Industry, the HBO/BBC banking drama, has returned for a fourth season that cements its status as one of the year's best shows. Following a slow-burn start, the series hit its stride in season three and now surpasses it with a darker, more debauched tone, held together by pitch-perfect dialogue. New cast members including Kiernan Shipka, Max Minghella, Kal Penn, and Charlie Heaton integrate seamlessly with returning leads Myha'la, Marisa Abela, and Kit Harington, creating a twisted and sophisticated experience.
The season's plot rips from headlines, centring on a payment provider called Tender on the verge of becoming a bank. It seeks to sever ties with an OnlyFans-style platform, Siren, as the UK moots a new online safety bill. This sets off a cat-and-mouse game involving financial journalist James (Heaton) and Tender employee Hayley (Shipka). Meanwhile, Harper (Myha'la) runs a fund specialising in short-selling for financier Otto Mostyn, a power-hungry figure with a hatred of “woke” culture, and chafes at being hamstrung.
Writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay continue to excel in observing race, class, desire, and sexuality, unafraid to say the unsayable for dark humour and realism. Notable dialogue includes Harper being told “you ARE an angry Black woman!” by her mentor Eric (Ken Leung). The season also features a career-best turn from Kit Harington as Henry, who, alongside Yasmin (Abela), grapples with marital hardships after the collapse of his green energy company. Death is foreshadowed throughout, particularly around a troubled Rishi (Sagar Radia).
Industry retains its stylish core, with Yasmin channelling Marie Antoinette for Henry's 40th birthday party. The show remains centred on “rich people problems” but digs deeper into tortured psyches, delivering a jaw-dropping treat destined for end-of-year lists.
