again.

• 0:53Stephen Thompson?

  Good to see you, too. Also with us, Margaret H. Willison. She's a culture writer who is also teaching a class about Jane Austen. Hey, Margaret.

• 1:01Speaker 01

  Hey, Stephen. It's great to be back.

• 1:03Stephen Thompson?

  It is great to see you, too. So Crew Girl sets its plot into motion pretty quickly. Tegan Tao is a wealthy and ambitious high school student who's enjoying success as a rower when disaster strikes. Her father is implicated in a massive financial scandal and disappears, forcing Tegan and her mom Ella to move back to Ella's hometown on the other side of the country. Tegan is played by Miku Martineau, and Ella is played by Jessica Perre. But Crew Girl isn't about a rich kid thrust into a world of normies. Instead, the show has Tegan trying to fit in at a fancy prep school. The twist is that the school only has a boys' crew team, leaving Tegan a tougher path to success. The situation also gives her some complicated romantic options.

• 1:48Stephen Thompson?

  Does she date the team's brooding, financially distressed local boy Cam, played by Kyle Clark? Or is there something there with her and the arrogant, super-rich, golden boy Josh, played by Sam Braun?

• 1:59Speaker 04

  Yeah, I saw you talking to the coach. I've been in the stroke seat since I've been at this school, and suddenly I'm down to bow?

• 2:05Speaker 05

  Maybe you're not the best rower. Maybe you're not pulling your weight. Maybe you should keep your head in the boat instead of up your ass.

• 2:14Speaker 04

  Who the hell do you think you are?

• 2:15Speaker 05

  Who the hell are you?

• 2:17Stephen Thompson?

  Crew Girl is streaming in its entirety on Netflix. Margaret H. Willison, I'm gonna start with you. What'd you think?

• 2:22Speaker 01

  I mean, would I say this show is good? No. Would I say this show knows exactly what it is? And that I like what it is? Yes. If you're a connoisseur of a soapy teen drama, like this one delivers. It's not as good as, like, A Gossip Girl. I wouldn't have put it on, say, The CW at its heyday, but it would have fit in comfortably next to ABC Family's classic show Greek. And like, that's a particular flavor, right? And it's one I enjoy consuming from time to time. So I felt like this was good. The actors are all pretty and charismatic. The people who are supposed to have chemistry have chemistry.

• 3:05Speaker 05

  My mom always asks me why I'm obsessed with group. I never know how to explain it. It's not an obsession. It's just who I am.

• 3:15Speaker 04

  Same. That's where I feel the most, like me.

• 3:21Stephen Thompson?

  Kristin is shaking her head at that. We'll come back to that.

• 3:24Speaker 01

  It took me so long to recognize Jessica Perre from the show I'd known her in previously, The Prestigious Mad Men. Because here, I was like, who is she? She looks so familiar. Have I seen her in a commercial? So I think that kind of gives you a sense of, like, the acting levels we're working with here. But I enjoyed watching all eight hours of this, and I think there are many who will also enjoy it.

• 3:47Stephen Thompson?

  Okay. How about you, Kristin?

• 3:48Speaker 03

  I think that you are correct, Margaret, that there are people who will enjoy watching this show, but I am not one of them. My first initial thought watching this is the lead has zero chemistry, the love triangle has no sizzle, there are plot holes left and right, plus, most of the so-called teens look closer to 30 than 16, which really threw me for a loop.

• 4:13Stephen Thompson?

  This is an epidemic across all these shows.

• 4:16Speaker 03

  Oh, it's so bad. They look like it's time for my first brokerage. But I will say, I do think this show has a place in the world. I noticed that cast members like Kyle Clark and Connor Wong were in the babysitter's club. I think this is a nice next-step show for viewers of that.

• 4:33Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 4:34Speaker 03

  It's kind of like babies' first soap opera. This is great if you're ready for my first soap opera. If you're 11, if you want something that's very predictable, very low stakes, everybody's pretty, even if they are middle-aged, this is probably the show for you.

• 4:48Stephen Thompson?

  Even if they're middle-aged, they're still pretty. Wow, thanks, Kristin.

• 4:54Speaker 03

  Come on, you don't really want middle-aged people sitting next to you in math class, do you? Not in high school.

• 5:01Speaker 01

  Certainly not. Unless it was Stephen, then I would have felt right at home.

• 5:04Speaker 03

  Yeah. But Stephen, what did you think?

