Industry Renewed For Fifth And Final Season At HBO

The markets are closing (for good): HBO has renewed the financial drama "Industry" for a fifth and final season, TVLine has learned. 

"Industry" stars Myha'la as Harper Stern, an ambitious young American equities trader making a name for herself in London in the cutthroat world of high finance. Marisa Abela co-stars as Harper's former co-worker/current frenemy Yasmin, with Ken Leung as Harper's tough-love mentor Eric. The show has undergone a cast revamp recently, with Kit Harington joining in Season 3 as tech founder Henry Muck and Max Minghella joining in Season 4 as ruthless exec Whitney Halberstram. Season 4 wraps up this Sunday, airing an hour earlier than usual at 8 pm on HBO.   

"For four seasons, 'Industry' has thrilled us while examining power, money, politics, and class," HBO drama head Francesca Orsi said in a statement. "Under [creators] Mickey [Down] and Konrad [Kay]'s ambitious and singular vision, it has solidified itself as an important contemporary, genre-bending drama in HBO's lineup that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat week after week. It is gratifying that viewers and critics have recognized Season 4 as bigger and more thrilling than ever, buoyed by career-defining performances from our magnificent cast. Alongside the amazing team under executive producer Jane Tranter at Bad Wolf and executive producer Kathleen McCaffrey at Little Gems, we are so proud we can announce the fifth season of this terrific show, which Mickey and Konrad have decided will take us to the end of 'Industry's' story."

Indeed, Down and Kay confirm it was their decision to end the series with Season 5: "For some time now we have been thinking about how best to end the show on an unparalleled high. Unlike some of our characters, we know when to leave a party."

"Industry" is indeed going out on a high, with HBO touting that global viewing for Season 4 — which debuted in January — is up about 30% over Season 3, with cross-platform viewership averaging 1.7 million per episode.

The first three seasons of "Industry" centered on London investment bank Pierpoint, but in Season 4, the show completely reinvented itself, with Harper starting her own firm specializing in short selling, with Eric eventually joining up as a partner. Yasmin, meanwhile, served as a supportive wife to Henry as he lost a parliamentary election, encouraging him to join Whitney at nascent finance app Tender as CEO. But old friends became enemies when Harper started betting against Tender, staking her new firm's reputation on the assertion that Tender was doomed to fail. (Check out our chats with Myha'la and Ken Leung about the season premiere, and with Kit Harington and Marisa Abela about Henry's pivotal Episode 2.)  

Is "Industry" cashing out at the right time? And what are you hoping to see in the final season? Hit the comments to share your thoughts!