News

Fall Street: Showtime offers a darkly comic look at the 1987 stock market crash

« Back to News

 
Author: 
Kenneth Andeel / TV Media
Don Cheadle and Andrew Rannells star in "Black Monday"

Don Cheadle and Andrew Rannells star in "Black Monday"

Numbered among the worst stock market crashes in history is the October 1987 event that came to be known by the catchy, not-at-all-scary nickname "Black Monday." On that day, a complicated web of market forces, including insufficient regulation, international conflict and group psychology, came to a head in a market decline that was -- and remains -- the largest single-day decline in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Now, 30 odd years after that frightening day, Showtime has dramatized the events leading up to it in an 10-part '80s-licious series called (you guessed it) "Black Monday." The show is loaded with top-notch talent that includes Don Cheadle ("Avengers: Infinity War," 2018), Andrew Rannells ("Girls"), Regina Hall ("Insecure") and Casey Wilson ("Happy Endings"), and it premieres Sunday, Jan. 20, on Showtime.

The series is described as "the story of how a group of outsiders took on the blue-blood, old-boys club of Wall Street and ended up crashing the world's largest financial system." So while the intricate causes of the real-life 1987 crash are still vigorously debated by economics professors, it seems like the fictionalized version presents viewers with a much more specific set of causes -- and causers.

The tone of "Black Monday" might surprise anyone expecting a somber treatment of a historical event that caused real, lasting economic pain, but the series' provenance explains its darkly comic take on the stock market disaster. "Black Monday" is executive produced by a team that includes Seth Rogen and his longtime creative partner Evan Goldberg, a duo responsible for such absurdist comedies as "Superbad" (2007), "Pineapple Express" (2008) and the ongoing comic book-to-television adaptation "Preacher." These guys like to seek out the black humor in tragic or dangerous situations, and "Black Monday" carries that same stamp.

Given the iconic time period of the Black Monday crash, the television translation is a veritable pageant of '80s worship (or an '80s cringefest, depending on your age, perspective and taste). The trailers for "Black Monday" are an absolute cavalcade of stereotypes and symbols.

We have the big suits, the big hair, lycra bodysuits, aerobics routines, cassette tapes, Walkmans, Lamborghinis, clouds of cocaine and indoor ashtrays -- all staged in a richly realized vision of 1980s New York, before it was diligently scrubbed, sanitized and gentrified in order to play better to tourists in the 1990s. The trailer glories in its period piece trappings, and the show is absolutely worth checking out for the look and feel alone.

That said, there is a lot to be said for the other aspects of the series as well. As mentioned, the cast is, like, radical, man. Cheadle has been one of Hollywood's most consistently excellent performers for a long time now, turning in seemingly effortless, deep and nuanced performances no matter what kind of script he's handed.

Casey Wilson in a scene from "Black Monday"

Casey Wilson in a scene from "Black Monday"

His main support comes from Hall and Rannells, both of whom have capable, understated comedic chops and are clearly solid choices to thrive inside the show's preposterously comic outlook. Wilson is a recurring guest star, and she steals scene after scene with her hilarious, doe-eyed intensity. "Black Monday" also features a seriously impressive roster of supporting players and guest stars, including Paul Scheer ("The League"), Melissa Rauch ("The Big Bang Theory"), Bruce Dern ("The Hateful Eight," 2015), Ken Marino ("Party Down") and Horatio Sanz ("Saturday Night Live"), all of whom are capable of doing a lot with a little, and turning in memorable performances with characters who may not see a lot of screen time.

The past work of Rogen and Goldberg has shown that they have more than a little interest in offering social commentary, even if it comes filtered through a layer of loud and ludicrous comedy. "Black Monday" promises to hold true to that trend. Most of the show's audience is likely to have relatively fresh memories of 2008's financial crisis and subsequent recession, and probably have their own opinions about the role of the stock market, the inextricable link the average citizen has to its ups and downs, and the follies of the practitioners within that system.

A show about risk-takers who can easily endanger massive sections of society at large if their greed or gambling goes too far is a risk in and of itself. But "Black Monday" appears to be a vicious send-up of those callous Wall Street speculators, and television viewers in 2019 are primed to be especially receptive to a cinematic lambasting of the stereotypical shortsighted, greedy businessman playing perilous games with other people's money.

All told, "Black Monday" seems to have the right combination of timeliness, style, acting and production value to emerge as an early hit in 2019. Whether you're in it for a history lesson, the laughs, or just a chance to bask in the bygone excesses of the 1980s, this series is most definitely worth a watch. Tune in to see everything come crashing down when "Black Monday" premieres Sunday, Jan. 20, on Showtime.