Industry had us scared for a moment there.
We lost Gus Sackey (David Jonsson) in Season 3, and Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey) will not return for Season 4, putting the show’s queer representation at risk.
But the show seems to be reversing this course in the upcoming season, which finds Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington) exploring his sexuality.
The first teaser trailer for Industry Season 4 reveals that the show has found its next queer masthead in Harington’s character, who was introduced in Season 3.
It shows Muck locked in a sensual embrace with an unidentified man on the dancefloor.
This is a surprising development that no one saw coming, but it is pretty interesting.
Course Correcting or Tired Tropes?
Nothing about the character in Season 3 hinted that he might be attracted to men, which makes this revelation both exciting and concerning.
On the one hand, we want to celebrate the show’s queer rebound, but this character raises some questions.
For one, the teaser finds him in a dark place, as shown by his overgrown beard and constant brooding.
Muck has not succeeded in his business endeavor, and this could be the fallout.
Is his taste in men newfound, or has it always been there? If newfound, what does that mean? The teaser risks conflating Muck’s struggles with his sexuality, a trope that feels regressive.
Additionally, part of his personality when he was introduced was the fact that he had “interesting” sexual desires. Just like his new wife Yasmin, we don’t kink shame.
This is not a great look to have a character with atypical sexual appetites turn out to be queer out of nowhere.
No one cares about what homophobic people think, but they might draw this connection and deduce that queer people are just people with weird sex desires.
How the writers introduce this shift can make or break the character’s sexuality.
‘Industry’ Season 4 Gets Premiere Date
Photo: Simon Ridgway/HBOWe will find out when the first episode airs on January 11, 2026, as reported by HBO.
The network also revealed that the season will be eight episodes long and airs weekly at 9 p.m. The logline reads:
At the top of their game and living the lives they set out to have as Pierpoint grads, Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) are drawn into a high-stakes, globetrotting cat-and-mouse game when a splashy fintech darling bursts onto the London scene.
As Yasmin navigates her relationship with tech founder Sir Henry Muck and Harper is pulled into the orbit of enigmatic executive Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella), their twisted friendship begins to warp and ignite under the pressure of money, power, and the desire to be on top.
Maybe this Sir Henry Muck storyline will be the best thing to happen to the show; maybe not. We shall see.
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