Investment Bankers' TV Show?

We have doctors' shows, lawyers' shows, advertising agency show, even the consultants' show. But, no investment bankers' show? Why? That's not fair. Maybe LSO can propose one to some TV networks, somewhat loosely related to LSO's earlier works.

 

Well...I would have said because the show would have been too boring without life saving surgeries and court room dramas...but after House of Lies I am beginning to think "why not?" as well..

 

[quote=Dufus]Saw a few episodes of this, more focused on trading but still pretty interesting

]

Kudos on this.

And yes, this will happen sooner rather than later. Suits is barely there, but I'd like to see Aaron Sorkin tackle this.

 

I could actually see this kind of working...but can you imagine Hollywood backing a show about banking? Portraying bankers as sympathetic (or at least human) individuals? The political climate around banking immediately limits the number of potential networks/directors/producers.

Also, I don't think the average Joe gives a shit about M&A. Everyone has dealt with the law. Everyone has been in hospital. House of lies usually makes the case about personal drama. It is a lot harder to make M&A exciting if you don't already care.

Still, I think somebody might do it. Studios are desperate for good ideas.

 
West Coast rainmaker:
I could actually see this kind of working...but can you imagine Hollywood backing a show about banking? Portraying bankers as sympathetic (or at least human) individuals? The political climate around banking immediately limits the number of potential networks/directors/producers.

Also, I don't think the average Joe gives a shit about M&A. Everyone has dealt with the law. Everyone has been in hospital. House of lies usually makes the case about personal drama. It is a lot harder to make M&A exciting if you don't already care.

Still, I think somebody might do it. Studios are desperate for good ideas.

 

Contents of the show? How about hot IPOs, M&A resulting layoffs and the bankers struggling in their conscience between the efficiency and the long-term good of the economy and the short-term human sufferings, a Harvard-educated IBD analyst from poor background visiting his poor childhood neighborhood?

 

Suits - it's a corporate law show. Yes, not investment banking, but a lot of investment banking jargon is thrown around. "Selling crown jewels, prospectus, M&A, red herring, IPO, offerrings." I think that is as close as you can get.

The difference between successful people and others is largely a habit - a controlled habit of doing every task better, faster and more efficiently.
 
Best Response

The reality is it's not going to be a show about investment banking. It would never work. What makes dramas that are not legal procedural dramas (ie Law and Order) so great is the story telling and the background is just a place to tell a story. Law and Order, despite the procedural nature is great because of the characters despite having a "Crime-of-the-Week" type bent. In order to make a show about banking work, you'd need to have a good story arc to work and the setting would need to be right to make it a viable show. No one would want to watch anything about banking except bankers unless there is a reason to care about the characters or you draw them in with something exciting. I mean, how do you make bankers look like they aren't a bunch of Entourage-lite douchebags? You can't unless you make it more about the people and just make it such that they happen to be in business.

Suits is a show about a guy who lies to get his way out of being caught for a drug deal gone wrong and the hiring partner of a major law firm likes his attitude, smarts and sees something in him. Royal Pains is about a doctor who flees practicing medicine in the city for the life of a concierge doctor in the Hamptons because he made a judgement to save two patients, a high school age kid and an elderly man, a call that cost the elderly man - a major hospital beneficiary - his life (due to unforeseen medical complications from the surgery - it happens in real life too). White Collar is about a con man being used by the FBI to catch high profile white collar criminals. ER is about the life and times of doctors in a Chicago hospital. You need to have a hook that's translatable and it has to work in the frame of the show. I just don't see banking as having that translatable hook.

 

Profit is an excellent show on M&A (not on banking though)

And personally, i see Mad Men as a banking show (pitches from badass MDs, fratty atmosphere, midtown NY, hot BAs, etc.). My theory: advertisement in the 60s = ibanking in the 00s

 

I'd love to see a show like this as well. There was a show called Wall Street Warriors that was around in 2008, but it got cancelled when the crisis hit. You can still find it on Hulu if your interested.

