Bad Banks

Ambitious Jana is confronted with the unscrupulous machinations of the world of finance. Her working life is determined by egotism, the pressure to succeed and machismo. She soon has to decide how far she is prepared to go for her career.

Bad Banks (2018-2020) is a German and Luxembourgish crime drama thriller series created by Christian Schwochow for ZDF and ARTE. Paula Beer plays Jana Liekam, an ambitious young banker who wants to climb the ladder inside a ruthless Frankfurt investment bank, and the obstacles she faces come from her own egotism and the machismo of trading floors. Barry Atsma plays Gabriel Fenger, a powerful and dangerous figure whose interests collide with hers, while Désirée Nosbusch plays Christelle Leblanc, a rival executive who knows how the game is really played. Albrecht Schuch and Tobias Moretti round out the principal cast in this two-season serialized story of six episodes per season. Each episode is built from concrete corporate maneuvers, backroom deals, quiet betrayals and the constant pressure to perform in a cutthroat finance world. The tone is tense, cool and morally uneasy, with a glossy but cold surface hiding ambition, corruption and personal cost. Its rhythm and atmosphere recall the European prestige thriller tradition, and fans of Industry and Billions will find resonance in its boardroom power plays and ethically compromised protagonists. Set in present day Europe, it is a sleek look at finance, ambition and the price of success.

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its sharp portrait of high finance and its tense character drama.

• Industryshared corporate power intrigue, ambitious protagonist, moral compromise in high finance
• Ozarkshared european prestige crime drama with morally compromised career-driven protagonist
• Billionsshared financial world ambition, corruption and ruthless institutional culture

Created by

Christian Schwochow

Release Date

2018-03-01

Episode runtime

52 min

Rating

7.8 / 10 (97)

What is Bad Banks about?

An ambitious banker's rise inside a ruthless financial institution pulls her toward moral compromise.

What is Bad Banks like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bad Banks as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as dense.

Is Bad Banks violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bad Banks as mild.

What did critics think of Bad Banks?

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its sharp portrait of high finance and its tense character drama.

Which shows are like Bad Banks?

Shows with a similar feel include Industry, Ozark, and Billions.

How long is Bad Banks?

Bad Banks: 2 seasons, 12 episodes.

Is Bad Banks still running?

No, Bad Banks has ended.