Economics can be sexy too: eight must-see series for beginners

BarcelonaThe return ofIndustryWith its fourth season, the show serves as a pretext for compiling a list of the main series that attempt to bring the world of economics closer to a general audience. Spoiler alert: characters who handle large sums of money—especially when it's not their own—often lose perspective and become the driving force behind plots involving corruption, unchecked ambition, or anxiety, at least in fictional narratives.

In 2013, a German intern working at Bank of America Merrill Lynch was found dead in his shower after working 72 hours straight without sleep. This real-life incident is the trigger forIndustrywhich begins with a similar death as a way of explaining the extremely high demands placed on the City of London to keep the gears of turbo-capitalism turning. The protagonists are primarily the brokers Young people trying to secure a place in this cannibalistic environment by seeking unorthodox methods (and succumbing to the consequences of a very fast-paced life).

An extremely intelligent hedge fund owner, inversely proportional to his lack of scruples, and an equally brilliant attorney general who wants to advance his political career by parading the financier's head on a platter, even if it means resorting to underhanded tactics. This cat-and-mouse game formed one of the major acting duels of the last decade, thanks to the excellent performances of Damien Lewis and Paul Giamatti, who portray two characters as fascinating as they are reprehensible. Written by journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, of New York Times and author of Too Big to FailThe series cruelly illuminates how companies, or communities, can be destabilized by playing in the stock market casino.

To make money you need good financiers... and also lawyers, which already gives some clues about how the system works. Suits It depicts the life of a prestigious corporate law firm that hires a brilliant young man with a prodigious photographic memory, even though he lacks a law degree because he dropped out of university. All the firm's profits, earned through aggressive legal strategies to merge companies despite others' attempts to stop them, are constantly threatened by the fear that the secret will be exposed and the firm will be ruined. The multimillion-dollar lawsuits and corporate intricacies are seasoned with a healthy dose of personal and romantic dramas.

The European version of TrillionsBut grittier, less glamorous, darker. A financial thriller with two seasons of six episodes each, whose plot follows the story of a young investment banker who is unfairly fired from a bank catering to high-net-worth individuals in Luxembourg. A Frankfurt financial institution rescues her, but she becomes entangled in a web of corporate intrigue, manipulation, financial espionage, and extreme moral dilemmas, all while navigating a hostile and sexist environment.

Italy also explored the world of high finance with a cynical tone. Devils It's a thriller series that premiered in 2020, based on the novel of the same name by former banker Guido Maria Brera. Across 18 episodes in two seasons, it explores real-world crises such as the collapse of the subprimes From 2008, Brexit, or the pandemic, to show that in every global disaster there are always those who benefit tremendously. The protagonist is a trader A charismatic and ambitious Italian makes millions speculating on the Greek crisis as he awaits a promotion, but things take a turn for the worse. The cast includes Catalan actress Laia Costa and Patrick Dempsey, marking his return to the screen after playing Dr. Derek Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy.

The creator of Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill He tried his luck with a non-animation project with this satire of the world of start-ups Tech. Over six seasons, we see how a shy programmer creates a revolutionary algorithm that allows data compression. With some friends, he founds a company that tries to make its way in a cutthroat jungle, full of eccentric investors and absurd mistakes. The difficulty of obtaining funding, scaling the product, or fighting against giants—like Hooli, a parody of Google—fuels this lighthearted comedy.

Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway are leading this series based on a podcast that recreates the real-life case of WeWork, a company of coworking which led many to believe it was valued at $47 billion in 2019, until a series of revelations about its true accounts, profit prospects, and governance issues caused its valuation to plummet. A blend of drama and comedy, the story centers on the marriage that propelled this company to success and is clearly a vehicle for showcasing its two protagonists.

Continuing with the theme of deception, and once again stemming from a podcast, The Dropout It tells the story of the biotechnology company Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes, brilliantly portrayed by Amanda Seyfried, and featuring a stellar supporting cast including Naveen Andrews, Elizabeth Marvel, William H. Macy, and Stephen Fry. The company promised to perform blood tests with just a single drop, quickly and accurately. Investors believed her and provided funding, but the deception was eventually exposed, and Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The series moves between drama, social commentary, and dark comedy.