HBO’s ‘Industry’ Is Your Corporately Mandated Thanksgiving Binge

Good news, all you lovers of television: you have something new and excellent to watch as you dig through your Thanksgiving leftovers. Today HBO announced that the remaining five episodes of its corporate drama Industry will all be dropping on HBO Max this Friday, November 27. This will mark the first time HBO will offer a mid-season episode drop for one of its original series. And truly, it’s chosen its experimental show well.

Every element of Industry, from its first time creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, to its relatively unknown cast revels in the world of underdogs. The corporate drama follows a group of new recruits for one of London’s largest and most successful investment banks, Pierpoint & Co. But just because they’ve fought their way to the top and have gotten the job that doesn’t mean these recent graduates can relax. There are only a handful of permanent positions at their dream company, which means every morning coffee, every client meeting, and every conversation with a boss is a new test to prove their worth.

At its core, Industry is just a good, old-fashioned HBO drama. You don’t have to watch long before a new betrayal or company challenge crosses the manipulative Harper (Myha’la Herrold) or the submissive Yasmin’s (Marisa Abela) path. The actual language of the world of banking may be hard to follow, but the series’ core drama isn’t. These men and women are fighting for their lives, and they will lie, cheat, steal, seduce, and claw anything and anyone to get what they want.

Yet hidden beneath its addicting-to-watch folds, Industry offers a more nuanced examination of Millennials in the workplace. As fun as it is to watch these scrappy go-getters, it’s difficult to see the way they push themselves as anything other than toxic. In a world that constantly toys with the idea of the work-life balance, Industry follows a group of new employees who will always choose the former over the latter. The results of that choice are often devastating.

All of this sexy drama can be yours starting on November 27. That’s when all eight episodes of Industry‘s first season will be made available on HBO Max. If you prefer your doses of corporate drama to come on a weekly basis, that’s an option too. The final five episodes will continue to premiere on HBO proper Mondays at 10/9c, leading to the two episode finale on December 21. Cheers.

Watch Industry on HBO NOW and HBO Max