• 5:07Stephen Thompson?

  Okay, so here's my thing with this show. I think with any kind of romance, any kind of soap opera, any kind of drama that's, you know, supposed to involve, you know, family secrets and forbidden romance and all that, does this show pass the oh damn test?

• 5:28Speaker 03

  No, absolutely not.

• 5:29Stephen Thompson?

  Now, the oh damn test is how many times in a viewing of this show do I, the viewer, see some sort of plot twist, some sort of development, some sort of shocking reveal and say, oh damn?

• 5:44Stephen Thompson?

  And, you know, in a show like Sterling Point, it happens, you know, multiple times, kind of regularly enough that you're kind of mashing that, you know, watch next episode button. The number of times I said oh damn watching eight episodes of this show was zero.

• 6:00Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 6:00Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 6:01Stephen Thompson?

  And that's tricky. That makes it tricky for me as an oh damn connoisseur to recommend this show. I found it pleasant enough to watch. I wasn't like, oh, God, I can't believe I have to watch another episode. Like, it kind of breezily rolls along. It's pretty amiable. I don't think the scripts are great. I think the performances are somewhat uneven, but there is charisma here. There are definitely actors on this.

• 6:26Speaker 03

  Is there?

• 6:26Speaker 01

  I think so.

• 6:27Stephen Thompson?

  I think there are actors on this show that we will see in other things. I think Sam Braun, who plays Josh, the kind of cocky, golden boy character, I think he's got some, like, Nicholas Galitzine to his game, where you're gonna see that guy pop up as He-Man.

• 6:45Stephen Thompson?

  I feel like there are actors here we'll see in other things, and certainly actors that, as you've acknowledged, we've seen in other stuff. That element of it, I basically enjoyed, but I kind of, just from the premise on down, I just didn't really click with it. I kind of expected, okay, you know, her family suffers this fall from grace, so now she's gonna have to, like, learn to make do in a humbler environment, and they just send her to, like, to this extremely elite prep school.

• 7:12Speaker 01

  Yeah. She has the indignity of living in, like, a lovely, pre-war house in a new England town.

• 7:18Stephen Thompson?

  Right. And she's like, this house is terrible. And you're like, everybody I know lives worse than this woman is currently living.

• 7:26Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 7:26Speaker 01

  The bones are so good, Tegan Tao. How dare you?

• 7:30Speaker 03

  Yeah. I'm like, oh, I am so sorry for you.

• 7:32Stephen Thompson?

  Right. So like, right away, I'm not necessarily clicking with it. Right away, it's kind of the lifestyles of rich high school kids, and I just, that's never going to be as interesting to me. But I did think, like, some of the rowing scenes and some of the, like, the general rowing culture and how they get into that, I think they, they managed to assemble for, they have a kind of a team of athletes, and of course, like, you only got eight episodes, you're gonna give each of these guys one characteristic.

• 8:00Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:01Stephen Thompson?

  And, you know.

• 8:02Speaker 01

  But they're fun characteristics.

• 8:04Stephen Thompson?

  But they're pretty fun characteristics, and I think some of those guys are pretty good.

• 8:09Speaker 03

  I think Connor Wong is fantastic. He's the fashionable one.

• 8:12Speaker 01

  Yes, absolutely the standout character.

• 8:13Speaker 06

  So what are we feeling? Pedro Pascal Met Gala, Paul Mescal swag, Bad Bunny Big Swing? What's the vibe? Right? What's resonating?

• 8:21Speaker 03

  Every time he is on camera, everything lights up. He's got this it-boy quality. I just wish the lead romantic guys had that same it-boy quality, because I did not believe for a second that, oh, I just can't resist you. Oh, no, I can't resist you. I'm torn between both of you. It seemed like everybody was kind of a paper doll being moved across the table toward each other. Well, now it's your turn to be on the side of the table. Now it's your turn to be moved over here. And it just did not have that electricity that I wish it had. I'm sorry, guys. I don't mean to just say bad things about this show.

• 8:58Speaker 01

  You have nothing to apologize for.

• 9:00Speaker 03

  But also, I think one of my other issues was just, there were so many plot inconsistencies. Like, you know how in episode one, our lead, Tegan, turns out she's a prodigy as a coxswain? And then, like, by the time we're in episode two, she can't get any of the guys to row and sink with each other?

• 9:19Speaker 05

  I know this is a big change, but change can be good. Right?

