From the introduction of Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton (as an investigative journalist) to, well, some pegging, a lot happens in Industry Season 4 Episode 1. But one thing we don’t see is the return of Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey) – and there’s a reason why.
We’re eating in January 2026. Stranger Things might have ended, but The Pitt has returned for its second season, the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is just around the corner, and now Industry Season 4 is upon us.
The end of Season 3 left most of its main players in radically different positions. Yasmin (Marisa Abela) gets engaged to Henry (Kit Harington), embracing her identity as Lady Muck, while Harper (Myha’la) launches her own fund with backing from Otto Mostyn (Roger Barclay).
As for Rob, he accepts that despite their love for one another, he and Yasmin will never work. Instead, he leaves the cutthroat world of banking (and the UK) to run a psychedelics startup business.
Why isn’t Rob in Industry Season 4?
Robert won’t be returning in Industry Season 4 and there’s a simple reason why: scheduling conflicts. Actor Harry Lawtey appeared in the 2025 movies Mr. Burton and Words of War, but he’s also working on films The Billion Dollar Spy, Longbourn, and Brides, as well as the upcoming TV show Under Salt Marsh.
But the HBO show’s creators more recently spoke about the healing evolution of the characters, telling TVInsider that this contributed to Rob’s departure in Season 3.
Co-creator Mickey Down explained, “I think they evolve. The show deals with people who are interrogating their trauma more and more. The characters of the show now stop and think about things in a way they didn’t when they were younger, which I think is a reflection of how you feel when you’re younger.
“You’re so single-minded in your approach to stuff when you’re 22, that by the time you get to 32, you look back at that person, you don’t recognize them, but you also realize what they’ve become, how they’ve shaped and been instrumental in the person you are at 32.”
“Very boldly, there is a redemption arc for some of the characters. Characters do change in this show. Robert evolved out of the show because he had somewhat of a redemptive last episode of Season 3,” Down continued.
“The show operates in a world where people haven’t quite come to terms with their trauma yet or haven’t been healed of it. And when they do, or they are healed of it, they kind of leave the show.
“I’m not going to say that’s going to be the same for every single season, but it is currently the sort of operating system of the show.”
Even though Rob is gone, there’s a whole host of new cast members and characters who make their debut in Industry Season 4 Episode 1, ‘Tender’.
Industry Season 4 new cast
Alongside Charlie Heaton as Jim Dyker, the new cast includes Max Minghella as Whitney Halberstram, Kiernan Shipka as Hayley Clay, Toheeb Jimoh as Kwabena Bannerman, Amy James-Kelly as Jenni Bevan, and Kal Penn as Jay Jonah Atterbury.
Most of you will recognize Heaton for his role as Jonathan Byers from Stranger Things, but what you might not know is the actor is actually English in real life, meaning he gets to use his native accent in Industry Season 4.
His character, Jim, is a financial journalist who makes a morally questionable choice in Season 4 Episode 1. Speaking to Elle, Heaton said Jim’s “reputation has been burnt before, and now he’s determined to earn back his credibility and respect in the industry.
“Jim’s hunger to reclaim the status he believes he deserves drives him to disregard ethical boundaries and push as far as necessary to get what he wants.”
Minghella is also English, and has appeared in movies such as The Social Network, Elvis and Anabelle, and Spiral. But perhaps he’s best known for playing Nick in The Handmaid’s Tale. Minghella is also set to star in the upcoming DCU horror movie Clayface.
He’s playing a pivotal role in Industry Season 4 as the founder of the payment processing company, Tender. Minghella told the outlet that he’s “an enigma to the audience and, in some ways, to himself,” as well as a “tornado of cutthroat ambition.”
Shipka is another recognizable name in the cast, having appeared in shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Mad Men, and Riverdale, as well as movies such as Longlegs, Twisters, and Totally Killer.
In the fourth chapter of Industry, Shipka’s Hayley is an executive assistant at Tender, working directly under Whitney. If you’ve seen the first episode, you’ll know why the actress described Hayley as “wild”. But there’s more to her than meets the eye.
She’s said to be someone who “wears many masks throughout the season and is absolutely fearless in the process. The girl knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it.”
When it comes to Jimoh, Ted Lasso fans will instantly recognize him as fan favorite Sam Obisanya. His other acting accolades include The French Dispatch, Anthony, and The Power.
Jimoh’s Kwabena joins Industry as a trader at Mostyn Asset Management, working under Harper. He’s from a privileged background, with the actor saying his character is “instilled with an arrogance and a confidence only private school can give you.”
“He’s a lot more laid back than Harper, and they have opposite approaches to their professional and personal lives,” Jimoh added.
James-Kelly’s early career saw her joining in the UK soap opera Coronation Street. Since then, she’s gone on to star in Safe, Three Families, and Everyone Else Burns. Her character, Jenni, is Henry’s political competition, standing in as a minister in the Labour government.
“Yasmin and Jenni become useful to each other, so this storyline is a dance between these two women as they try to get the best possible outcome for themselves in a world and industry that is not designed for them to have any place at the table,” James-Kelly explained.
“Jenni, who is young, keen, and has that naive determination to drive change, moves up through the ranks under Lisa Dearn (Chloe Pirrie), who has already seen just how bloody this arena can get.”
Last but not least is Penn, who has had an eclectic career. In the acting world, he’s best known for playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar movie series, as well as Lawrence Kutner on House.
In April 2009, he joined the Obama administration as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement as liaison for outreach to Asian Pacific Americans and arts communities.
Penn dipped in and out of his position in politics for TV and movie roles, and in 2020, hosted the political talk mini-series Kal Penn Approves This Message.
As for his role in Industry Season 4, he plays Jay, the co-founder of Tender and someone Penn described as “a combination of a giant sophomoric frat boy and a business savant.”
“He loves his job and is incredibly proud and protective of what he’s built,” he continued. “He’s also phenomenally loyal to his best friend – more like a brother – played by Max Minghella.”
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