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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions Season 4, Episode 1: New York Times – March 17, 2019
American Oligarch
by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | March 17, 2019
Season 4, Episode 1: ‘Chucky Rhoades’s Greatest Game’
“You win some, lose some, it’s all the same to me,” howls Lemmy Kilmister, the raspy singer-bassist of the heavy metal band Motörhead in their signature song, “Ace of Spades.” As he explains over warp-speed riffing, when it comes to gambling, “the pleasure is to play.”
The metal fandom of the hedge-fund billionaire Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) has been a key trait of that character from the start. It is equal parts enjoyment and self-aggrandizing, bad-boy image-making. But rarely had it been deployed as astutely as when he made his first onscreen appearance this week, in the Season 4 premiere of Showtime’s ruthlessly entertaining financial thriller, “Billions.” As “Ace of Spades” powers the soundtrack, we’re reminded that no matter what game they’re playing, men like Axe aren’t happy unless they go all-in on every hand.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Why the Creators of Billions See the Show as a “Rorschach Test” for the Trump Era – March 16, 2019
“It’s hard to find the people in positions of power who don’t at least dance with hypocrisy”
by Tonya Riley | Mother Jones | March 16, 2019
Billionaires, Saudi investors, political favor-trading —it sounds a lot like the basis of a Mother Jones article on any given day under the Trump administration. But in fact, it’s the logline for the season premiere of Showtime’s Billions, a surprise hit that is as comfortable being part of the Golden Age of television as it is commenting on a politically turbulent time.
The show stars Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades, former US Attorney for Southern District of New York, and Damien Lewis as Bobby Axelrod, an unorthodox, up-from-his-bootstraps-sort-of hedge fund manager at Axe Capital. They’re joined by Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades, wife to Chuck and psychoanalyst at Axelrod’s company; she further complicates their relationship (and often calls the shots for them both). The drama, which was loosely based on the legal battle between Preet Bharara, a former US attorney for the same district Rhoades serves in Billions, and billionaire Steve Cohen, a hedge fund manager who escaped indictment despite being at the heart of a massive insider trading scandals, has evolved over four seasons into must-watch television that evokes the politics of today without the didactic morality of, say, an Aaron Sorkin venture. The show is smart, sexy, and dark, and vest-wearing finance bros and media hipsters alike count themselves among its fans.
Mother Jones called up co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien in advance of season four to discuss America’s fascination with the rich and powerful and how they keep their show fresh in the mercurial age of Trump.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Smart Watch: Billions Makes Organized Crime on Wall Street and in Politics Fun to Watch – March 16, 2019
Hard Power, Soft Power, Strategic Smart Power
by Melanie McFarland | Salon | March 16, 2019
Last week, Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali, reputed boss of New York’s Gambino crime family, was shot to death in front of his Staten Island home. News outlets treated his killing as a reminder that the Mafia still exists, although in a greatly diminished form. The Chicago Sun-Times’ headline characterizes the slaying as “a throwback to [a] bygone era.” It’s not wrong.
Last week, Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali, reputed boss of New York’s Gambino crime family, was shot to death in front of his Staten Island home. News outlets treated his killing as a reminder that the Mafia still exists, although in a greatly diminished form. The Chicago Sun-Times’ headline characterizes the slaying as “a throwback to [a] bygone era.” It’s not wrong.
“I kinda feel bad for the old guy, scumbag that he was,” Rhoades sighs. “Blindsided like that. But I guess that’s New York for you, right? Boss one minute, in the gutter the next. Best you can hope for is one last look at the stars before you go.”
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions Shakes Up Alliances with Phenomenal Fourth Season – March 16 2019
“Billions just keeps getting better and better, with surprises and luminously crafted scenes waiting in each episode”
by Mark Dawidziak | Cleveland | March 16, 2019
Every few years, there seems to be a drama generally regarded as an excellent show yet consistently given the back of the hand when it comes time to hand out awards or compile top-10 lists. From 2010 to 2015, that series was called “Justified.”
“Billions” is the series with the dubious honor of filling that bill today. The best show on television? A wonderfully compelling case is made for this claim in the Showtime drama’s high-stakes, high-caliber fourth season, which begins at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 17.
