Netflix’s latest true-story drama, Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story, turns a real American disaster into a tight, human-scale survival story. Set during the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, it follows a nurse caught between professional duty and the urgent need to reach her husband and children as the town collapses into smoke, gridlock, and panic.
The timing has helped it break through. After arriving on Netflix in the United States on February 1, 2026, the film quickly moved into the Netflix U.S. Top 10 movies, ranking #3 on February 3, 2026 (per FlixPatrol’s daily tracking). For a broader snapshot of what’s trending, see Streamingmania’s guide to Netflix’s worldwide Top 10 movies right now. Here is everything you need to know about Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story – from the plot and cast to reviews and release date. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story: All the key details
- Title: Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story
- Format: TV movie
- Runtime: 88 minutes
- Genre: Drama, true story
- Country: United States
- U.S. Netflix release date: February 1, 2026
- Director: Jozua Malherbe
- Writer: Kelly Fullerton
- Lead cast: Chrissy Metz, Colin Moss, Max Botha, Thomas Farham
- Produced by: Lifetime (original network release), now streaming on Netflix
What Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story is about
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story begins like any ordinary shift. Nichole Jolly clocks in at the local hospital in Paradise, California, while the day outside still feels routine. Then the fire turns, the town’s exits start to choke, and a normal workday becomes a chain of impossible decisions.
The story is built around a central tension that never really loosens: Nichole’s duty to patients versus her desperate need to reach her husband, Nick, and their children. As communications fail and the fire closes in, the film keeps the lens close to the ground, emphasizing fear, responsibility, and the moments where survival depends on clarity under pressure.
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story cast: the main characters
Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) plays Nichole with a practical, lived-in intensity that fits the material. Her performance is less about grand speeches than about the steady accumulation of stress: the split-second calculations, the exhaustion, the resolve that keeps returning even when panic would be easier.
Colin Moss plays Nick Jolly, the anchor on the other end of the crisis, while Max Botha and Thomas Farham appear as the couple’s children. The supporting cast and hospital and community figures help the film stay rooted in the idea that disaster stories are rarely solitary, even when one person’s choices become the narrative spine.
Is Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story based on a true story?
Yes. The film is explicitly framed as a dramatization inspired by real events tied to the 2018 Paradise, California wildfire disaster. It was produced as part of Lifetime’s faith-centered movie slate before later arriving on Netflix for U.S. streaming audiences.
What reviews say about Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story
Coverage around the film has emphasized its faith-and-resilience framing and its intention to spotlight everyday heroism during crisis. Reporting on Lifetime’s slate announcement highlighted the project’s real-event basis and positioning within the network’s faith-driven programming. Review responses have focused heavily on performance and sincerity. Some reviews have singled out Metz’s work and the film’s commitment to a grounded, intimate approach rather than disaster spectacle.
Why watch Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story
If you connected with grounded disaster dramas where the tension comes from responsibility and family stakes rather than spectacle, Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story fits naturally. It blends survival pressure with a faith-forward emotional arc, and it’s tightly paced at under 90 minutes, making it an easy one-sitting watch.
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story release date on streaming
Available now. Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story is already streaming on Netflix, where it is currently attracting strong viewer attention. Release date: February 1, 2026. Watch on Netflix
