From first-time creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, HBO’s new eight-episode drama series INDUSTRY debuts MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) and follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited number of permanent positions at a leading international bank in London. The series will air on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
Starring Myha’la Herrold (“The Tattooed Heart”), Marisa Abela (“Cobra”), Harry Lawtey (“City of Tiny Lights”), David Jonsson (“Deep State”) and Nabhaan Rizwan (“Mogul Mowgli”) as “The Graduates” and Conor MacNeill (“Artemis Fowl”), Freya Mavor (“Skins”), Will Tudor (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) and Ken Leung (HBO’s “High Maintenance”) as “Management,” INDUSTRY gives an insider’s view of the blackbox of “high finance” through the eyes of an outsider, Harper Stern (Myha’la Herrold), a talented young woman from upstate New York. Through the eyes of these young grads fueled by ambition, romance and drugs, INDUSTRY examines issues of gender, race and class in the workplace as the impressionable new employees begin to forge an identity within the pressure cooker environment of Pierpoint & Co.’s trading floor. They were promised meritocracy, but hierarchy is king.
Having come to London from New York to join the prestigious Pierpoint & Co., Harper will stop at nothing to prove herself the best hire in her graduate class. Harper’s drive intensifies as she finds herself surrounded by people born into privilege, like Yasmin (Marisa Abela) who, despite her background, faces her own challenges. Yasmin has had different expectations placed on her since childhood and is tired of being underestimated professionally. At Pierpoint, Harper and Yasmin need to prove their worth as professionals amongst their fellow grads. One of their peers is Robert (Harry Lawtey), who joins the bank from a working-class background, believing it a true meritocracy where putting on a suit will help distance himself from his past. In contrast, Robert’s roommate Gus (David Jonsson) was built for institutions like Pierpoint, having come from Eton and Oxford, and sees it as another tick on a checklist that will lead him straight to Downing Street. Doe-eyed Hari (Nabhaan Rizwan) has dreamt of working in banking his whole life, dresses like a modern “master of the universe” and is determined to succeed no matter the cost.
In the hierarchical ecosystem of Pierpoint, the graduates look aspirationally up at the Managing Directors whom they sit next to while those senior figures are secretly looking down fearfully, wondering who’s going to take their seat. On the sales desk (CPS), Managing Director Eric (Ken Leung) is Pierpoint’s number one producer who sees Harper’s potential and takes her under his wing, while VP Daria (Freya Mavor) is a great counterpoint to Eric’s aggressive sales strategy and shows Harper that there’s more than one way to be a salesperson. Yasmin’s direct line manager on the foreign exchange (FX) desk is Kenny (Conor MacNeill), a VP whose prejudices cloud his judgement of her merit. Meanwhile, Theo (Will Tudor) is a second-year research analyst whose establishment charm and strong counter-consensus market calls make him a Pierpoint poster boy. The young recruits may be fresh out of university, but the demands and expectations of these mentors and the industry itself are sky-high and ultimately seduce the grads to act in ways they would not have expected, just as they are trying to figure out who they are.
Episodes include:
Season 1, Episode 1: “Induction”
Debut date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Five young graduates do whatever it takes to make themselves indispensable at preeminent London investment bank Pierpoint & Co. As hungry outsider Harper (Myha’la Herrold) grapples with a decision that will gravely affect her future at the bank, she and party-boy Robert (Harry Lawtey) take very different approaches to their first few weeks in the bank. Meanwhile, Yasmin (Marisa Abela) braves the unchecked disrespect of her superiors and Hari’s (Nabhaan Rizwan) unhealthy work habits raise companywide red flags.
Written by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; Directed by Lena Dunham.
Season 1, Episode 2: “Quiet and Nice”
Debut date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
With Harper (Myha’la Herrold) struggling to find her feet in a new city, Pierpoint throws a morale-boosting appreciation dinner which sees her challenging a drunken, irate Kenny (Conor MacNeill), while Gus (David Jonsson) alienates senior management by discussing his team’s future. Meanwhile, Yasmin (Marisa Abela) comes face to face with the culture of her new team and takes her flirtation with Robert (Harry Lawtey) to risky new heights.
Written by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; Directed by Tinge Krishnan.
Season 1, Episode 3: “Notting Hill”
Debut date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
When Pierpoint loses a major client, the grads face their most challenging – and potentially rewarding – test to date: devising pitches to drive new business. After the dissolution of his team finds him reassigned to a disinterested new supervisor, a creative Gus (David Jonsson) partners with Robert (Harry Lawtey) to catch Clement’s (Derek Riddell) attention. Meanwhile, as she navigates a complicated living situation with Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Harper (Myha’la Herrold) attempts to juggle conflicting requests from Eric (Ken Leung) and Daria (Freya Mavor).
Written by Sam H. Freeman; Directed by Tinge Krishnan.
Season 1, Episode 4: “Sesh”
Debut date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After a wild birthday celebration with Robert (Harry Lawtey), Yasmin (Marisa Abela), and Greg (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), Harper’s (Myha’la Herrold) workday spirals out of control. As a discrepancy in one of her trades puts her team at risk for major losses, Harper seeks support from a surprising source, while unexpected trouble at a networking event brings Yasmin and Robert closer and Gus (David Jonsson) further alienates his coworkers.
Written by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; Directed by Ed Lilly.
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INDUSTRY is created and executive produced by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; Executive produced by Jane Tranter, Lachlan MacKinnon, Ryan Rasmussen, David P. Davis and by Ben Irving for BBC; co-executive produced by Ed Lilly; Produced by Lee Thomas. Produced for HBO / BBC by Bad Wolf. Writers include Konrad Kay, Mickey Down, Sam H. Freeman and Kate Verghese. Directors include Lena Dunham, Ed Lilly, Tinge Krishnan, Mary Nighy.