It’s almost as if “Justified,” which ended in April 2015, passed the creative baton to “Billions,” which premiered in January 2017. Although “Justified” was set in the coal fields of Kentucky and “Billions” is set in Manhattan, the two dramas have a great deal of great stuff in common.
Both are almost Shakespearean in how they slyly weave intriguing character exploration into intricate plot structure. Both can swerve cleverly and unexpectedly from the incredibly suspenseful to the outrageously funny. Both recognize that some of the most gripping dramatic moments are achieved by putting two characters in a room and letting top-flight actors make the most of superbly written dialogue.
And both make sublime use of guests. With “Billions,” that includes the contributions of everyone from David Strathairn and Mary-Louise Parker to Clancy Brown and John Malkovich.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on The Rundown: Oh Heck Yeah, It’s ‘Billions’ Time, Baby – March 15, 2019
Billions of Thrones
by Brian Grubb | Uproxx | March 15, 2019
The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items will vary, as will the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday and we are here to have some fun.
ITEM NUMBER ONE — The boys are back in town
Oh heck yeah, it is Billions time again, baby. The Showtime series about despicable hedge fund boys and the morally bankrupt government officials who are chasing them is back for a fourth season this weekend. I’m so amped up about it. I love this show so much. It’s a little messy and very fast and I hate every character on the show and you can put it all straight into my veins. You know how you feel about Game of Thrones? That’s how I feel about Billions. Billions of Thrones. I don’t know how I should feel about that but I stand by it.
I’m not joking about hating every character on the show. Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) is a sociopath who will trample anyone or anything if it means making a single extra dollar. Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) is a goon who will do the same for a conviction. They’re flip sides of the same coin, really, one a broken wealthy man who came from nothing and fills the hole in his soul with money, the other a broken public servant who came from wealth and fills the hole in his soul with influence. I’d happily spit on both of them if I saw them on the street.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions is ‘Prestige Trash’ TV and That’s Why We Love It – March 15, 2019
The Showtime Series Returns For Its Fourth Season Sunday, With More Greed, Lust and Paul Giamatti
by Allie Pape | San Francisco Chronicle | March 15, 2019
Prestige TV is the defining art form of America right now, as the streaming wars offer up a endless array of shows that probe the intricacies of gender, sexuality, race, class and identity. But for all it’s gained in thoughtful new voices and delicately drawn artistic masterworks, TV has lost one of its best categories, which I can only describe as “Prestige Trash.”
These are shows that sit at the center of the Venn diagram of Important and Addictive. They are widely popular with big and broad elements such as lots of sex, violence money or glamour. They’re not the brainiest, but have enough insight to be thought-provoking while containing enough candy to keep you hopelessly hooked. These days, their ranks are almost entirely populated by comedies or reality shows, though shows like “Stranger Things” or “Mr. Robot” help broaden the field.
Given that, I’m a bit befuddled as to why Showtime’s “Billions,” the rare drama that’s equal parts prestige and popcorn, isn’t a megahit. Perhaps it’s because in an age of clearly drawn comic-book heroes and evildoers, it’s the rare show with the audacity to make nearly every one of its characters a villain. A “Dynasty” for the decade-long bull market, it’s lurid and pulpy, covering serious topics but disinclined to take itself too seriously — a combination that’s accidentally made it one of the more relevant depictions of our greed-fueled society.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions EP Previews What’s Next for Axe, Rhoades & the Crew in Season 4 – March 15, 2019
Axe: The smartest Guy in Town was Blindsided
by Ileane Rudolph | TV Insider | March 15, 2019
A thirst for vengeance drives both hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) on Season 4 of the financial thriller Billions.
The longtime antagonists join forces to crush those who betrayed and weakened them at the end of last year. “We explore the lengths that characters will go, and how it makes them feel when they encounter the residue [their actions] leave,” says executive producer David Levien. Here’s a look back at where the main characters left off, and a peek at the wrath they’ll unleash to regain their power.
