# Bad Banks (2018)

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

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/66546

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, thriller
- Created by: Christian Schwochow
- Network: ZDF, ARTE, ARTE
- Cast: Paula Beer, Barry Atsma, Désirée Nosbusch, Albrecht Schuch, Mai Duong Kieu, Jörg Schüttauf, Tobias Moretti, Jean-Marc Barr
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6258718/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tense, cold, morally uneasy, glossy, suspenseful

## What critics say

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

## Synopsis

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.

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