Billions

Billions Season 4 Official Trailer – Jan 11, 2019

On January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Everyone is Out for Revenge

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | January 11, 2019

When everyone is out for revenge, no one is safe. This is never more true than in season 4 of BILLIONS. Bobby Axelrod (Lewis) and Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti), 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. Catch the season premiere Sunday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

When everyone is out for revenge, you've gotta pick sides.#TeamChuck #TeamConnerty #TeamAxe #TeamTaylor

Get with it, or get fucked.#TeamWendy
#Billions returns March 17. Only on #Showtime. pic.twitter.com/fdkWg9R4G8

— Billions on Showtime (@SHO_Billions) January 11, 2019

To view photo stills of the official trailer, please visit our Gallery

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Top 10 TV Musical Moments of 2018 – Jan 10, 2019

On January 10, 2019January 11, 2019 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Contradiction and Consternation for Axe

by Samantha Della Fera | Michigan Daily | January 9, 2019

In the current “Golden Age of Television,” it is undisputed that television programs have begun to venture into the cinematic. With longer run times, higher budgets and a broader horizon of freedom to express a theme or message, it is plain to see that television is no longer film’s “little brother” in the “family” of the overall media landscape.

One of the most prominent ways in which television has elevated its craft is through the augmented role of music. For the past century, music has been an integral part of film culture. There is no “Rocky” without “Eye of The Tiger,” there is no “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” without “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” Imagine a movie without a score or musical montage. It would just feel like a hollow stage play. Conversely, music has no storied history in television (save for catchy theme songs). In fact, the only example of overlaid audio I can think of in past television is the episode of “Seinfeld” when George attempts to use Petula Clark’s “Downtown” as a clue for his work project. And even still, that was 1996.

Continue reading Top 10 TV Musical Moments of 2018 – Jan 10, 2019

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71 TV Shows We Can’t Wait to See in 2019 – Jan 4, 2019

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Conspicuous Excess

by Matt Zoller Seitz | Vulture | January 4, 2019

The year ahead promises to be a pivotal one for the TV industry: HBO is charting a path into its post–Game of Thrones future with a flurry of high-profile adaptations; Netflix will face serious challenges from a trio of new streaming services by Disney, Apple, and WarnerMedia; and the march of Hollywood’s A-list to the small screen has burst into a full-on sprint. In other words, there’s a ton of great television coming in the next 12 months. Here’s our obsessive guide to the shows we’re most excited to see in 2019, arranged in chronological order by premiere date. Happy watching!

Billions Season Four (Showtime, March 17)

When it returns this year, Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s show about conspicuous excess will jump off from a high point of palace intrigue: The chief antagonists who had driven the show up to now, hedge-funder Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), were both pushed out of their respective kingdoms by younger and more treacherous rivals (Asia Kate Dillon’s chief investment officer Taylor Mason, and Clancy Brown’s U.S. attorney general Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat).

Read the rest of the original article at Vulture

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10 top TV shows of 2018 – Dec 30, 2018

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Billions: “Superbly Crafted, Slyly Written, Magnificently Acted Drama”

by Mark Davidziak | The Cleveland | December 29, 2018

For the last few years, more and more of the high ground in television has been claimed by the streaming services. But, let’s face it, that’s mostly meant Netflix, which, in terms of quality, has established itself as a worthy rival to such cable channels as FX, AMC, Showtime and HBO.

But 2018 may be remembered as the year that Amazon Prime shoved its way into the quality discussion, more than earning a spot at the table reserved for TV’s stellar programmers. Year-in-review top-10 lists are, without question, highly subjective exercises at best, but it’s certainly indicative of Amazon Prime’s success that three of my selections belong to the streaming services: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Homecoming” and “A Very English Scandal.”