Bobby “Axe” Axelrod
The smartest guy in town was blindsided by Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) when his equally brilliant protégé left Axe Capital and started a competing fund, stealing clients along the way. “Axe feels he brought Taylor to prominence, only to be burned,” says Levien. Now he will use his own fortune and that of a new buddy, private equity queen Rebecca Cantu (Nina Arianda), to destroy Taylor. And in return for aiding Chuck, Axe wants his former enemy to help put his ex-colleague in legal trouble. Says Levien, “He’ll do whatever he has to to scorch the earth under Taylor’s feet.”
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions Season 4 Goes for Broke – March 15, 2019
“Billions shifts around enough of its usual architecture to still feel fresh in its fourth season”
by Kathryn VanArendonk | Vulture | March 15, 2019
When TV shows have been around for a few seasons, sometimes they get relaxed and hit the autopilot button. Some shows do the opposite, blowing everything up to start completely fresh, an option that usually involves major casting changes, time jumps, or entirely new premises. Season four of Billions charts a middle path, shifting around enough of its usual architecture to feel fresh, while also continuing to follow most of its original characters and stories.
That assessment may sound a touch milquetoast — more of the same, but different! And it’s true: If you liked Billions before, you will continue to like it now. If you didn’t, well, the same idea applies. But the thing I appreciated most about the first four episodes of Billions’ fourth season is the way they go about changing things: The characters are the same, but most of the relationships have inverted. Bad-boy hedge-fund genius Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) is now working on the same team as his mortal nemesis, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti). Axelrod is now tilted against his former wunderkind protégé, Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon), who’s started their own competitor fund and is poaching Axelrod talent. It’s fun to keep the game board mostly the same while swapping all the usual allegiances. It’s especially satisfying to watch Chuck and Bobby scheme together.
More than that, though, there’s been a palpably goofy, go-for-broke mentality lurking inside Billions for the last three seasons, and season four is not shy about turning that dial up to 11. Billions’ goofy chaos impulse has always lived most noticeably in David Costabile’s Wags, Bobby Axelrod’s right-hand man who is half devoted servant, half trickster god. Now it feels like that energy is leaking out everywhere. You can sense it in the way Billions positions Chuck and Bobby to team up, and in John Malkovich’s unsubtle guest-starring role as the powerful Russian mobster Grigor Andolov, and in Taylor striking out on their own to take down the master.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions: Brian Koppelman and David Levien on Money, Power, and American Gods – March 15, 2019
The Privileges of Gods and Kings
by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | March 15, 2019
From Wall Street to Washington, the world of “Billions” is a world at war. According to David Levien, one of the creators and showrunners for the series, that’s by design.
“If you look at kings and Caesars and emperors throughout history and literature, there’s not a lot of guys who sat through a very peaceful, enjoyable reign,” he said. “Gods and kings: That’s what these people think they are.”
“They need people to battle against,” added Brian Koppelman, who is also a creator and showrunner for the show. (Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times financial columnist, is the third creator.)
As “Billions” returns to Showtime on Sunday for Season 4, its two central combatants face a remade version of that world, newly allied with enemies to spare. The hedge fund billionaire Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) is primed for vengeance against his former protégé Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon). Meanwhile, the former United States attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) must contend with investigations into his past conduct by the Trump era attorney general Jock Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown).
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Maggie Siff on How Billions Adapted to the #MeToo and Time’s Up Era – March 14, 2019
Billions: Evolution of the Hit Drama
by Evan Real | Hollywood Reporter | March 14, 2019
The Showtime star opens up to The Hollywood Reporter about the evolution of the hit drama, noting that the writers room is “very tuned in to” today’s social climate.
It was a different time when Billions first premiered on Showtime in January of 2016. Donald Trump wasn’t president, and “toxic masculinity” wasn’t as much of a catch phrase as it is now. But more than three years and four seasons later, society’s surge of feminism in the #MeToo and Time’s Up era has also penetrated the writers room of the hit drama.
In a recent In Studio interview with The Hollywood Reporter, star Maggie Siff — who plays self-possessed psychiatrist Wendy Rhoades on Billions — explained how the series has adapted to the current social climate.
