“Industry” is HBO’s signature adult drama that, even after two great seasons, is still flying under the radar. But on the eve of season three, “Industry” looks poised to take the mantle of prestige tv. For the uninitiated, “Industry” is about a group of post grads entering the cut throat world of investment banking at Pierpoint (a stand in for J.P. Morgan). The creators Mickey Downe and Konrad Kay both spent time at Morgan Stanley before jumping ship to the creative space. Their perspective is indispensable in bringing a certain gravity to the show. But the logline for “Industry” is a hard sell. We all know someone from college that aspired to work in high stakes finance. They are the crop of people who wear suits to lectures and care way too much about having a table at the club. Not exactly the kinds of people you want to spend an hour with every Sunday. But “Industry” presupposes our ideas about finance and shows these social climbers for who they really are. Terrible people, completely out of their depth, that you can’t help but pull for. Gen-Z workaholics looking to eat from the forbidden fruit of capitalism, because they feel they have been paying for the sins of others all their lives. Co-creators Konrad Kay and Mickey Down pull off this magic trick by casting brilliant performers in deep parts painted richly onto the canvas of London and set to a slick score with memorable needledrops. Industry is stylish, sexy and rotten to the core in the best way. But even with all this going for it, “Industry” feels like a blip in the TV landscape. I have never met another person face to face that has seen this show, and believe me I’ve asked. But on the eve of season three the prestige TV space feels more hollow than ever, and the runway is clear for “Industry” to make a splashy landing.
The dowel rod of “Industry” is the mix of veteran character actors and rising stars of the screen. Veteran performer Ken Leung gets his chance to shine as Eric Tao, the steely and stubborn leader of Cross Product Sales at Pierpoint. He gets support from other greats of the British stage like Sarah Parish, Andre Buchan and Katrine de Candole. And the more youthful side of the cast resembles the Euphoria cast of years ago, already booked and busy. Myha’la (Harper Stern) was a standout in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies right off the heels of season two. David Jonsson (Gus Sackey) landed a breakout role as the pitiful heartthrob in Rye Lane. Maris Abela (Yasmin Yazdani) brought Amy Winehouse to the silver screen in an admittedly troubled film, but a big role nonetheless. And Harry Lawtey (Robert Spearing) just scored the Harvey Dent/ Twoface role in the upcoming Joker sequel, Folie a Deux. But in the highly(?) anticipated third season, this cast of rising stars will fight for screen presence against members of HBO’s in-house talent, Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones and Sarah Goldberg from Barry. Kit is playing Henry Muck, a changing-the-world-startup-founder with a renewable energy company on the brink of a Pierpoint backed IPO. Goldberg is appearing as Petra Koenig, a leading portfolio manager in the ESG space (environmental, social and governance). It appears that, through these characters, the show will tackle something they teased in season 2— the false promise of ethical capitalism and the charlatans behind it. Tackling big, contemporary issues
instead of shying away from them is what “Industry” does best. This was one of a few shows to actually put the Covid-19 pandemic on screen and do so to great effect. In the upcoming season, new Pierpoint hires have OnlyFans accounts and are making TikToks from the trading floor. This all might sound dreadfully contemporary, but “Industry” is bravely for our time in a world where creatives refuse to make present-day stories.
So what should we expect from the third season of “Industry”? As Danny Van Deventer said in season two, we answer to the man who pays. And it would appear that the man who pays this season is Henry Muck. His presence has loomed large from the very first promotional materials. It is clear that Kit Harrington’s small screen starpower is a fiduciary move as much as it is a creative one. HBO needs a hit and they’re going to their bench of stars to help get one. Elsewhere, our morally compromised protagonist, Harper, is still reeling from Eric’s betrayal. She is looking to make it on her own by joining a smaller firm, and as always she is circling the drain of another reputation staking trade. Yasmin is reckoning with her father’s extralegal exploits in the face of the ruthless British press, while Henry Muck fights for her hand. Robert, now fully under the thumb of Eric Tao, will have to wrestle with his shaky manhood while staying afloat in a job he has never been particularly good at. Meanwhile, Rishi Ramdani (Sagar Radia) is dealing with the fallout of christening his marriage with infidelity and feeling the weight of Pierpoint on his shoulders. For as long as we’ve known Rishi, he’s relied on his business to protect himself and that appears to be drying up, leaving him washed up with no exit strategy. And while our heroes fight to keep their heads dry, a new crop of hires is fighting for their market share and their screen time.
If you need any final convincing, this season “Industry” will move from its traditional Monday night spot to the legendary HBO Sunday night window. Here it will walk in the footsteps of giants like the Sopranos, Game of Thrones and the show it is most in conversation with, Succession. This timeslot is the ultimate vote of confidence, and a signal that “Industry” is ready to play in the big leagues. Clear your Sunday nights, dry clean your dark suits, text your bag man. “Industry” is back.