“Finding Her Edge” on Netflix turns figure skating into a teen-drama battleground—and its cast is built for binge momentum

Netflix’s newest YA swing, finding her edge netflix, is less about medal counts than the pressure cooker around them: a family business on the brink, a comeback nobody can do halfway, and a romance setup that keeps shifting under the blades. The series arrives as winter sports attention ramps up, and it’s engineered to pull in two audiences at once—viewers who want high-stakes relationship drama and viewers who come for the sport’s razor-thin margins. In that sense, the title isn’t subtle: every character is chasing an edge, and the show keeps asking what it costs to hold onto it.

Why it’s landing now: Netflix is betting that “niche sport” can feel universal

Figure skating looks glamorous from the stands, but it’s a grind behind the boards—money, injuries, training schedules, and reputations that can fracture in a single season. The show leans hard into that reality, using the rink as a family pressure chamber rather than a backdrop. That choice broadens the appeal: you don’t need to know the difference between a loop and a lutz to understand what it means to return to something that once defined you.

What separates this from a standard teen romance is the constant trade-off between intimacy and ambition. The series’ emotional engine isn’t just “who ends up with whom,” but “who gets to choose their future” when legacy, grief, and financial stress are all pulling in different directions. It’s a classic coming-of-age story with one extra twist: the sport itself punishes hesitation, so every wobble—personal or professional—shows up immediately.

A key signal of the show’s intent is how it treats performance scenes: not as occasional spectacle, but as turning points where relationships can shift mid-routine. The rink becomes the place where secrets leak, alliances form, and mistakes can’t be edited out.

The setup: a comeback, a new partner, and an old flame that won’t stay in the past

“Finding Her Edge” dropped on Netflix on January 22, 2026, as an eight-episode season. It’s adapted from Jennifer Iacopelli’s novel and follows the Russo family, whose struggling rink doubles as their identity and their conflict zone.

At the center is Adriana Russo, a former ice dancer who’s pulled back into competition. The return isn’t framed as a triumphant montage; it’s messy—driven by family need, unfinished grief, and the stubborn feeling that a champion version of herself is still there. Her new partnership brings fresh chemistry and fresh risk, while the reappearance of her first love (and former skating partner) drags old choices back onto the ice.

The show plays those threads like a three-way tug-of-war—career, family, romance—without letting any one of them stay neatly contained. That’s where the edge theme works best: characters keep trying to balance, and the story keeps nudging them off it.

A quick cast guide (the “finding her edge netflix cast” you’ll actually want)

• Madelyn Keys as Adriana Russo, the reluctant comeback story with the most to lose.

• Cale Ambrozic as Brayden Elliot, the volatile new partner who turns chemistry into a liability and a weapon.

• Olly Atkins as Freddie O’Connell, the first love whose return complicates every clean decision.

• Alexandra Beaton as Elise Russo, the sister whose injury and expectations reshape the family dynamic.

• Alice Malakhov as Maria Russo, the youngest Russo learning the sport’s politics earlier than she should.

• Harmon Walsh as Will Russo, the father whose intensity keeps the rink afloat—and keeps the family on edge.

Micro Q&A: the fastest way to decide if it’s for you

Is it more sports drama or romance?
Romance drives the binge; skating drives the consequences. The show uses competitions as pressure events that force emotional decisions.

Do you need skating knowledge?
No. The series translates the stakes into universal terms—money, reputation, injury, and who gets to define “success.”

What’s the hook beyond the love triangle?
A family business in survival mode. The rink isn’t scenery; it’s the reason every relationship feels urgent.

“Finding Her Edge” succeeds when it treats ambition like something physical—something you can almost hear scraping across the ice. Whether viewers stay for the routines or the relationship fallout, the series’ real trick is making both feel inseparable: one misstep, and everything changes.