 

WSW was hilarious.

I remember there being some chatter about the Entourage guy (Doug Ellin or something) making a show about bankers or something, but I think it fell apart. Woulda been cool.

I hate victims who respect their executioners
 
BlackHat:
WSW was hilarious.

I remember there being some chatter about the Entourage guy (Doug Ellin or something) making a show about bankers or something, but I think it fell apart. Woulda been cool.

I think we should crowdsource a show on a Wall St. Analyst, leveraged sell-out style. I've spoken with the created of LSO many times trying to get him to do something with us -- and I think he has pitched ideas to various networks, but nothing came of it.

So who in here has contacts in the entertainment industry we can partner with?

 

There's Dragon's Den in the UK but it's like a VC/Business Angel reality show. Small size entrepreneurs go and pitch their business to the "judges" (hosts of the show). If one of the "judges" likes the business plan he/she will finance the business owner and will have an equity stake on the firm. I think they'll also have to agree to the valuation, e.g. 50k for 40% control but the entrepreneur believes should be 30% etc..

Colourful TV, colourless Life.
 
BTbanker:
Suits is good as fuck, but who would watch someone work on excel for an hour?

Haha exactly.

Who wants to watch a show about some pimple faced kid spending a weekend cleaning up a PowerPoint presentation? Or an MD walking briskly through LaGuardia? Or an associate humiliating an interviewee? (Actually that could work). ONE scene might be interesting.

America thinks high finance is dramatic, crime-filled, and entertaining. It just isn't. Especially when it comes to the trading side, people think it is still like the pit at the CBOE. Sure, someone breaks a Bloomberg screen once in a while but it's just a bunch of business casual guys sitting quietly in a room.

Not too entertaining.

Cost of Capital was NOT written by the Cohen brothers, directed by Spielberg, or produced by Harvey Weinstein (damn, we Jews do rule Hollywood haha), so please lay off. It was an entertaining show, if you take it for what it is.

I love Suits btw, great show.

 
Kemm:
Those lawyers work on word for an hour too and someone creates a TV show for them. thats crazy dude
Yeah, but what's funny is that they portray one of the 'big law' firms like WLRK doing pro bono work in the local court house. The show isn't even close to reality.
 
JustADude:
Wall Street made for a pretty good movie so I don't see why a show wouldn't be good

Completely agree and considering the success of Margin Call last year, not sure why there hasn't been at least one pilot about Wall Street.

 
futurectdoc:
Why would you necessarily focus on monkeys doing excel? The MDs and PE/VC/HF guys have money, power and hot women, how could this not work?
excellent comment Besides, do you really want Mr. & Mrs. Average Middle Class knowing what exactly Wall St. does?
 

Cost of Capital was really good. That's a start. I am hoping someone makes a show about the life of young monkeys on Wall St. They can also add in the high-rolling, deal-making MDs for good measure. Should show life at the lower and higher rungs of finance.

 
JamesHetfield:
Cost of Capital was really good. That's a start. I am hoping someone makes a show about the life of young monkeys on Wall St. They can also add in the high-rolling, deal-making MDs for good measure. Should show life at the lower and higher rungs of finance.
Yeah, but the M&I demographic are light years ahead of the average person. They wouldn't understand a thing from that show, and they might take it a little too seriously.
 
JamesHetfield:
Cost of Capital was really good. That's a start. I am hoping someone makes a show about the life of young monkeys on Wall St. They can also add in the high-rolling, deal-making MDs for good measure. Should show life at the lower and higher rungs of finance.

LOL I watched Cost of Capitel ep. 1. I think it damaged my soul a little bit it was so bad. Don´t know which was worst, the unbelievably bad acting, the nylon thin storyline or the annoying boss.