Yup, there’s a new heavyweight contender in town, and 2018 demonstrated that reality in compelling fashion. It’s the year that Amazon truly arrived. But that’s not to say Amazon has put a lock on the crown as undisputed champion. AMC, despite the continuing droop in ratings and quality for “The Walking Dead,” also had an extremely strong year. And, like Amazon, AMC has three spots on my top 10 list: for the ever-intriguing “Better Call Saul” and two very different newcomers, “The Terror” and “Lodge 49.”

Yet none of those shows deserves the No. 1 spot in my estimation. That august ranking belongs to:

“Billions” (Showtime): This shamelessly underappreciated and overlooked drama has become the “Justified” of its time – a superbly crafted, slyly written, magnificently acted drama all but ignored when it comes time for awards and, well, top 10 lists. And this year’s third season was the best yet. The high-stakes Manhattan chess match continues to put the brilliant focus on the intense, often-ruthless rivalry between U.S. Attorney Charles “Chuck” Rhoades Jr. (Paul Giamatti) and billionaire hedge fund manager Robert “Bobby Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis). The third season got an added boost by the elevation of Jeffrey DeMunn to series regular and guest appearances by Clancy Brown as Attorney General Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat.

Read the rest of the original article at The Cleveland

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Sean T. Collins’s Eight Best TV Shows of 2018 – Dec 28, 2018

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Billions: “A Whip-Smart, Drum-Tight Financial Thriller”

by Sean T. Collins | Decider | December 28, 2018

Weird ‘Flix, but okay: 2018 saw a certain streaming behemoth finally achieve the approximate cultural reach and clout the Big Four broadcast networks still enjoyed as recently as a decade ago. Unfortunately, the level of artistic quality and risk-taking roughly followed suit.

But even the algorithm-assisted return of TV monoculture—you can have any flavor you like, as long as it’s a flavor our data indicates you’ve enjoyed before—couldn’t stamp out the hard-earned gains television has made as an art form since Tony Soprano woke up that morning 20 years ago. Shows predicated on the idea that challenging your audience is a vital part of entertaining that audience, even if it’s an audience you have to will into existence in the process, are still out there.

Television can still make even a jaded viewer sob with sorrow and joy, recoil in suspense and terror, stare in silent (or shouting!) awe at the sheer emotional and aesthetic audacity of it all. Between them, the eight shows below did all that for me and more.

#5 – Billions

In the immortal words of Qui-Gon Jinn, “There’s always a bigger fish.” Billions, a show full of characters who might drop that quote into a conversation with only a hint of irony, demonstrated the truth of this maxim all season. Long the story of the Ahab vs. Moby-Dick conflict of ambitious federal attorney Chuck Rhoades and his hedge-fund-king nemesis Bobby Axelrod, the show’s third outing spent its first half watching Axe extricate himself from the brilliantly planned trap Chuck sprang on him during Season Two, with Chuck’s wife and Axe’s close friend Wendy Rhoades as the fulcrum for the escape.

But all the while, Bobby’s brainiac protege Taylor Mason (nonbinary actor Asia Kate Dillon in a role all the more groundbreaking for its matter-of-factness) and Chuck’s hang-em-high boss Attorney General Jock Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown, looming and drawling like a bizarre High Plains Frankenstein) were moving closer to springing traps of their own. Season’s end saw the one-time arch-enemies in an alliance against their new foes—and Brian Koppelman & David Levien’s whip-smart, drum-tight financial thriller hit new heights of both entertainment and insight into the world of the One Percent.

Read the rest of the original article at Decider

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The Best TV Shows of 2018 – Dec 20, 2018

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Billions Can Keep Going Forever

by Playlist Staff | The Playlist | December 19, 2018

It was, as we’ve discussed already, a great year for movies. It was perhaps a less great one on TV, at least on the surface. There were more scripted shows than ever once again, but with some heavy-hitters skipping a year, and a few high-profile disappointments (Hi, “The Romanoffs!”), it was hard not to feel that the ageless TV vs. film debate came out of 2018 with a point on the movies board.

