Harper Stern returns to Pierpoint in Industry season 2 first look
Harper Stern (Myha'la Herrold) is heading back to the office.
Industry season 1 followed a group of graduates vying for permanent positions at the prestigious investment bank Pierpoint. Going into the second season, the show will explore the lives of the young professionals who made it after the impacts of everything that happened while they battled to land a job on the trading floor. "Industry has evolved, but the DNA of the first season is very much there," co-creator Konrad Kay tells EW. Cue: more partying, betrayal, and chaos on the trading floor.
Simon Ridgway/hbo Myha'la Herrold as Harper Stern and Ken Leung as Eric Tao in 'Industry'
Season 1 ended with Harper choosing her boss Eric Tao (Ken Leung) over Sara Dhadwal (Priyanga Burford), who wanted to change Pierpoint's toxic culture, in order to land a plumb full-time gig. That choice led to the destruction of her relationships with Daria Greenock (Freya Mavor) and friend Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela). We left off with Harper in her new job, Yasmin out of her unhappy relationship, Gus Sackey (David Jonsson) free from the bank, and Robert Spearing's (Harry Lawtey) future at Pierpoint unknown. Co-creator Mickey Down says that season 2 will delve into why Harper chose the finance industry in the first place, and what her choice means for her life moving forward.
"What I think is so rewarding about this character is, we're starting this conversation that the Black existence is more than one thing or more than two things. We as Black people are multifaceted. It is imperative that all kinds of stories are told. We, as a people, deserve better and have earned better," Herrold previously told EW when asked about the opportunity to continue Harper's story. The assumptions Sara made about Harper, who always picks herself over altering the culture at Pierpoint, are a prime example of how everyone underestimates the young banking professional.
Simon Ridgway/hbo Jay Duplass as Jesse Bloom in 'Industry'
When we reconnect with Harper in season 2, she's in a very relatable place: dreading the return to office mandated by Pierpoint. Of course, she's been happy to work remotely and not face the office after season 1 ended the way it did. "Harper's nothing if not tough. Season 2 will see her swing back to life, re-energized by new work relationships, new love interests and a potential lead in the search for her brother," executive producer Jami O'Brien teases to EW. Pandemic isolation has impacted Harper, and she feels a shift in her dynamic with Eric. To stay ahead, she sets her eyes on a major potential client, hedge-fund billionaire Jesse Bloom, played by series newcomer Jay Duplass.
The London office, meanwhile, has to contend with new faces from the New York mothership. The higher-ups decide they should cut jobs while business is going well in the post-pandemic world. "Rumbles of a merger between London and New York desks erupt with the arrival of a fresh new face from NYC," O'Brien teases. Enter Daniel Van Deventer (Alex Alomar Akpobome), the charming addition from New York who will shake up Harper and Eric's desk.
Simon Ridgway/hbo Alex Alomar Akpobome as Danny Van Deventer in 'Industry'
"The universe of the show has expanded substantially to include new clients, new bosses, new love interests," Down says — for Yasmin, her orbit will grow by two: first, her father Charles (Adam Levy), a former playboy-turned-publishing scion, and second, Celeste Pacquet (Katrine de Candole), who opens up possibilities for Yasmin by introducing her to a new part of the bank's business.
Season 2 promises to be "bigger than the trading floor," Kay says, adding that the grads will be "equal parts exhilarated and terrified to find themselves at the center of it." Down teases: "Post-pandemic Pierpoint is a powder keg of expectation and new opportunity."
Check out more photos from season 2 below.
Nick Strasburg/hbo Marisa Abela as Yasmin Kara-Hanani and Myha'la Herrold as Harper Stern in 'Industry'
Simon Ridgway/hbo Ken Leung as Eric Tao in 'Industry'
Nick Strasburg/hbo Marisa Abela as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in 'Industry'
hbo David Jonsson as Gus Sackey in 'Industry'
Simon Ridgway/hbo Harry Lawtey as Robert Spearing in 'Industry'
Simon Ridgway/hbo Adam Levy as Charles Hanani in 'Industry'
Nick Strasburg/hbo Katrine De Candole as Celeste Pacquet in 'Industry'
Nick Strasburg/hbo Conor MacNeill as Kenny Kilbane in 'Industry'
hbo Sonny Poon Tip as Leo Bloom in 'Industry'
Simon Ridgway/hbo Indy Lewis as Venetia Berens in 'Industry'
Industry season 2 premieres August 1 on HBO.
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