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Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering all things Classic TV from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi.
Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the Classic TV team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.
Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
When it comes to dramas that feel like they could be fused together, Euphoria and Succession are rarely part of the same conversation. Both HBO shows have devoted followings for wildly different reasons. However, one recently returned series proves that what they share in common can be isolated and shaped into a masterful and riveting viewing experience.
Euphoria is dripping with emotional volatility, intimacy, and the dangerous ways young people self-destruct, while Succession is built on ruthless ambition, generational warfare, and corporate betrayal. They portray completely different worlds, which makes the idea of combining them sound more like a novelty than a recipe for prestige television. The truth, however, is the exact opposite.
HBO has a series that proves the middle ground between those two extremes doesn’t just work on the screen, but thrives on it. Industry debuted in 2020 and has quietly became one of HBO’s most gripping dramas, blending youthful recklessness with high-stakes corporate warfare. With a 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating and currently sitting at #6 on HBO’s global charts (via FlixPatrol), the newly returned show is finally getting the attention it deserves.
What Is Industry About?
A Cutthroat Banking Drama That Turns Fresh Graduates Into Corporate Gladiators
At its core, Industry follows a group of ambitious young graduates who land coveted jobs at Pierpoint & Co, an elite and incredibly accurately portrayed London investment bank. What begins as a dream opportunity quickly becomes a psychological and emotional battlefield, as these rookies are pitted against one another during a brutal probationary period designed to weed out the weak.
The audience's lens into the world of Industry is Harper Stern (Myha’la), a fiercely intelligent and deeply insecure American outsider trying to prove she belongs among Europe’s financial elite. Alongside her are equally desperate strivers like Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela), Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey), and Gus Sackey (David Jonsson), each chasing validation, money, and power in different ways.
Industry refuses to romanticize the world of high finance, and this commitment to gritty realism works incredibly well. Pierpoint is not portrayed as a glamorous playground for the ultrarich of the likes seen in movies like The Wolf Of Wall Street, but as a pressure cooker that warps everyone inside it. Every trade, every presentation, and every whispered office conversation carries real consequences, and mistakes are punished ruthlessly.
The underrated HBO show also excels at showing how personal lives and professional ambition bleed into each other. Relationships are forged out of convenience, sex becomes a coping mechanism, and loyalty is always conditional. Much like real-world finance, everything has a price, and everyone is ultimately expendable.
That tension makes every episode of Industry feel dangerous. Even small decisions can derail careers, while casual betrayals can destroy friendships. The result is a masterpiece HBO show that feels just as much like a thriller as a workplace drama, constantly keeping its characters and its audience off balance.
Industry Takes Euphoria’s Scandal Into The World Of High Finance
Gen Z Chaos And Succession-Style Power Games Collide In One Brutal HBO Series
The most obvious comparison between Industry and Euphoria is how unapologetically messy its young characters are. Harper, Yasmin, and Robert navigate their twenties with the same self-destructive impulsiveness that defines Rue (Zendaya) and her classmates in Euphoria. Drugs, sex, emotional manipulation, and identity crises are constant fixtures in their lives.
The key difference is the setting. Instead of bathrooms and bedrooms, Industry stages these breakdowns inside trading floors, boardrooms, and luxury apartments overlooking London. That shift changes everything. Every bad decision is not just personally damaging but professionally catastrophic, raising the stakes far beyond what most teen dramas attempt.
This is where the Succession DNA kicks in. Just like Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) fight for control inside Waystar Royco, the characters of Industry are locked in a constant struggle for relevance and power. Managers play favorites, executives manipulate outcomes, and everyone is acutely aware that a single misstep could end their career.
Eric Tao (Ken Leung), one of Pierpoint’s most feared higher-ups, functions much like a corporate Logan Roy (Brian Cox). His mentorships are transactional, his approval fleeting, and his wrath devastating. He molds and discards young talent with chilling efficiency, reinforcing the idea that this workplace is built to exploit ambition.
By combining Euphoria’s raw emotional volatility with Succession’s corporate brutality, Industry creates a uniquely intense experience. It captures how Gen Z chaos collides with a system designed to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of them, turning their vulnerabilities into liabilities.
Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump On The Industry Bandwagon
Four Seasons Of Addictive Drama Make The HBO Series Impossible To Ignore
With season 4 of Industry arriving on HBO from January, there has never been a better time to dive into the show. The first three seasons form a tightly connected narrative that evolves alongside its characters, making them ideal for an immersive binge. Each season raises the stakes while deepening the emotional scars.
Watching Harper, Yasmin, and Robert grow more cynical and compromised over time is deeply compelling. Their youthful optimism erodes under the weight of Pierpoint’s ruthless culture, and the show tracks that transformation with surgical precision. By the time season 4 begins, the characters are no longer just rookies but hardened players in a brutal system.
The current season runs through March 1st, creating a perfect bridge for HBO subscribers waiting for their next big obsession. That timing is especially ideal for fans of Euphoria, who are counting down to season 3’s April release. Industry fills that gap with a similarly intense, character-driven story that scratches the same dramatic itch.
Unlike many prestige dramas, Industry also rewards long-term investment. Callbacks, shifting alliances, and evolving power structures make earlier episodes feel more meaningful in hindsight. It is a show built to be watched in chunks, letting its intricate web of relationships fully sink in.
For viewers who love the emotional wreckage of Euphoria and the strategic cruelty of Succession, Industry offers the perfect blend of both. It may have started as a hidden gem, but it now feels like HBO’s next must-watch phenomenon.
English (US) ·