Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best

The cutthroat, brutal world of investment banking seems absolutely ideal for an incisive drama. We’ve seen in the likes of The Wolf Of Wall Street that a financial backdrop, potentially stuffy and impenetrable, can be fascinating and hold mass appeal.

Industry falls somewhat short of that mark, and while no one could reasonably expect it to be on the level of the Scorsese modern classic, it feels at times like the cast of Skins have gone into banking. Somewhere in the production process there was a panic that audiences might not get invested(!) in the banking storylines, and so inject artificial energy by way of superfluous partying scenes just to keep the pace up.

The characters, being young prospective financial players, are by their nature immensely unlikeable, but Industry lacks the nerve to commit to having a bunch of heels as their main players, attempting to generate sympathy for the wealthy, venal, often sinister individuals at its core.

Investing in antiheroes is the name of the game at HBO, but Industry never seems to fully recognise why its characters wouldn’t be likeable.