‘Industry’ Season 4 Review: TV’s Most Exciting Drama Returns With Best Season Yet

HBO has been going through a bit of an identity crisis these past few years, with Succession finishing in 2023 and marking the end of an era of so called prestige dramas, or golden age of television in other terms. Meanwhile, Euphoria soared as their most popular new too cool for school drama that took the world by storm, but doesn’t at all scratch the prestige itch that people have come to expect of HBO’s iconic slate, which has defined the television medium and culture for decades.

In comes Industry, the finance drama initially started out as a post-grad exercise where a bunch of childish newcomers enter the coldhearted business that is Pierpoint & Co., trying desperately to score wins while having sex and taking drugs amidst the fluctuating financial market, despite only facing humiliating losses at nearly every turn. The creators were investment bankers after all so this was an autobiographical origin. 6 years later and the show has completely transformed into an invigorating clash of goals and motivated self-interest where Season 3 opened the floor for new heights to be achieved and Season 4 taking it a step further by replacing the status quo entirely. Not only finding its feet but cementing itself as one of our great television dramas out now.

After the 3rd instalment, creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay mentioned that they didn’t know if the show would even return so wrote the finale “Infinite Largesse” with that in mind, acting as the big epilogue to the show but also as a catalyst in the hopes that they may return. Which is an astonishing position to be in for a story that felt so conclusive after it had its big moment. But that’s exactly why the fourth season is even more captivating to watch as we see how the creators flip everything on its head by untidying its neat bow. Creating an avalanche of consequences no one is prepared for.

‘Industry’ Season 4 is Bigger, Bolder and Better

The fourth season picks up a year after where we left off in the Season 3 finale, characters that all fell apart one by one after the inevitable collapse of Pierpoint now placed in new untenable positions. While the third focused a lot more on Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and the introduction of Henry (Kit Harrington) with Harper (Myha’la) taking a slight backseat, the fourth returns to our favorite Harper-Yasmin duo as the forefront to everything that happens. They’ve had a few years to grow and learn their craft like the creators and now they’re given a chance to play for keeps with no strings attached. Letting go of its past as Pierpoint becomes more of a memorial backdrop, making the characters, relationships and their choices feel more significant than ever.

Yet, Yasmin and Harper remain at the centre of all the above as their career trajectory and dynamic have been put into question. The most opportune moment to rise or fall flat faced. Marisa’s sharp-tongued princess, fallen from grace, swoons with Harrington’s similarly self-destructive Henry Muck. Meanwhile, Myha’la’s singular minded rookie now becomes fund manager with a team consisting of both old (the ever so reliable Ken Leung’s Eric Tao) and new players as she wages war against the payment processing app company called Tender, led by perhaps the most fascinating addition of the cast and the arguable antagonist of the series in CFO Whitney Halbertram (Max Minghella), who plays a wickedly devilish role in disrupting the harmony of the cast and obstructing their goals.

HBO rewarded the show’s confidence last season and moved it to the Sunday primetime night slot, that gesture is granted to the cast, bringing in new faces to its roster that all serve a fantastic purpose. From Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton playing the conniving finance journalist (think Jessica Jones-ish) or Mad Men’s beloved Kiernan Shipka who plays the seductive assistant Hayley Clay loving the spoils of war, and of course Toheeb Jawah as Kwabena, set as the new primary love interest of sorts for Harper’s pride. Miriam Petche also marks a return as Sweetpea Golightly (you may remember her confrontations with Rishi) but with a more demanding and juicier role that only expands on the show’s trifecta topic of sex, money and power from the lens of a woman.

Yasmin and Harper’s Relationship is the Backbone of ‘Industry’ Season 4

The show makes the most of its 8-episode structure in its fourth season and feels like a spiritual sequel of sorts for several episodes from the third. One early episode centred on a costume outing felt like a direct homage to Barry Lyndon which set the tone for the rest of the season. All out war and the winners will be decided by the end of it, no matter the cost, even when good intentions are present. Reinforcing its themes and exploring them deeper than ever before in the business state of the world by making sex, politics, press and yes, even technology like the terrifying AI become a heated discussion. Timely and increasingly difficult to deny, a clearly natural response to the current climate of affairs that surrounds the global conversation. Another standout being the 4th episode, which plays almost like a continuation of Sagar Radia’s Rishi gambling arc in White Mischief (think Christopher Eccleston’s annual solo episode arc in The Leftovers).

With the stakes feeling higher than ever as consequences start to feel irreversible, there comes a fear that the creators may be flying too close to the sun, but as scorchingly brutal the show becomes, it never loses sight of its promises and paves the road ahead, finding light at the end of every tunnel. This is best reflected in Harper and Yasmin’s relationship, where they go through their most challenging arc yet, both at odds with themselves and each other. They feel most in sync with one another, yet so clearly in opposing wavelengths. You sense there is a mutual understanding there that almost feels too intimate to bear. The explosive finale only expresses this sentiment further and reveals sides of the cast that you won’t see coming. Moments that take your breath away as all unimaginable hell breaks loose for everyone, and the game board restarts for a potential 5th season that nobody could predict which direction it will take.

Harper and Yasmin fans will be most pleased with the show turning a new leaf and really embracing their characters as the pivotal decision makers with hell to bring to get themselves out of any corner they may be pushed into. It’s electrifying to watch but heartbreaking at the same time to see their innocence and moral values be reckoned with so existentially. At times, you wish they weren’t so broken and lost in their own despair as they clearly aren’t bad people deep down, yet their flaws rooted from their past traumas have shaped them into resilient, at times disturbing protagonist figures who want to see things through. Tossed by the waves, but neither sink.

The show’s so confidently assured over the course of the season with the creators involved in more episodes this time around, upping the detail and quality on every aspect possible. From the beautifully lit and inspired cinematography to the direction feeling so seamless and palpable. The score accentuates the atmosphere better than ever, creating a level of dread and tension not seen before. The cast all bring their A Game too with Kit Harrington and Ken Leung proving to be exceptionally variable in their respective roles, showing a blend of vulnerability and macho on screen. A special compliment goes to Kiernan Shipka for managing an elusive role in Haley.

But of course, this extends to Marisa Abela and Myha’la too, who both give career-best work and display such expressive work through their tortured yet courageous characters and the creators utilise them expertly. The show, at its very cor,e has always been Harper and Yasmin’s turbulent relationship, and Season 4 demonstrates that sentiment as their foundation drives the story to new heights. If the creators keep making things up along the way then the sky really is the limit. After all, that’s what great shows are made of. Bringing in the unexpected and ready to meet the moment. Industry is no different in that regard as we wonder what happens next.

Industry Season 4 stars Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Max Minghella, Kit Harington, Sagar Radia, Charlie Heaton, Kiernan Shipka, Kal Penn, and Ken Leung. premieres on Sunday, January 11 at 9pm ET on HBO Max. New episodes will be released weekly.

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