Bulge Bracket (2020– ) User Reviews

Great show

[PullupCompetition · 5 August 2020]

Had a chance to watch it online from a friend's suggestion, loved the humor and all of the characters.

A 1-hour pilot, split it into 6 minisodes?

[bajesus · 1/10 · 28 July 2020]

I liked this show, because I like Jessika Van, but it's not well-written or acted and the timing and pacing are way off. There's no real reason for this to be 6 episodes of something. Good production, weird lighting.

I'd have given it an honest 5 stars for it's potential, but my single star is to counteract the fluffing 10-star ratings by accounts all containing only a single review and coincidentally created within a day or two of the show's release.

As a non-finance person, it's an okay watch

[aimango1 · 7/10 · 27 August 2020]

I'm halfway through the series. Currently I use the digital promotion credit that I get for using Prime Day to buy every episode, so it hasn't been a big investment. I disagree with who compare this series to Silicon Valley. Bulge Bracket feels like a ruthless drama with crude humor, and doesn't have me laughing. It makes me a bit more stressed and sad for every character coming out of each episode.

I've never worked in finance, so I cannot comment on its authenticity, but I just find it a bit unrealistic that the main character is put on such a big case on her first day and is already asking analysts to do work for her. Not gonna lie, if some new person comes in and starts telling me what to do, I wouldn't listen either. I think it could be more realistic if it's been a few months or weeks into the job.

Because I'm not binging the series, each episode feels like the exact same setting and is already feeling a bit repetitive. I'm curious why they chunked it into <15min episodes.

Despite this, I do find the premise intriguing, and will still be finishing up the rest of the series after I accumulate more promotional credit.

Pathetic

[in-imdb-1 · 1/10 · 24 July 2020]

This looks like someone had a dream about banking without actually having a clue what it is to be a banker, maybe someone has an agenda. The show is full of clichés and fantasies. The main character acts like a tourist, innocent, surprised workers around her (of course that's a her) would ask her to go to the point and work instead of chatting. I do not know any serious student that would be so disconnected from work environment. Other characters are completely random too. Episodes are actually very short, under 15 minutes each and yet they succeed in being a total bore, I had to press fast forward half the time. Complete failure.

Terrible

[skrrtskrrrt · 1/10 · 19 August 2020]

I paid $1 to watch the first 'episode' of this show, if you can call 10 minutes of bad overacting and 1 minute of budget-quality intro, an episode. Why they divided a pilot episode into 6 segments is beyond me. Is it a horribly conspicuous attempt to try and make a poorly thought out one-hour pilot seem longer and more substantial than it is? In any case, I couldn't even get past the first 10 minutes. It was so full of terrible clichés and bad acting that I couldn't even take it seriously. I can't tell if they just Google finance terms, or spoke to a first-year finance student and asked them what they think investment banking is like. Either way, this show stinks and everyone should avoid it. I wouldn't even watch it if it was free on Youtube.

Laughing stock of the town

[maplestorygenome · 1/10 · 8 September 2020]

Unintentionally funny, but overall just terrible. Is this show for real?

Don't understand the poor score - hilarious satire!

[sunilm1-1 · 8/10 · 8 September 2020]

Shocked by the poor average score this show gets - It's a great satire! (Think "Wolf of Wall Street" meets "Silicon Valley.") Also loving the all-Asian cast. Give it a go, it's very accurate (IMHO), and not nearly as bad as the detractors say...

Hilarious for what it is

[mreseigh-78612 · 10/10 · 6 August 2020]

You aren't going to like this as much if you're not in the industry, but as a former banker I found this hilarious. The show expertly shames the absurdity of the banking industry in a super funny way.

This show captured my interest, and took it to the bank (pun intended)

[alldaysinkinda · 10/10 · 26 July 2020]

Binge watched the entire season one. It was like a much needed therapy session for this recovering finance professional. It's like Silicon Valley (the TV show) but for Wall Street, with great storytelling, acting, and cinematography. Can't wait for season 2.

10 out of 10 - Must Watch for Recovering Bankers

[petersumusic · 10/10 · 17 August 2020]

As a former banking analyst in a TMT group - this was personally my favorite show from 2020. I'd put it on the same shelf as Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room for a hilarious Hollywood peek into finance - and more specifically, investment banking. I binged Bulge Bracket and watched it 2-3x the first week, which either says something about me or the show - which is rare.

