If you miss the colorfully profane world of Succession, a show where most characters would gladly sell their souls for power and money, then you should be watching HBO Max’s Industry. While they share some similarities — both come from British creators and follow a cadre of anti-heroic characters into a world of hyperwealth — Industry is even more focused on the inhuman ambition that drives its characters. Succession follows a family that’s already wealthy and striving to hold onto its relevance, but Industry centers on a group of twenty-somethings who are (mostly) not rich and are all desperate to prove themselves at London’s renowned investment bank Pierpoint & Co. The workplace is meritocratic, but also an obscenely toxic world devoid of morality. The show introduces Harper Stern, a genius trader with a dark secret, as she navigates the predominantly white male sales floor alongside diverse colleagues. Season three brings in Kit Harrington as a CEO on the verge of an IPO, exposing the amoral viewpoints of Pierpoint. The characters in Industry reflect the selfish philosophy of greed laid down by Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko, exploring the cynical outcomes of profiting from potential failures. The show delves into larger themes of the global economy, the collapse of companies, and the erosion of humanity in the finance world. Industry is not just about the inner-workings of finance or romantic entanglements, but also about watching competent people excel in a high-pressure environment. Unlike Succession, Industry showcases a world where wealth and success must be earned through sacrifice and compromise.
