The 2026 Emmys Just Snubbed Tv's Best Drama Series (again)

Simon Ridgway/HBO

I know I'm a fool for trusting awards shows. I'm a patsy. A stooge. Plop a dunce cap on me, park me in a corner, and call it a day; better yet, call me Boo Boo the Fool. Still, when the Emmy nominations were announced by former winners Jeff Hillier and Liza Colon-Zayas (from "Somebody Somewhere" and "The Bear," respectively), I was at least a little surprised when "Industry," HBO's financial drama that gets better with every single season, didn't get a single nomination. Again.

There are a lot of reasons that this sucks, but first, let me sell you on why you should be watching "Industry." Created by former investment bankers turned showrunners Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, "Industry" starts out following newcomer Harper Stern (Myha'la) as she begins a job at the London offices of the financial behemoth Pierpoint & Co. Across its four seasons thus far, though, "Industry" has moved away from what I like to call "money shouting" — think the nonsense business jargon in "Succession," but screamed at a rapid pace — and become an essential character study and one of the most thrilling shows currently on television. 

Besides My'hala — who's absolutely astounding as Harper, a young woman who grows increasingly corrupt and craven throughout the series — "Industry" boasts an unbelievable cast that includes Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, and Miriam Petche, just to name a few. Plus, Season 4 brought on phenomenal new players like "Mad Men" alum Kiernan Shipka, "Stranger Things" veteran Charlie Heaton, a deliciously evil Max Minghella, and Kit Harington (delivering a performance that surpasses his entire time on "Game of Thrones"). Yet, when Emmy nomination morning dawned, the show didn't get any recognition at all. That's a crime worse than the ones committed on "Industry," and that's saying something.

Simon Ridgway/HBO

Allow me to be transparent here: I think the entire cast of "Industry" should be swimming in so many Emmys that they fill an Olympic-sized pool. I especially mean that in regard to Marisa Abela, who has been carefully building her wealthy and often inept character Yasmin Kara-Hanani — a privileged woman with a terrifying and deeply troubling relationship with her father Charles (Adam Levy) that casts repercussions on every single part of her life — brick by brick, only for it to lead to a truly upsetting Season 4 storyline. (More on that momentarily.) 

Ken Leung's performance as Eric Tao, a senior financial expert who aligns himself with Harper to start a new firm in Season 4, may well be over — the Season 4 finale seems to show him leaving finance behind entirely, and it's anybody's guess whether or not Leung will reprise his role in the fifth and final season — is quiet, bombastic, and excellent. Ragar Sadia's Rishi Ramdani got his big moment in Season 3 with an episode clearly inspired by "Uncut Gems," and Miriam Petche's incredibly named Sweetpea Golightly gets her own showcase in Season 4.

The most egregious omission here, though, is Kit Harington. Look at it this way. After years of watching awards shows, I've come to the conclusion that it takes both talent and goodwill with the voting body to earn a nod, and you would think that Harington, who spent a full decade of his life on a show that could fill a swimming pool with its Emmys, would have earned the latter. As for talent, that's on unbelievable display during his turn as the spoiled, petulant, and ultimately stupid Sir Henry Muck on "Industry." No nomination for Harington? Jail. Do not pass go!

Simon Ridgway/HBO

Anecdotally, people have told me they tried to get into "Industry" in its early seasons but couldn't stick with it. While I get that, I would urge anybody who felt that way to continue, because "Industry" is a rare show that keeps improving with each season. That's why I'm so irritated that Season 4, its finest outing and most relevant, was completely snubbed by the Academy ... and it's not just because I can already predict that Season 5 will be left out of the nominations, too.

Take Sir Henry Muck's shady business venture with Max Minghella's hilariously named Whitney Halberstram (this show really has a knack for silly names), Tender, which is revealed to be an enormous scam designed to enrich investors during Season 4. Corrupt businesses and fraud are constantly in the news, so the choice to center that was brilliant — but this plotline pales in comparison to Yasmin's journey. After marrying Henry in Season 3, the obviously miserable Yasmin (the duo's performance during Henry's birthday party in the season's second episode is a must-see) starts causing chaos on her own terms, culminating in — spoiler alert — Yasmin's transformation into a Ghislaine Maxwell-style figure who appears to find young companions for her wealthy cohorts.

"Industry" would, in a just world, be picking up Emmy nods left and right for its performances ... and, frankly, for its writing and directing too. That is not the world we live in, though, and it's possible that the Television Academy thinks this show generally hits too close to home. Whatever the case, "Industry" is great and, despite the lack of Emmy nominations, you should go watch it.

"Industry" is streaming on HBO Max now.