Lead Children: Release date news, cast details, streaming details and more about the upcoming Polish drama

Netflix's long-running streak of true story adaptation conitnues with the upcoming Polish drama Lead Children scheduled to premiere this February. Set against the backdrop of an oppressive rule in Silesia, the story revolves around a young and ambitious doctor trying to save a community of children and their families from a fatal case of heavy metal contamination.

Lead Children has been directed by Polish filmmaker Maciej Piepryzca while among the lead cast we have Joanna Kulig, Michał Żurawski, Marian Dziędziel, Agata Kulesza, Zbigniew Zamachowski and Kinga Preis. The Netflix series takes inspiration from a true incident back in the 70s centering on a Silesian community of people and their struggle against the influential heads while tackling the danger of a severe case of water and soil contamination caused by heavy metals.

When will Lead Children be released? Streaming details explored

Lead Children will have an exclusive premiere on Netflix on February 11, 2026 with all 6 episodes releasing together. Viewers need to have a standard Netflix subscription worth $7.99 per month for ad-supported HD streaming.

However, for an uninterrupted ad-free streaming experience, users have to buy the standard pack without ads, costing $17.99 per month. The premium pack with ad-free 4K Ultra HD streaming costs $24.99 for one month and can support upto 6 devices on one account.

What do we know about the plot of Lead Children?

The story of Lead Children takes us back to the 1970s' Silesia where something known as "mysterious illnesses" was affecting children all across the community. It is eventually revealed that the diseases are a consequence of a smelter operation in and around Szopienice which emerges as a major environmental threat for the people.

Amidst the centre of all this is a young lady doctor named Jolanta Wadowska-Król (Joanna Kulig) who is ambitious enough to get to the bottom of all this and fight for the common good to save their lives. While the oppressive administrators go to extremes to cover up the scandal, Wadowska-Król remains persistent with her efforts to oppose the main culprit behind the mess - SB officer and an influential representative, Hubert Niedziela (portrayed by Michał Żurawski).

According to Netflix, the official logline of Lead Children reads:

"The series tells the story of a young doctor, Jolanta Wadowska-Król, who notices that children living near the Szopienice Steelworks are massively falling ill with lead poisoning, a disease caused by heavy metal contamination. After her discovery, the protagonist attempts to save the sick children and confronts the oppressive communist state apparatus. The production will transport the audience to the industrial atmosphere of Upper Silesia in the 1970s. It is here, in the realities of the working-class region, that dangerous political influences and the social mission of Dr. Wadowska-Król will intertwine."

Who is in the cast of Lead Children?

Joanna Kulig will lead the cast of Lead Children playing the role of the protagonist, Dr Jolanta Wadowska-Król. Alongside her, Agata Kulesza will appear on screen playing the part of Professor Berger.

Among others in the cast of Lead Children, we have: