10 must watch TV series for MBA students
Amid those heavy assignments, surprise quizzes and non-stop group studies, there’s always time for some fun. One of the best ways to de-stress is watching movies or TV shows.
We already listed eight must watch movies for MBA students and seven must watch movies for MBA aspirants.
Now we present 10 television series that we believe every MBA student or aspirant should watch. These shows revolve around various aspects that you may encounter in the corporate world.
From novel entrepreneurship to turning down a proposal, leadership to bankruptcy – these shows mirror real-life incidents. There’s certainly a thing or two you may pick up from these series.
Presenting 10 must watch TV shows for MBA graduates and aspirants:
(The list is not in any order of ranking or preference.)
1. Silicon Valley
With Silicon Valley, the alternate world of startups and entrepreneurship crosses over to mainstream television. It shows how innovation has become an essential part of our lives. This show is about six nerdy individuals and their struggles while launching ‘Pied Piper'. On the other side, there’s Hooli with their copy-cat product Nucleas.
Why is it a must watch? Because you learn about innovation, perseverance, entrepreneurship, funding and techie world with a squeeze of satire and humour.
2. Game of Thrones
The sheer number of powerful and strong characters playing off against each other is marvelous. The show explores the complex human psyche, with each character reflecting their own agendas. You cannot sympathise with one character because none of them are perfect. Every time you expect something, the storyline veers off to unexpected directions -- just like your expectations from job and career.
3. Mad Men
Business strategy, business development, corporate diplomacy, performance, risk-taking, partners, team building – you’ll encounter every good and bad aspect of corporate in Mad Men. Revolving around the central character of Don Draper who is working in a prestigious advertising agency, the story explores business practices and lives of people intertwined in it.
4. Yudh
Not often do you come across a gripping script with brilliant actors on Indian television. The miniseries (20 episodes) follows the journey of successful business man Yudhisthir Sikarwar (Amitabh Bachchan) who wants to venture into mining industry. Amidst all this, the protagonist is diagnosed with Huntington's disease. This story focuses on corporate rivalries, hiccups in business plans and emotional turmoil of the protagonist. Reminds us of the eternal turmoil between career success vs family happiness.
5. The Apprentice
The American reality game show has been called as “The Ultimate Job Interview” by many. Each season starts with a group of aspirants, aiming to win the final prize. The participants are divided in two competitive groups and perform the allocated tasks which could range from pitching an idea to selling on the road. The show teaches team-building, innovative approaches to business management, how to manage seed capital, developing new business strategies and so on. Thanks to the series, the dialogue ‘You're fired!’ has now achieved legendary status. The show has been made in various countries.
6. The Office
This popular comedy has been made and re-made in various countries. The plot is simple – the daily routine of office employees. Except, it’s not that simple. Bizarre situations and weird conditions end up making it a laughing riot. But there are lessons to be learnt here – teamwork, office code of conduct, how get that promotion and many more. Here's funny clip from the series:
7. MasterChef
If you think, MasterChef is all about cooking and fine dining, think again. Remember, the famous pressure test? This show teaches you how to handle high pressure situations. And that’s not all. The show focuses a lot on teamwork at grassroots level. An ideal way to learn team management with some gourmet cooking.
8. Yes Minister
This satirical comedy tracks the daily jobs of three characters: Jim Hacker (Minister of Administrative Affairs), his permanent secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and his private secretary Bernard Woolley. The serial revolves around how Hacker presents new proposals but is constantly overturned by Appleby and vice versa. Rated as one of the best comedies ever, the episodes present how to build or break a case with strong and witty arguments. It is also a quick guide on how to deal with every situation at work. Here's a funny clip from the series:
9. Breaking Bad
Innovation is the first word that comes to you mind while describing this series – innovation and career makeover. A simple chemistry teacher along with his favorite student undergo a complete transformation, taking up crime as a career. The significant skills and experience this duo build up on the way of transformation is overwhelmingly good. And that’s not all. How to adapt communication according to situation while thinking on your feet is a lesson better learnt while watching this series.
10. House of Cards
A political drama, House of Cards is based in the political hobnob of Washington DC. The characters are different shades of grey and always devising schemes to get their way. Everyone has an agenda. At every turn there’s a new surprise. It will teach you how to navigate your career goals in a large conglomerate through power, manipulation and unexpected surprises. “The series is primarily about ruthless pragmatism, manipulation, power, and doing bad things for the greater good,” says Wikipedia.
