From Olympic Village to Living Room: Film and TV Inspired By the Games

Get excited for the Summer Olympics with these games-inspired TV shows and films!

The Olympics have long been excellent fodder for TV shows and movies. From fictional stories (The Cutting Edge) to blockbuster bio-pics (I, Tonya and Miracle), the combination of personal story plus the challenge of the sport always makes a compelling narrative. Since the Summer Olympics in London are upon us, we put together a list of some games-inspired movies and TV shows you can watch to get into the spirit!

Make it or Break It

This teen drama about a group of young gymnasts who train together in their local athletic facility is a fan favorite and extremely binge-able before the games. Each of the girls in this series has professional athlete ambitions, and at young ages must balance family drama, first love, body image, competition with each other and other gymnasts competing at their level, and put their desires to win above all else. In the third season, we see which of these young women get to represent the United States in the (fictional) 2012 Olympics.

Without Limits

This acclaimed 1998 movie stars Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland, among other big names. It is a dramatized version of the true story of distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontain and his coach Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike, Inc. The film details his life as a young athlete in Oregon and his path to the Munich Olympic games in 1972.

The Swimmers

This film adaptation is of the true story of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, Syrian refugees who quite literally helped save the lives of fellow refugees when their boat stalled in the middle of the Aegean Sea. The Mardini sisters, along with two other passengers, jumped into the chilling waters and pulled the boat to the shore using their above average swimming skills. The experience gained young Yusra a spot on the first ever refugee team in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

The Boys in the Boat

Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling 2013 book of the same name by Daniel Names Brown, this 2023 film follows the true story of the University of Washington’s rowing team path to the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. Directed by George Clooney, this story combines the drama of competing against the best athletes in the world with the socio-political atmosphere of the American Great Depression and the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Richard Jewell

During the July 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, GA, a pipe bomb was discovered at Centennial Olympic Park by security guard Richard Jewell. At first, Jewell was considered a hero for alerting the authorities which resulted in a very small death toll when the bomb detonated. But soon, he became the prime suspect. Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde, and Jon Hamm star in the film adaptation of his harrowing story. 

Foxcatcher

Starring Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher is a dramatized account of a very bizarre, dark, and true story. John du Pont, heir to the du Pont family fortune, recruits 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestlers and brothers Mark and David Schultz to train athletes for participation in national, world, and Olympic competition. Living on the du Pont estate, the brothers get pulled deeper and deeper into John’s dark world, resulting in a terrible tragedy.

Doctor Who, Season 2, Episode 11 “Fear Her”

In a fun twist that only Doctor Who could inspire, this 2006 episode set at the 2012 Olympics in London actually inspired a campaign to have 10th Doctor David Tennant carry the torch in the 2012 games. Matt Smith, the 11th doctor, actually did end up carrying the torch for the Games. This episode is a fan favorite, following the time traveling TARDIS to the 2012 Olympics in London where children have been disappearing. As if competing in the games wasn’t stressful enough…

What are your favorite movies and TV shows that feature the Olympics? We’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments!

Want more? Head over to our Discord where you’ll find tons of other fans there chatting in our forums about the books, TV shows, movies, music, and games we all love! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, tumblr, and Spotify for more fandom content—and hit that subscribe button so you never miss a thing at rmrk*st!