5 series and documentaries about bringing home the bacon

The characters in these thrilling shows, all streaming on Showmax, will do whatever it takes to bring home the big bucks, risking their reputations, their families, their sanity and even their freedom.

1. HBO’s Industry

Industry is an exhilarating dive into the world of international finance, as seen through the eyes of ambitious twenty-somethings struggling to secure their futures.

The BBC-HBO series follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited set of permanent positions at a top investment bank in London – but the boundaries between colleague, friend, lover, and enemy soon blur as they immerse themselves in a company culture defined as much by sex, drugs, and ego as it is by deals and dividends. As members of the group rise and fall, they must decide whether there’s more to life than the bottom line.

2. Billions S1-5

This fan-favourite follows the cat-and-mouse game between Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), a rags-to-riches owner of a billion-dollar hedge fund kingpin, and Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), the ruthless US Attorney who’s determined to bring Bobby down.

As in so many good drama series, there are no clearly defined lines between good and evil, and both factions offer something relatable. And it’s not just the two heavyweight leads who give A+ performances – the supporting cast includes Asia Kate Dillon as Taylor Mason and Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades.

3. McMillion$

In the 1990s, the fast-food chain ran a Monopoly game promotion giving away prizes to its customers. This six-part docuseries tells the story of a conman who stole $24 million through a scam linked to the competition.

You couldn’t make this story up – proof that truth really is stranger than fiction.

4. Succession S1-3

This series from HBO is about filthy rich (and filthy-mouthed) media tycoon Logan Roy (Brian Cox), one of the most influential and probably one of the most terrifying people in the world, and his family, who are all trying to get their cut of Waystar Royco’s profits and power when Logan’s health issues force him to take a step back.

The top-notch cast includes Jeremy Strong as his “number-one boy”, Kendall; Sarah Snook as his high-flying daughter, Shiv; Kieran Culkin as his youngest, Roman; and Alan Ruck as his eldest son, Connor.

5. The Scheme (2020)

The Scheme tells the revealing, no-holds-barred tale of Christian Dawkins, the young man at the centre of one of the biggest criminal cases in collegiate sports history, a basketball scandal that rocked America.