HBO Gives 'Industry' a Surprise Renewal for Season 4
Kit Harington as Henry Muck in 'Industry' Season 3
Nick Strasburg/HBO
Since Industry's producers announced the show would add Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) as the main arc guest star for Season 3, it's been hard to ignore how much the show was heading for an early cancelation. The series, which initially debuted in November 2020 on HBO and HBO Max during the AT&T years, was given zero marketing in the States, operating under the highly foolish "if we stream it, they will magically find it" assumption of the incompetent powers that be.
The show spent its first two seasons treated like an afterthought by the network's various owners; when Season 2 debuted in August 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery had taken over HBO and the now-rechristened Max but continued to give the BBC co-production zero support. Adding Harington, who is a household name in America due to starring on Game of Thrones for a decade on HBO, was a bold move to get viewers attention, especially with an ad blitz hyping Harington's role that ran alongside the second season of the GoT prequel House of the Dragon.
The ploy worked, and finally, Industry has reached sleeper-hit status. Viewership showed a dramatic increase, up 60% from Season 2's debut two years prior, and growing week over week until it finally began to bring in over a million viewers per episode. Despite Season 3's finale being written so that it could play as a series finale if the show were canceled, HBO announced the renewal in mid-September, with the show still having two more installments.
Series creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay released a statement expressing how thrilled they were along with the announcement:
“We are beyond thrilled and grateful to HBO, the incredible team at Bad Wolf, and our phenomenal cast and crew for their continued belief in Industry and for allowing us to grow as creators, writers, and now directors whilst taking the show to new heights. We can’t wait to dive deeper and deliver the best season yet in Season 4.”
Season 4 has not confirmed which cast will return, but it's hard to imagine the show moving away from its breakout stars Marisa Abela (Back to Black), Harry Lawtey (Mr. Burton), and Myha'la (Black Mirror). (Maybe, we'll get lucky, and they'll bring back David Jonsson, who exited after Season 2 for Murder is Easy.) Also likely to return: Ken Leung (Star Wars), Conor MacNeill (Derry Girls), Sagar Radia (The Good Karma Hospital), Indy Lewis (La Fortuna), Adam Levy (Inspector George Gently), Sarah Parish (Broadchurch), Trevor White (I Hate Suzie), Elena Saurel (Killing Eve) and Irfan Shamji (Shardlake).
Down and Kay will serve as the writing/directing team for Season 4 and executive produce alongside Jane Tranter, Kate Crowther, and Ryan Rasmussen for Bad Wolf and Rebecca Ferguson for BBC. Kathleen McCaffrey of Little Gems will join as executive producer for the new season.
Industry Season 3 concludes on Sunday, September 29, 2024, streaming on Max at 9 p.m. ET and airing on linear at 10 p.m., immediately following the new Colin Farrell Batman spinoff The Penguin. Season 4 is expected out in 2025 or 2026.