 
West Coast rainmaker:
Hollywood hates bankers. I don't mean to sound like a conservative wonk, but bankers are more likely to be vilified by Hollywood than portrayed as human beings.

Also, the average writer has at least some notion what a lawyer does. What a banker does? Not so much. The same could be said of the average viewer.

This.

 

Um, the answer is pretty obvious bros. Lawyering appeals to everyone, even those (like me) without the foggiest idea of what lawyering entails. Financiers, on the other hand, live in this bubble of a world that the outside doesn't understand at all. You think Main Street folk wants to watch a show about a bunch of banker snobs making pitchbooks and sucking on the teats of some C-level fogies? I have a hunch they don't.

 

the average american has a general idea what a lawyer or an advertiser does, but he couldn't tell a hedgefund from a hedgehog...

and even if he could... seriously nobody cares. i'm on the west coast, and i can't tell you how little of a shit people give about investment bankers out here. try picking up chicks with your ibanker schtick out here and they'll think that you're some sort of weird accountant.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 
sayandarula:
the average american has a general idea what a lawyer or an advertiser does, but he couldn't tell a hedgefund from a hedgehog...

and even if he could... seriously nobody cares. i'm on the west coast, and i can't tell you how little of a shit people give about investment bankers out here. try picking up chicks with your ibanker schtick out here and they'll think that you're some sort of weird accountant.

Very true. I live in CA and when i talk to anyone about what I want to do they assume retail banking... Unless you can say "I work at Goldman Sachs" no one would bat an eye. GS is really the only place the average joe on the west coast could associate with IB or any finance field other than retail banking for that matter. It's sad.
 

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/40-from-creator-of-entourage http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/entourage-wall-street-edition

I believe that HBO had greenlit a pilot for "40." Not sure what happened with that though...

Marcus and I also tossed around some ideas on what we would have done if we had the chance to make a wall street show... pretty sure we would have murdered it...

 

People know just as much about what litigation lawyers (which all of the shows are about) do as what, for example, stock brokers do. Yea sure there are many fields of finance that normal people don´t know the first thing about, but then again litigators only make up a portion of lawyers. The rest of the law jobs people don´t know anything about and couldn´t care less.

Doing deals as in I-banker, buying when shit is down and selling when it gets high, hell even PE guys breaking up companies, is all stuff people could relate to just as much as litigation.

Movies about finance have been popular, Wall Street, Boiler Room, Margin Call (hell that was even about guys in risk and people still watched that).

I think it´s just a coincidence that no one has made that kind of a show yet. They know people love to watch litigators "object" in court, so it´s a safe bet for a TV show.

 

I am impressed with the writers of "Suit". I for one think the law and lawyers are boring. Yet, the show is amazing. So I am guessing a good writer can make a good show out of anything, even Wall Street monkeys. Maybe the show can be like "How to Make it in America", but for Wall Street analysts coming up. It is a shame that last show was cancelled. I really think it has a lot of potential.

 

Suits was actually supposed to be about Wall Street, however the writers thought that it would be more impressive for Mike to skip both college and law school, as opposed to just college.

And while I love and appreciate Mergers and Inquisitions, 'Cost of Capital' was absolutely atrocious. Between the obnoxious bumps off the steering wheel, to the cheesy acting, it was just unwatchable.

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
 

You can watch old episodes of Wall Street Warriors on hulu. It's a reality TV show that takes you inside the lives of various wall streeters. I found most episodes interesting, they covered and profiled everything from Tim Sykes' scam shorting hedge fund to a professional day trader to a recent grad trying to land a job on the street to Brett Hickey seeking investment opportunities and more. I found it gives a nice overview of the different lives people live on Wall Street, rather than the standard stuff people assume Wall Street is about.

 
alanchelnitsky:
You can watch old episodes of Wall Street Warriors on hulu. It's a reality TV show that takes you inside the lives of various wall streeters. I found most episodes interesting, they covered and profiled everything from Tim Sykes' scam shorting hedge fund to a professional day trader to a recent grad trying to land a job on the street to Brett Hickey seeking investment opportunities and more. I found it gives a nice overview of the different lives people live on Wall Street, rather than the standard stuff people assume Wall Street is about.