• 9:29Speaker 03

  Yeah, this is going great. Cool. Like, there's all these things that change from episode to episode. Like, our townie who will do anything to get money to save his dad's business. But then later, when his enemy says, can you fix my car for me? He's like, yeah, and I won't charge you anything. And it's like, what? What just happened?

• 9:48Speaker 01

  I don't know if that's so much a plot inconsistency. It's just like a poorly written character. It's like, well, we have to show he's noble. So of course he won't charge. And it's like, charge that man. redistribute that wealth.

• 9:59Speaker 03

  We don't need any money.

• 10:00Speaker 01

  The team, Kristin. It's like, you don't understand how important the team is.

• 10:05Stephen Thompson?

  All right, we've got a lot more thoughts on Crew Girl. We will be right back after the break.

• 10:11Speaker 07

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• 12:08Stephen Thompson?

  Welcome back. Margaret, what's on your mind here?

• 12:12Speaker 01

  I hear everything you guys are saying, and I'm just astonished we've gotten this far into recording. And I'm the first one to bring up the most important moment in this entire series, which is when Tegan's rich, screw-up friend gets a birthday message from her parents? That is not in fact from her parents, but instead from the pop star Kesha, who actually appears on camera as Kesha in her phone.

• 12:36Speaker 08

  Hey Juliet, it's your girl Kesha. A friend from your mom said it is your birthday. So happy birthday, bitch.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  There are moments like that throughout that really redeem it for me. Like, are there any oh, damn moments? No, but are there heck yeah moments? There are. And a Kesha cameo is one of them. We did need more Kesha.

• 12:58Speaker 03

  I love Kesha. I really do. But she was not enough to save that. And it's not fair to put that on Kesha's shoulders. It's not fair to Kesha.

• 13:05Stephen Thompson?

  I was gonna say, we are putting an awful lot on what is essentially like a cameo-style cameo.

• 13:10Speaker 01

  Yes, I know. But look, it was the right thing at the right time. I also think some of the details about the way these kids are rich are more fun than you guys are selling it. We have our incredibly fashionable rower, who ends up falling in love with, again, rich, screw-up friend. Am I using their names? No. Is it because I watched this show a week ago? And I certainly don't remember their characters' names? Absolutely, yes. They're gone. They're gone from my brain, as they should be. Is it adorable when they both show up to the formal in the same high-fashion outfit? Yes, it's incredible. It's incredible. That's a great detail.

• 13:46Stephen Thompson?

  Is it incredible?

• 13:47Speaker 01

  Yes, Stephen. Okay. If you guys want to say that my palate has been cheapened by being around my stepkids watching a lot of really bad Disney Channel TV shows, like, can I argue with you? No. Kristin is absolutely right. Babies first soap is so what this show is.

• 14:05Speaker 03

  This is a great next show after Babysitters Club. Or, let's say you're graduating past Hannah Montana reruns and you're ready for something a little edgier or more grown up. I could totally see this running on a Saturday morning after Hey Dude or, you know, a Nickelodeon show like that in reruns. I could totally see that.

• 14:23Speaker 01

  As soon as the girls stop going gross every time they see someone kiss, the show is for them. So if you have tweens in your life who are like quietly curious when characters kiss, rather than them being like, ew, stop kissing. This could be a great choice for your household.

• 14:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, it's great for the Bayside High crowd.

• 14:40Speaker 01

  Yes, 100%.

• 14:42Stephen Thompson?

  Right. Other than the fact that these kids are all drinking enormous amounts of alcohol, this is definitely a gateway show, more than a destination show. It is in, it's very in-between. There's a little bit of swearing. There's not a lot of sex. You know, it's definitely a little bit more, you know, kind of tween-digestible than maybe a show like Sterling Point that's kind of a little more adult. But at the same time, I mean, if that's not really a factor for you, there are just better shows in this genre.

• 15:13Speaker 01

  Right. I think we can all agree, if you only watch one teen drama this summer, make it Sterling Point.

• 15:18Stephen Thompson?

  Make it Sterling Point.

• 15:19Speaker 03

  Yes, or as my household calls it, Inner Banks. Yes.

• 15:23Stephen Thompson?

  Well, and it shares with Sterling Point a couple of kind of structural issues where, because both series are eight episodes long, they feel rushed. And they're kind of forced to accelerate the plot in ways that feel like character inconsistencies. And here, I think that's a considerably bigger issue here. And I think that, in a way, these eight episodes feel just as rushed while accomplishing less, if that makes sense.

