The red carpet at Regal Union Square in New York glimmered on January 8, 2026, as the cast of HBO’s high-octane financial drama Industry reunited for the much-anticipated premiere of its fourth season. The atmosphere was electric but intimate, with stars and creators mingling in a restrained, stylish setting that mirrored the show’s trademark blend of ambition and chaos. Marisa Abela, Myha’la, Harry Lawtey, Ken Leung, and newcomer Sarah Goldberg made striking appearances, joined by co-creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. It was a reunion that set the stage for a season promising more betrayal, burnout, and the unrelenting pursuit of power inside the fictional world of Pierpoint & Co.
Since its debut in 2020, Industry has become a cult favorite, attracting viewers with its unapologetic look into the ruthless world of international finance. The series, created by Down and Kay—both former bankers—follows a group of young professionals navigating the toxic grind at Pierpoint, a prestigious London investment bank. Over the years, the show has evolved into one of HBO’s smartest and most visceral dramas, lauded for its realism and a cast whose performances are nothing short of masterful.
This season, the drama’s core is as sharp as ever. Myha’la returns as Harper Stern, a brilliant but reckless American who’s been lying about her credentials since day one. Marisa Abela reprises her role as Yasmin Kara-Hanani, a polished but calculating daughter of privilege, whose parents run a publishing empire. Their frenemy dynamic remains the show’s beating heart—each driven by ambition, haunted by insecurity, and unafraid to wield sex, drugs, or sheer wit as weapons or shields. As Abela reflected, “We met Yasmin when she was 22, and she was incredibly nervous... whereas now I think that Yasmin is very much a self-assured person.”
Season four, which premiered on HBO Max in the US on Sunday, January 11, 2026, and in the Philippines the following day, introduces a new power center: Tender, a fintech payment processing company in its explosive growth phase. The set, an expanse of Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff, stands in for Tender’s offices in London’s Canary Wharf. Here, Max Minghella debuts as Whitney Halberstram, the enigmatic co-founder of Tender, while Kit Harington’s Henry Muck—introduced last season—steps in as CEO. As Down explained to The Daily Beast, “Season 4 is all about a big financial fraud, and how it plays out. There’s a lot more politics and finance stuff. We wanted it to be about power and capitalism.”
With the arrival of Tender, the cast expands to include Charlie Heaton, Kiernan Shipka, and Kal Penn. Shipka plays Haley Clay, the executive assistant, while Penn joins as Jay Jonah Atterbury, Tender’s other co-founder. Heaton’s Jim Dycker is a financial journalist poking around Tender’s business, raising questions about the company’s future and the secrets it may hold. The introduction of these new characters injects fresh intrigue and complexity, as the established Pierpoint crew faces shifting alliances and new threats.
Yet, not all familiar faces return. Harry Lawtey, beloved as the earnest Robert Spearing, is absent this season due to scheduling conflicts—a loss Deadline called “heartbreaking” for longtime fans. Still, the show’s ensemble remains formidable, with Ken Leung’s Eric Tao continuing as Harper’s ruthless mentor, and Miriam Petche’s Sweetpea Golightly—introduced in season three—adding another layer to the office’s charged dynamics.
Behind the scenes, Down and Kay’s partnership is as tight as ever. The duo met at Oxford and briefly worked in banking, giving them an insider’s understanding of the genteel yet cutthroat world they so vividly depict. Down told The Daily Beast, “People want to make money young, like it’s about really carving out identity based on money, and that’s success and power.” Kay added, “We were so green when we started out... but the real estate of 9 pm on Sunday on HBO is something that me and Mickey grew up as being the hallowed, sacrosanct part of television.”
The show’s visual style has also matured. Costume designer Laura Smith drew inspiration from Carolyn Bessette Kennedy for Yasmin’s wardrobe, while Harper’s transformation into a fund manager is reflected in her newfound sartorial confidence. “This season, even though she’s got a handbag, and it’s a Chanel on a long chain, it’s still very small,” Smith noted. “You couldn’t put a laptop in it. It tells you a very different story because now she has people to carry it for her.”
Season four’s narrative is more politically charged and morally ambiguous than ever. Harper, now a fund manager, struggles with the autonomy she’s been promised but is making high-stakes decisions and running her own book. “Harper is doing the best that we’ve known her to do,” Myha’la explained. “She feels like she doesn’t have the autonomy that she’s promised, but she’s running her own book and making her own decisions.” Yasmin, meanwhile, is determined to prove her necessity in a world that often underestimates her. Her connections and willingness to use them are unmatched, even as she contends with a damaged relationship with her wealthy, unscrupulous father.
The show doesn’t shy away from the darker side of ambition. Harington reflected on his character’s arc: “He is a tragic character... The challenge this year was to understand why he’s a tragic character. Last season, he was more peripheral, and he was quite villainous... This year was very much an in-depth look at who he really was as a fully rounded person.” Minghella, too, found Whitney Halberstram to be a complex role: “He was enigmatic to me when we were shooting it... Mickey and Konrad made some really interesting, cool changes in post that actually quite dramatically shift the character.”
Critical acclaim continues to follow Industry. Marisa Abela’s portrayal of Yasmin earned her the Best Leading Actress prize at the 2025 BAFTA TV Awards, a testament to the show’s ability to capture both the brutality and vulnerability of its characters. And with each season, the stakes only rise, as the young professionals of Pierpoint & Co. grow more experienced, more ruthless, and more entangled in the machine of global finance.
For viewers new and old, season four offers a fresh entry point—eight episodes packed with betrayal, shifting loyalties, and the high cost of chasing success. As Down put it, “It’s a privilege that it’s come back because it’s come back every time when we thought it’d be canceled. And every season feels totally different from the last.”
At the New York premiere, Myha’la summed up her current outlook, sharing her love for married life—a rare note of personal contentment amid the show’s relentless grind. But for the characters of Industry, the pursuit of power, wealth, and identity remains as fraught and fascinating as ever.