Compelling story and characters, I'm really rooting for Cathy - who beyond facing the standard obstacles for any new investment banker on the quest to make Partner (long hours, crazy bosses, sacrificing relationships), faces her own internal challenges (her family doesn't approve of her choices, is this what she really wants for her life?).

I loved how things were exaggerated for comedic effect and was pleasantly surprised by how accurate some of the details are - G&A, apples to apples, pitch books tossed in the trash, MD markups having you change the font back to what you originally had, relationship hires...lol it brought right back to my bullpen days. +1 to see the finance journey from the all-too-rare female perspective.

Lastly, I really liked how the episodes were short and bite-sized, it's a cool new format/length that I think more creators will emulate.

I shared this with all my old bullpen coworkers and the email thread has revived some good times for us. Can't wait for season 2!

Fun and fresh take on professional services!

[ostmankv · 10/10 · 26 July 2020]

If you work in any professional service firm, you'll like this show. The characters are very real people you know at work and the story is both funny and feels very relatable. I don't think other office shows more accurately depict what it's like to work in big finance/law/accounting firms with humor and the same "ohhhh I've totally worked with that guy" moments. Great show!

Satire for fans of "Silicon Valley"

[benm85 · 8/10 · 25 July 2020]

Though it's satire, this is a very realistic portrayal of life as an investment banking analyst or associate. The hijinks, the crazy MDs, it's all too true. There's even a few recognizable faces - Lanny Joon from Baby Driver steals every scene he's in. Top-notch production values, a good story and great acting all around.

Definitely worth a watch!

[rachelinyoungahn-74840 · 10/10 · 28 July 2020]

My husband and I went through the entire first season in one sitting. Yup, it was that good. In fact, I was pretty devastated to find that season 2 wasn't out yet so now I'm eagerly awaiting season 2 (I need to know what happens!!!!) Also, as an Asian woman, it means a lot to see Asian representation on TV whether it's in the credits (folks behind the magic like the director) or the actors on screen. In the Bulge Bracket's case, it's both and it doesn't just end there. It's honestly quality content with amazing actors, a great storyline with a good mix of humor. I'm also a fan of Jessika Van (first saw her on Seoul Searching!) so it was super nice to see a familiar face. Folks, this is definitely a must watch! What are you waiting for?!

Funny, accurate, fun show to watch!

[jalin-80921 · 10/10 · 26 July 2020]

Great first season of Bulge Bracket. Funny, lighthearted, and very accurate. Brought me back to my analyst days, so many memories, so accurate. Great performance by the whole cast, particularly Jessika Van, Feodor Chin, Lanny Joon. Good character development and suspense. Looking forward to Season 2!! Nice directorial debut for Christopher Au. Fun show to watch, highly recommend!!!

A Star is Born

[tapthevein2000 · 9/10 · 15 April 2021]

Oh a whim, I watched Season One of BULGE BRACKET on Prime Video. I found it to be a wonderful satire of the investment bank industry, which is something I really knew nothing about. Not only did the shows witty banter between the ensemble cast catch my atention, but the writers actually made it interesting. Feodor Chin's 'Bolo' character stood out for me as being very likeable as much as he is ruthless from Episode's 1-3. While the cast was very entertaining from the start, it was Episode 4's character 'Rosie' (played by Gigi Gustin) who really rounded out the cast and added that little "extra bounce" that was missing previously. Gustin's innocent and natural charm made it easy for the rest of the cast to reflect off of her while her Amelie-like ingenue appeal makes us all wonder if there is something her character is hiding behind her soft exterior. Could she be naive or is there something 'diabolical' waiting underneath as she makes her rounds through her co-workers. She plays Rosie so well that I think more hijinks are in store for her as we await what happens in Season Two. Give this one a watch! WALL STREET meets THE OFFICE.

Watch it for yourself!

[lmgeew · 10/10 · 7 October 2020]

I really enjoyed watching this series! Don't be dissuaded by the negative reviews. It can be corny sometimes, but come on...it's comedy! It's similar to the Office & Silicon Valley on a smaller budget. I wish the season was longer, and I hope they have a season 2!

I was a skeptic, but I binged it

[fanofbarry · 8/10 · 28 July 2020]

As a former banker, I was skeptical when my friends told me about this show. But I was pleasantly surprised! The lead actress does a good job of making us care about her character. I could definitely identify with her situation. The set was sub-par - it doesn't look like any bulge bracket bank that I know. Looks more like a boutique, lol. The most realistic part is the VP Jackson who berates the analysts. It was funny because it was uncomfortably close to the truth. Overall I really enjoyed it and binge-watched all of the episodes in one sitting.