Polo is a five-part docuseries, co-produced by Archewell, the production company founded by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Boardwalk Pictures, who has produced sports docuseries like Welcome To Wrexham. It follows professional polo players as they prepare and compete in the 2024 U.S. Open Polo Tournament in Wellington, Florida, which is the highlight of the pro polo season.
Opening Shot: Shots of palm trees, then a helicopter landing on a patch of grass.
The Gist: Among the people we hear from during the first episode are Tommy Dutta, who is the son of the Dutta team’s “patron” (pronounced like the tequila: pat-RON), Tom Dutta. Tommy’s dad, who came to the US from India when he was young, is very demanding and through his investment in the team has put a lot of pressure on his son to perform well. We see Tommy during the first matches of the Open get criticized by his father, who is stalking the sidelines.
Another person we hear from is Louis Devaleix, who is not only the patron of La Fey, but one of its players (patrons have the option of playing for the team they own). A former pro golfer who likes to lay down f-bombs, he’s married to a former pro polo star, Pamela Flanagan; at the time the series is filmed, she’s pregnant with their first child (he also has a son from a previous relationship). The family sold their dream house and sacrificed a lot of their nest egg to fund the team. But Louis, who is as competitive as his late father was, has become a top polo player despite coming late to the sport.
We also hear from Adolfo and Poroso Cambiato. Adolfo is considered one of the best polo players ever; his son Poroso is an up-and-coming player who is competing against his father in the tournament.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Polo definitely has the slick feel of Boardwalk Pictures’ other sports docuseries, like the aforementioned Welcome To Wrexham, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Last Chance U.
Our Take: Listen, if you want to find out about the nuts and bolts of the game of polo, then Polo should be an interesting watch. The series’ producers take the time to explain the basics of the game in the first episode, along with the roles of each player on a team and how players switch horses during a chukker (i.e. period) to give their main horse a rest.
Otherwise…? It’s a group of privileged people playing an elite game for rich people. Timmy Dutta’s dad is tough on him, which is a bit interesting to watch, but the only time we see it getting to him is when he yells back at his dad during the first U.S. Open match. Devaleix and his family have a lot financially on the line with his patronship of La Fey? That might generate some conflict, but it doesn’t look like the family has downsized their lifestyle all that much.
The first episode was tough to connect with, because it presents a world that not only isn’t very relatable to most people, but is boring to boot. We would really like to hear more from the non-patron or patron-related players on the various teams, who are paid what might not be a particularly high salary in a niche sport. We would love to hear from the support staffs of the teams, who take care of the horses and stables and deal with the logistics.
That, and profiles of long-suffering fans, are what makes Boardwalk’s Welcome To Wrexham so good. It’s not just about the two A-listers who own the team; it’s about the working-class city the team calls home. None of that connection can be found in Polo.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: Timmy Dutta takes a shot during the first U.S. Open match.
Sleeper Star: We kind of felt bad for Louis Devaleix young son, because it looks like Louis is going to be as hard on him as his dad was back in the day. “I’m just more subtle,” he says. That’s what he thinks he is; the reality might be different.
Most Pilot-y Line: Tom Dutta’s beratement of his son on the sidelines makes the worst Little League dads look like pussycats.
Our Call: SKIP IT. Polo is a mostly boring look at a sport that very few people outside of elite circles have any particular interest in.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.