Ever since the movie “Wall Street” fixed the world of cutthroat stockbrokers in the popular imagination more than 30 years ago, screenwriters have returned to that setting for stories about money and power.

That, plus scenes of excess and debauchery, which was the bigger selling point for the creators of Showtime’s new comedy “Black Monday.” Set to premiere on Sunday, the series conjures its own version of what led to the market crash of 1987, complete with a long con, piles of cocaine and jokes that would trigger human-resources...