But all that said, if the thrill of the Peak TV years has perhaps worn off, there were still hours and hours and hours of greatness across multiple networks and genres in 2018. Some great shows got even better. Some new arrivals produced debut seasons that were among as promising as any in recent years. And there were surprises and hidden gems galore. Maybe it was a great year for TV, now we think about it.

Below you’ll find The Playlist’s 25 favorite shows of 2018, from Facebook-hosted grief dramas to animated satires to kids-on-the-run to existentially-wracked hitmen and more. Take a look at the list below, and let us know your own highlights in the comments.

Continue reading The Best TV Shows of 2018 – Dec 20, 2018

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Billions Season 4 Teaser Trailer & Release Date – Dec 19, 2018

On December 19, 2018December 21, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

You Gotta Pick Sides

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | December 19, 2018

It’s finally here! It’s what you all have been waiting for – the Billions season four teaser trailer! Billions season four will premiere March 17, 2019 at 9:00 pm ET. Enjoy:

Here we go! This is a hell of a season, folks. March 17, 2019 it begins! @sho_billions! #Billions. Let’s. Go. pic.twitter.com/vZ61rbjAqT

— Brian Koppelman (@briankoppelman) December 19, 2018

Continue reading Billions Season 4 Teaser Trailer & Release Date – Dec 19, 2018

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The Best TV Shows of 2018 – Dec 13, 2018

On December 13, 2018December 17, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Billions Makes the List!

by Ben Yakas | The Gothamist | December 13, 2018

In 2016, over 400 television shows were aired or released. In 2018, that number has jumped to at least 555, which we know thanks to this handy spreadsheet made by Liz Shannon Miller. The Netflix-ification of television is truly upon us: the networks have a desperate desire to compete with the streaming giant, and they’re doing so either by throwing every idea against the wall and hoping it finds an audience, or by launching their own streaming services… with limitless capacities for more content.

And television isn’t just exponentially growing with new programming—any show with any sort of core fanbase could be brought back to life as a reboot (Murphy Brown, Charmed, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), spin-off (The Connors, Young Sheldon), or whatever hybrid monstronsity Kevin Can Wait turned into became before it was mercifully cancelled. There are over 20 more such zombie shows coming in the next year, with unlikely reboots of Conan the Barbarian, Gone Baby Gone and…The Bone Collector? Like the Greyjoys are found of saying: “What Is Dead May Never Die” (also, “Shut Up, Theon”).

Continue reading The Best TV Shows of 2018 – Dec 13, 2018

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The 10 Best Musical TV Moments of 2018 – Dec 13, 2018

On December 13, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Bobby’s Bubbling Water

by Sean T. Collins | Vulture | December 13, 2018

Don’t cry, don’t raise your eye, it’s only the best music cues of the year. And as in past years, there’s an embarrassment of riches to choose from. Certainly, the sounds of the ’80s remain television’s staple crop when it comes to using preexisting pop and rock songs to complement, comment on, and enhance the action onscreen: Pose, Narcos: Mexico, The Americans, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace feature almost nothing but. Yet the approaches they take are as varied as their styles and subject matter, and when you factor in other eras and genres, the soundscape opens up tremendously. There’s more to a good music cue than syncing a great song to an important scene: Ideally, the song can put into words and music what the characters, and the world surrounding them, can’t quite express themselves. That’s what music does for all of us, after all — why should fictional characters be any different? Here are the ten best moments from a year of TV music that belong on everyone’s playlist.

Continue reading The 10 Best Musical TV Moments of 2018 – Dec 13, 2018

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The 20 Best TV Series of 2018 – Dec 12, 2018

On December 12, 2018December 13, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Billions: An Insider Understanding

by Noel Murray | The Verge | December 12, 2018

One of the more underrated perks of the “peak TV” era is that because there’s so much worth watching, no two television devotees will forge the same path through the mountains of programming. Below is a list of 20 outstanding series and miniseries that aired in 2018. These are well-crafted and entertaining shows, highly recommended and worthy of just about anyone’s time. Some of the names will be familiar; some may be surprising. Taken as a whole, this list is intended to present just one way of looking at what makes TV great. But that perspective is, inevitably, limited.

