Capital City

I also saw this by chance on the CBC and loved it, but their run was too short and I'm sure I missed the last few episodes. Canada's "Traders" drama TV series reminded me of it and thankfully lasted for several years... maybe even better as it really had time to grow into its own. Capital City showed "The City" of London (the financial district) in the heady days after "big bang" (deregulation) and had some great plot lines, characters and typically English take on life there. The mix of Americans, Europeans, etc... only added to a great and colourful cast. Bring on the DVD!

There was a similar movie called "Dealers" with Rebecca DeMornay and Paul McGann that also showed life in "the City", complete with egomaniacs, slippery traders and the lifestyles of the traders, and so-called 'Masters of the Universe'. If you like the financial/Wall Street type of genre you will enjoy it as well.

Thankfully both series 1 & 2 are available on DVD and I have them both. At the time it was first shown on TV it was riveting to watch, very gritty, but it had the sparkle and fizz of the 80's London yuppies. I remember the 80's yuppy traders and ironically worked close to where the Shane-Longman building was in the new Broadgate development in London. They used Lehman's offices. It was next door to Liverpool Street Station. I once saw Douglas Hodge at London Marylebone station helping a blind man to his train. He even wore a Declan style trenchcoat in real life.

When I watch the show now on DVD it looks a little dated, mostly because the production quality was sadly lacking but the acting was first class and it really gave you a glimpse into the World of the 80's yuppies.

It could have had a longer run, but as I understand it, not enough people watched it, which killed it off. My understanding is that they wanted to scrap it after the first series, but they made a second after being inundated with letters of support for a series 2. I don't think the writers were adventurous enough and that added to insufficient viewers for Series 2 sealed its fate.

I agree that Capital City should be on DVD. I watched this show only by accident in 1994 and fell in love with Rolf Saxon as Hudson Talbot. It was nice to see Americans who work abroad in London in the financial industry for a change. I loved Rolf in this role and loved every other role that he has been in. I can't believe the show only lasted 13 episodes. I liked William Armstrong as Hudson's flamboyant charming friend in the series. When they aired this show in the New York City area, it was always late at night or at off times. The show is less than an hour long. I felt this show should have gone on longer but the casting changes in the second season really made the show a little less interesting. I didn't care for Sylvia but missed the actress, Julia Phillips-Lane in the previous season. I felt this show took chances and often it worked. It showed Americans who loved and chose to live in London. The American characters were not arrogant or tried to outdo their British counterparts. I also liked the fact that they had tried to internationalize the cast rather than make them all British. I liked watching Julia Ormond in an early role. I felt this show should have lasted longer. I felt at times that the previews lasted as long as the show in less than an hour. They could have transferred the cast to New York City and it would have been a hit in America.

I have to agree with the other comment. This series had me spellbound from beginning to end and yet no one seems to ever have heard of it. It is a must see and I wish it would come out on DVD.

I found the characters excellent and cast extremely well. You see some of them from time to time. The story was powerful and really well done. Hats off to those that wrote it and put it all together.

The pressure portrayed in the series was fantastic. You agonized with the characters all the way through. I never saw the series in England but it must have been big there. It certainly was in the colonies.

Again, bring it out on DVD.

An amazing series which showcases the early acting talents of Douglas Hodge, William Armstrong (1), Jason Isaacs and Trevyn McDowell to name a few of the stars. Unfortunately it only had a relatively short run but in the 12/13 episodes the audience quickly becomes captivated by the antics and lives of a group of bankers and traders in Shane Longman, a modern snazzy bank in London. If the re-runs ever come back on - it is a "must-see"!