‘Industry’ Season 3 is a Sexy, Soapy, Dazzling Level Up for HBO’s Best Kept Secret

Industry has long been HBO‘s best kept secret. Originally relegated to Monday nights, its first two addictive seasons simmered in the shadow of Succession, the premium cable network’s other satire-laced drama about the emotional rot afflicting the global financial elite. Now in its third season, and shifted to Sunday nights on the schedule, Industry is poised to finally take its rightful place as HBO’s next smash hit.

Industry Season 3 is still a sexy, sordid look at the personal lives of a group of Gen Z investment bankers, but creators and showrunners Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have boldly raised the stakes for each character in monumental ways. Returning stars Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, and Ken Leung get to cash in on the complex web of emotion they’ve been building for two seasons, while new additions Kit Harington, Sarah Goldberg, and Miriam Petche offer refreshingly subversive portraits of characters who could otherwise be cliches.

Industry Season 3 is a titanic move forward for the series and proof it’s time to buy big in this under-watched HBO gem.

Industry first debuted on HBO in 2020 and soon developed a reputation for mixing nerve-wrecking workplace drama with joyously raunchy sex scenes. The series initially followed a quartet of “graduates” vying for a permanent position at Pierpoint & Co, an illustrious (and fictional) investment bank headquartered in London.

In Industry Season 3, three of the original five are still kicking, more or less. Gorgeous heiress Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela) is now working alongside Pierpoint’s CPS managing director Eric Tao (Ken Leung) while trying to ignore the chaos caused by her father’s embezzlement scandal. Handsome Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey), often slighted for his Welsh working class background, has been tasked with keeping tabs on Henry Muck (Kit Harington), a green energy CEO from the upper echelons of the aristocracy. And plucky, brilliant American Harper Stern (Myha’la) is now confined to being an assistant at another firm after Eric learned she lied about her background and education and fired her.

Back at Pierpoint, Eric is undergoing a bit of a midlife crisis after divorcing his wife. Throughout the season, he’s chasing the thrills of youth; at one point he even assumes Robert’s name while flirting with an escort. Talented, but aggressive, associate Rishi Ramdani (Sagar Radia) is experiencing the all-too-horrific reality of reaping what he sowed. (The less spoiled about his arc, the better, as it’s Industry at its panic attack-inducing best.) And new grad/influencer Sweetpea Golightley (Miriam Petche) is shaking the show up with an incredible mix of brazen ambition and cutting intellect.

However, the two new characters who are apt to get the most attention are the aforementioned Sir Henry Muck and Sarah Goldberg’s Petra Koenig, an ice queen portfolio manager in Harper’s orbit. Kit Harington gets to shed the dour honor of Jon Snow for the oft unintentionally hilarious Henry Muck. His green energy company, Lumi, is a huge bet for Pierpoint, but it’s unclear if Muck, or the organization, has the goods to back up the risk. Petra, on the other hand, is skeptical of the green energy movement her company is dead set on investing in. Harper impresses her with her ruthless streak and inside intel on how Pierpoint works.

What makes Industry Season 3 so special is how the drama remains rooted in the nitty-gritty of the labyrinthine world of investment banking, while keeping the narrative pulse of a soap opera. Sex scenes that embrace characters’ kinks, dialogue that sparkles with sharp satire, and shocking twists keep the series feeling fun. It’s a magic combination of high and low that nails down the madness of life. Industry never pulls its punches, literally or figuratively. Moreover, it also doesn’t forget that television can be entertaining.

Industry Season 3 is a fabulous level up for an already great show. The impressive ensemble cast continues to excavate the beautiful, broken characters the play. The drama has expanded from the stress of manning a desk to the prospect of shaking up the power balance of the whole world. Old grievances, buried passions, and dark secrets are dredged up at the most chaotic moments. Much like Harper, Yasmin, and Robert, Industry showrunners Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have evolved into unpredictable powerhouses, chasing down — and achieving — total professional dominance.

Industry Season 3 premieres on HBO and Max at 9 PM on Sunday, August 11.