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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 What David Costabile Says About Working with Damian – March 15, 2019
David Costabile as Wags
by Jay Bobbin | On TV Today | March 15, 2019
If you’re crafty hedge-fund manager Bobby “Axe” Axelrod of “Billions,” you need somebody you can trust.
His right-hand man — played by David Costabile — is Mike “Wags” Wagner, who can get dirty protecting Axe’s dealings on the New York-set drama series that starts its fourth season Sunday, March 17, on Showtime and (in Canada) The Movie Network. In the first new episode, Axe (Damian Lewis) comes to the rescue of the rough-around-the-edges yet very well-spoken Wags, who vanishes while trying to keep Axe’s business afloat after a major betrayal by analyst turned rival Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon).
“I have so much fun doing it, it’s almost illegal,” the good-humored Costabile says of his “Billions” role, “and throughout this season, I get to be fully Wags. The writers like challenging themselves, and they certainly like challenging me to do more and more outrageous and insane things. They and I have an equally fun time trying to jump over the bar they’ve set, which is high.”
Costabile credits fellow stage veteran Lewis with bringing equal comfort to the Axe-and-Wags relationship: “There’s just a commonality about how we work that is really easy between the two of us. I think there is a great generosity about the two of us working together to make something slightly comedic. We don’t even talk about how we’re going to do it.”
Read the rest of the original article at On TV Today
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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 Review: Better Than Ever – March 14, 2019
“Billions has a habit of inverting ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ then leaving us — the viewer — to figure out how we got suckered by all these pirates in the first place.”
by Verne Gay | Newsday | March 14, 2019
SERIES “Billions”
WHEN | WHERE Season 4 premiere Sunday at 9 p.m. on Showtime
WHAT IT’S ABOUT In the fourth season — the first four episodes were available for review — former antagonists Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and hedge fund pirate Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) have joined forces — each needing something from the other. This isn’t just about money, but about payback. For “Axe,” that would be Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon), off now running a rival firm, and Russian oligarch Grigor Andolov (John Malkovich). For Chuck, that would be an array of targets, beginning with the feckless attorney general who dumped him last season, Jock Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown), and his replacement as U.S. attorney for the Southern District, Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore). As usual, Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) has to carefully navigate her way among the egos.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on “F**king Wags!”: A Cup of Coffee With David Costabile, Prestige TV’s Most Important Character Actor – March 14, 2019
From Wags to Gale, David Costabile is TV’s Most Efficient Player
by Miles Surrey | The Ringer | March 14, 2019
You may know him better as the eccentric financial consigliere in ‘Billions,’ or as the editor in Season 5 of ‘The Wire,’ or as the meek chemist in ‘Breaking Bad,’ but after years of efficiently impressive work, the actor is beginning to transcend his That Guy status.
You’ve seen David Costabile, but you may not have known that his name is David Costabile. To you, he’s probably Gale, the quirky scientist from the third and fourth seasons of Breaking Bad. Or perhaps more likely, he’s Mike “Wags” Wagner, the eccentric financial consigliere to hedge fund manager Bobby “Axe” Axelrod on Showtime’s finance drama Billions; he’s the man full of bravado and creative obscenities, the guy with the pointy facial hair that evokes Satan. When traveling in Europe, he mostly meets fans of Breaking Bad. Oddly enough, a disproportionately large number of New York City doormen, as well as TSA agents, are most familiar with his work in Suits. Venture to guess where the largest ratio of Wags fans are found? “If I go down to the Financial District, if I go to Midtown, my bros are there,” Costabile says. “My financial bros.”
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions is Back for Season Four – March 14, 2019
Billions is Back with Oscar® Nominee and Emmy® and Golden Globe® Winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Damian Lewis
by Rick and Christina Gables | TV Weekly Now | March 13, 2019
When everyone is out for revenge, no one is safe. This is never more true than in season four of BILLIONS. Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades, former enemies, and Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff), the chief counselor to each, have come together to form an uneasy but highly effective alliance, aimed at the eradication of all their rivals, including Grigor Andolov (guest star John Malkovich), Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon), Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore) and Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat (guest star Clancy Brown).
Ambition and betrayal have long been at the heart of Billions, and this season all the characters find out exactly how high a price they’ll have to pay to satisfy those needs. The series also stars David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Kelly AuCoin, Jeffrey DeMunn and Malin Akerman, along with new guest stars Samantha Mathis, Kevin Pollak, Jade Eshete and Nina Arianda.
Read the rest of the original article at TV Weekly Now
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Pop-Culture References, All-Out Business Battles Mark 4th Season of Billions – March 13, 2019
Classic Billions Drama of High-Stakes Wheeling and Dealing
by Stephen Spignesi | New Haven Register | March 13, 2019
Showtime’s hit series “Billions” returns March 17 for its fourth season at its new time of 9 p.m. and opens with a sticky (yet irresistible) dramatic conundrum: At the end of last season, a few too many loyal Axe Capital employees had morphed into enemies and competitors — and hundreds of millions and, yes, billions of dollars are now at stake.
If the first four episodes are harbingers of the rest of the season, Season 4 — in addition to delivering the classic “Billions” drama of high-stakes wheeling and dealing — is going to be more fun than ever. In this season, for example, we get to see Chuck Rhoades (New Haven’s own Paul Giamatti) chair dance and (sort of) moonwalk, and we watch gender non-binary Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) strut in a short black dress, long black wig and heels (Wags (David Costabile) opines: “Kate Jackson hot”).
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Showtime’s Billions: Everyone Has A Score To Settle In Season 4 – March 13, 2019
“Everyone’s Hands are Dirty as the Worlds of Politics and Privilege Merge”
by Dana Feldman | Forbes | March 13, 2019
It’s that time of year! Spring is in the air and Billions is returning for its highly-anticipated fourth season this Sunday. The motto for the new season: When everyone is out for revenge, no one is safe.
Billions is one of the network’s top drama series, with season three averaging 5 million weekly viewers across platforms. The season three premiere was its highest-rated ever, with the March 2018 debut up 23% from season two. And, the series grew throughout its second season on Sunday nights by more than 35% from premiere-to-finale.
Embroiled in a dark, sordid underworld of power, corruption, betrayal and revenge, Billions hooks viewers with the dramatic lengths its characters are willing to go when it comes to getting what they want. Simultaneously, the show remains reflective of the current times in which we live wherein money, greed, ambition and justice collide.