So what qualified a show for this list? They were all chosen for their originality, for the unusual way they approach story structure or visual design, or for the unique way they engage with today’s politics and pressures. Too much of what gets called “prestige” television is dark and dour, but for the most part, these shows are colorful and often funny — a genuine pleasure to watch. This is a lively and eclectic bunch, ranging from the sedate English countryside to the furthest reaches of time and space.

Given the length of TV production cycles, 2018 was really the first year that writers and producers could start making observations about life under the Trump administration, beyond just telling a few passing jokes. The high-octane political / financial thriller Billions offered two of the more intriguing takes, reflecting the series’ main characters: US Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and hedge-fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). Both men see their fortunes change in Billions’ wildly entertaining third season, thanks in large part to the government’s new indifference to wealthy folks who ignore regulations. The fun of this show comes from its insider understanding of how our world works, and in its sympathy even for greedy jerks who abuse their power… mainly out of fear that if they don’t, someone stronger will seize it.

Read the rest of the original article at The Verge

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The Biggest Questions for Showtime’s ‘Billions’ Heading Into Season 4 – Dec 11, 2018

On December 11, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Axe’s Fury – Axe’s Gauntlet

by Eric Schaal | Cheat Sheet | December 11, 2018

In some ways, the ending to Season three of Showtime’s Billions was unthinkable. How could Chuck Rhoades, the U.S. attorney who entire existence seems based on the power of his office, proceed without a job? Yet shortly after his downfall, we find him sipping wine with his wife and former arch-nemesis Bobby Axelrod.

Rhoades, played by Paul Giamatti, seems awfully comfortable sharing a bottle with Axe at his table. The same can be said of Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis. After his hedge fund’s star employee launched a rival operation, Axe needed to regroup.

This setup leaves open so many possibilities for the show’s Season four, which arrives in 2019 with at least one new cast member. The Hollywood Reported revealed Samantha Mathis is joining the cast of the show for Season four. Mathis will play the chief operating officer (COO) of the recently formed Taylor Mason Capital.

Here are the biggest questions for the show and its characters ahead of the upcoming season:

Continue reading The Biggest Questions for Showtime’s ‘Billions’ Heading Into Season 4 – Dec 11, 2018

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The Best Shows of 2018 – Oct 1, 2018

On October 1, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

**How Billions Ranks Out of the Top 46 Television Shows**

by John Sellers | The Thrillist | October 1, 2018

With more than 500 scripted series set to air in 2018, finding the TV shows that will change your life — or at least your weekend — is harder than ever. That’s where this ranking comes in. Just like we do with movies and music and more, this constantly updated compendium will point you to all the best TV shows released this year so you’ll always have something to watch. To see what shows made the cut, and to see a photo of Zach Galifianakis getting stomped on by a baby goat, read on.

Note: Before you yell at me for leaving out Vanderpump Rules, please note that I’m assessing only episodic scripted programs here — so none of the excellent reality shows (like Queer Eye), docuseries (e.g., Wild Wild Country), or talk shows (The Break with Michelle Wolf) that have aired this year. Also, to qualify, a show has to have begun a new season or made its US debut during calendar year 2018. Either way, keep checking back, because I’ll be updating and re-ranking this puppy frequently.

#6 Billions (Showtime)

Season 3, 12 episodes
The only thing that would make this Showtime drama any more like Face/Off, the beloved 1997 action movie starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, is if Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis switched faces. The glee with which they fuck with each other, sans face-swap, is at the same level of intensity, and it’s just as much fun to watch

Read the rest of the original article at The Thrillist