• 15:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, that definitely makes sense. It's a very fair critique.

• 15:55Stephen Thompson?

  I also think, you know, we've mentioned the like, misfit friend. I'm gonna actually shout out the actress Olga Petza, who plays Juliet, who's like, just kind of just shows up and like, kind of announces like, hello, I am your friend. That character, to me, has more verve and inner life as one of the more minor characters on the show, a character who is not really involved in the crew team and kind of disappears for long stretches. But that character is eccentric. Not only does she find a way to introduce Kesha into the show, but she just brings a little more tension and unpredictability to the show. And they kind of allude-

• 16:33Speaker 01

  She also brings humor to the show. An important factor.

• 16:35Stephen Thompson?

  Much-needed humor. And they kind of allude, without spoiling anything, they kind of allude to potentially maybe a bigger role for her in the second season, if there is one. But I just, I wanted more idiosyncrasy. And so much of this show felt very, very boilerplate.

• 16:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, and I really don't mind boilerplate if there are other things that make up for it. Like, I mean, if everybody was as great as Olga Petza, who you just mentioned, or as good as Connor Wong, who we've mentioned, the fashion boy. If everybody was that charismatic on screen and that fun to watch. And both of those characters are also just a tiny bit unpredictable, which makes them fun. The whole show would be so much better.

• 17:17Speaker 01

  I will say, I think we are underselling the charm of Miko Martin. No, I think that that is one of the main reasons why this show worked as well and felt as watchable for me, despite having all of the many shortcomings we all agree upon completely. Like, do I think she's going to go on to be sort of a sensation in the way that Lola Tong from The Summer I Turned Pretty is? No, I don't think she's gonna do that. Do I think she could go on to star in a number of other Netflix original shows of about this quality and make all of those shows surprisingly watchable and sort of smooth-flowing? Yes, I do think she could do that. And maybe she'll impress me and do something more. But at the very least, she's great at that. And I think that's harder than we realize.

• 18:01Speaker 03

  I, Margaret, this is so interesting. She just felt so flat for me. And unfortunately, I felt like the TV show relied too heavily on butt shots of her. Or, like, here's a profile of her as she, like, pulls on rubber bands or whatever, so we can see how ripped her stomach is. And that didn't make up for the fact that she just lacked a lot of the electricity that we said the other supporting characters have, for me.

• 18:26Speaker 01

  You know, that is so fair, Kristin. That's so fair. We disagree on this, but I still respect you.

• 18:32Speaker 03

  Yeah. And I think she's very pretty, and the camera likes to focus on how pretty she is and what a nice butt she has. It really does. But I just want more from her. I want more.

• 18:41Stephen Thompson?

  I wanted more from this-

• 18:42Speaker 03

  I want her to bring what Olga does to the screen.

• 18:44Stephen Thompson?

  I wanted more from the script. I just kept coming back to the script. I just thought some of that dialogue was so clunky. Look, let's say you're sick on a weekend.

• 18:52Speaker 01

  Yeah. This is a great show to watch if you're sick on a weekend. Or if your, like, 13-year-old is homesick from school. Great show to watch.

• 19:00Speaker 03

  Yeah, let's say that you have to scroll some LinkedIn today and update your profile and have something on in the background.

• 19:07Speaker 01

  Right.

• 19:07Speaker 03

  Maybe this is the show to have on in the background. Or, to give it its due, or if you really want to be introduced to my first soap opera when you're 11, this is a great show for that. This is great if you're 11.

• 19:18Stephen Thompson?

  Ringing endorsement.

• 19:22Stephen Thompson?

  All right, well, that brings us to the end of our show. Kristin Meiner, Margaret H. Willison, thanks so much for being here.

• 19:28Speaker 01

  A delight, truly.

• 19:29Speaker 03

  Thank you so much.

• 19:30Stephen Thompson?

  This episode was produced by Mike Katzif, Liz Metzger, and Kayden Mills, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello, Come In provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. I'm Stephen Thompson, and we will see you all next time.

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• 20:27Speaker 09

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• 20:34Speaker 10

  For sure. Oh, definitely. Everybody has issues. What are you talking about?

• 20:37Speaker 09

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• 20:39Speaker 10

  I think every city, every county, every town has issues.

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