Second this - really enjoyed the show

 

Anyone watch House of Lies on Showtime? Quality show with a star-studded cast (Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, etc). And just to stir the pot, it's not like anyone has the faintest clue what a management consultant is. At least with IB, people can associate you with Wall Street...not the case with consulting. The average person on the street has heard of Bank of America, JP Morgan, etc. No one knows what McKinsey is, and Bain recently became a household name after the Romney campaign. This is actually one of recurring jokes of the show, where everyone dreads the "so what do you do" question. It's also got a lot of the models & bottles culture, which is anything but reality, but makes for good TV.

 

Because most shows need a hero. Someone they can root for and identify with. And Americans don't want to root for investment bankers. (I don't think it has much to do with banking "not being accessible." Plenty of people trade stocks. And yeah yeah, most of us aren't traders, but most lawyers aren't litigators, and most doctors don't work in the ER. That's not the reason it hasn't been done.)

Suits works because every episode has some sort of pro bono pity story type thing, and it humanizes Mike and Harvey. There's usually at least one case with a clearly sympathetic client, and our buddies end up helping them out. Also, Mike is an outsider who's looking in on this world which he doesn't really belong to, much like the audience. I mean, remember, all the ACTUAL Harvard lawyers he works with except for Harvey are dicks. Rachel is just the paralegal, so she's an outsider too.

As for "banker movies," Wall Street worked because Charlie Sheen ended up quitting and fucking over evil banker Gordon Gekko. American Psycho is about a serial killer (or SPOILER ALERT non-serial killer and repressed insecure yuppie fantasizing about being a serial killer, which makes it all social commentary about how emasculatory corporate America is....food for thought), so it's not like you're on Bateman's side. You kinda hate him. That's the point.

If I were gonna do a Wall Street show, I'd do it Damages (underrated!) style where everyone has secrets, there's no clear protagonist, and it's all intrigue and conspiracy and shit. But those shows are better for winning Emmys than for making money. Kinda telling that most of the House of Lies reviews have been negative and focus on how despicable the characters as the biggest flaw.

 
triplectz:
Because most shows need a hero. Someone they can root for and identify with. And Americans don't want to root for investment bankers. (I don't think it has much to do with banking "not being accessible." Plenty of people trade stocks. And yeah yeah, most of us aren't traders, but most lawyers aren't litigators, and most doctors don't work in the ER. That's not the reason it hasn't been done.)

Suits works because every episode has some sort of pro bono pity story type thing, and it humanizes Mike and Harvey. There's usually at least one case with a clearly sympathetic client, and our buddies end up helping them out. Also, Mike is an outsider who's looking in on this world which he doesn't really belong to, much like the audience. I mean, remember, all the ACTUAL Harvard lawyers he works with except for Harvey are dicks. Rachel is just the paralegal, so she's an outsider too.

As for "banker movies," Wall Street worked because Charlie Sheen ended up quitting and fucking over evil banker Gordon Gekko.

this is why.
 

It really just comes down to drama. A lawyer show allows for more diverse and dramatic situations where the characters can continuously express themselves and add dimensions to themselves. A wall street show would run out of situations it could tackle and would eventually turn into a soap opera. That's also why House did so well. And why those cop shoes like CSI were successful.

I mean, how many insider trading plot lines can you cover?

 

I honestly feel a show that maybe chronicled the SEC or some sort of FBI financial crimes unit might be good (at least for a season). You could very easily build a human element that people need for a drama.

House of Lies & Suits work because those jobs are inherently more diverse (or at least they are portrayed within the shows) as more diverse than they really are. And have good writing, production, directing & acting.

 

I love Dexter as well. It's funny that writers are able to make a sympathetic serial killer more easily than a sympathetic wall streeter. Part of the issue is that most of those who write scripts would be the last to sympathize with anything 'Wall Street'.

 
SirTradesaLot:
Part of the issue is that most of those who write scripts would be the last to sympathize with anything 'Wall Street'.
Unless their parents worked in the industry like Oliver Stone and the producer of Suits.
 

Funny thing about human nature. I guess everybody wants to see themselves on the screen and for other people to recognize what they do. We young monkeys are no different I guess--we'd love a show about our dreams and hopes. By us, I mean wanna-be monkeys and those monkeys already working in the Financial Industry. Why else would we care about the fact that people do not "recognize" investment bankers in California?

People have made excellent points: First of all, the general public is too dumb to understand what Wall St really does, and then you have perception of people working on Wall St as villains.

I hope there is show someday though.

 

It sounds okay on paper, but I'll fall asleep the second the kid opens Excel or PowerPoint, period. A realistic lawyer show would have 90% of the "action" be reading books in the library, but at least part of the job can be extrapolated into a dramatic show. There is absolutely 0 work at the analyst level that is remotely interesting to an outside observer.

 

Well funny you should say this because I have in fact completed a script based on the city (London not Wall Street). It got to the final round of this years New York Screen Play Competition (final 10) and also to the final 3 for ReelAuthors.

It is currently with the BBC as a spec script (After getting a look in but trying (in my spare time) to get someone to have a serious look at it!!!

If anyone in this forum has some kind of connection that can give this project a serious look, am more than happy to chuck you into the contract!!!

-Unfortunately, due to this being an anonymous account and the script being under my name I can't post it up without both keeping my blog anonymous and keeping copyright, but could maybe post the first 10 pages up on Scribd if people are interested.

1percentblog.com
 

I remember this show. It wasn't that good. There are many more interesting plot lines for doctors and lawyers. No so for financial professionals unless they are involved with legal issues. Then it'll be categorized as a legal show.

 
alamobile:

I remember this show. It wasn't that good. There are many more interesting plot lines for doctors and lawyers. No so for financial professionals unless they are involved with legal issues. Then it'll be categorized as a legal show.

Precisely. A Wall Street show would only be interesting if there's a lot of corruption and legal issues. A TV show can not survive when only people like us are interested. They have to appeal to a mass public that for the most part hates us.

Competition is a sin. -John D. Rockefeller
 

Makes no sense considering the ending of the movie as being how you interpret it... did he do all that killing or not?

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 
yeahright:

Makes no sense considering the ending of the movie as being how you interpret it... did he do all that killing or not?

Agreed. If anything I would have suspected a series that would be a continuation of his Dexter-like murderous antics. Edit: well, it does sort of sound that way.
Array
 

Aut officiis vel eveniet. Atque minus eligendi consectetur aliquam numquam et culpa.

I hope this is better than the last batch of shit you gave me. Produced more wood than Ron Jeremy. I don't want you to yell, "Reco!" anymore. Know what you should yell? "Timber!" Yeah, Mr. Fuckin' wood.
 

Et maiores aut sed voluptatem laudantium sed cumque. Quia ea aut necessitatibus labore illum. Iste similique rerum excepturi ad dolores quia laudantium. Provident minus ea inventore dignissimos natus et. Reprehenderit praesentium sit praesentium vitae. Et iste magni consequatur.

Et sapiente dolores quia quae. Et minus ad fugiat id nulla quod. Consectetur atque placeat sunt nam nesciunt delectus quae dolores. Est ut quo numquam nemo et minima laudantium explicabo. Quis beatae dolore autem et sit autem nihil.

Amet sequi vitae placeat voluptatem. Expedita labore exercitationem laborum beatae quasi veniam recusandae. Corrupti est distinctio et ipsam. Fuga sit nostrum vero. Labore sapiente at ab quod exercitationem asperiores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”