Billions

Great Shows That Surprisingly Never Earned Emmy Nom

On July 16, 2022July 21, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

by Chance Morgan | Collider | July 16, 2022

We are living in a world of good TV overload. Everywhere you look, there’s a new network or streaming service launching with a slate of quality original programming.

With so much good TV out there, it’s fair that the members of the Television Academy can’t see everything. That being said, there have been some shows in the past few years that the Emmys have overlooked entirely when their quality is so high that they’re practically begging for recognition.

These shows got the short end of the stick:

BILLIONS

When you think about what show embodies the Showtime brand in the 2010s, chances are you think of Billions, a thrilling game of cat and mouse set in the world of stocks and finances. It focuses on two men: Bobby Axelrod, a hedge fund manager who is willing to break the law now and again to get the biggest payoff, played by the underrated Damian Lewis, and Chuck Rhoades, a U.S. Attorney in New York City determined to bring Axelrod to justice, even if he has to break a few laws himself, played by the brilliant and iconic character actor Paul Giamatti. Stuck in the middle of these two men’s masculinity measuring contests is Chuck’s wife, Wendy (Maggie Siff), who works for Axelrod as a performance coach.

You may not always understand the ins and outs of the action happening in Billions, what with the in-depth discussion of finances at its center, but with engaging and witty characters you can’t help but fall in love with, played by one of the best casts on television, it won’t matter because you’ll be hooked.

Read the rest of the original article at Collider

Billions Personal and Family Life Summertime

Damian Lewis Attends Comedy Show

On June 25, 2022July 3, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Axe and Mafee

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | June 25, 2022

Here’s a little comic relief for you. Damian and Dan Soder were recently reunited when Damian attended one of Dan’s comedy shows at Soho Theatre in London this summer. Good to see these two together again! Once Axe Cap, you never go back 😉

Billions Print Media

What Kelly AuCoin Had to Say About Working With Damian Lewis on Set of Billions

On March 28, 2022March 29, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

There’s Only One Damian

by Carissa Pavlica | TV Fanatic | March 28, 2022

You may know Kelly AuCoin from his role on Billions, but he’s also going to be playing a detective on Hulu’s The Girl From Plainville. We had a chance to catch up with him by phone to talk about it. And yes, we touch on Billions, too. “…with Billions, I think it’s super fun to watch people misbehave. And what I love about Billions is that people from all over the political spectrum like the show. My lefty friends, a lot of them love it. And my friends who are more on the right love it.”

“I do find it interesting when people on the street talk about why they love the show and my character. I start to realize some people find it aspirational. They think of Dollar Bill as an aspirational character. And I’m like, ‘You know he’s a criminal, right?’ “He’s not a good person, per se, but I think the character…it’s such a well-written show. And I think that the actors play the hell out of their characters. And I think the chemistry between the characters has been so strong and just grown stronger with each season. I think that translates.”

“We have such a fun time. As I’ve said to people many times, the amount of misbehavior exhibited by these characters is an almost inverse proportion to the quality of human beings that they are and the sweetness that they actually exhibit and give back and forth to each other on set and in real life. We’re all friends. We all have a great time. And Stephen Kunken, Ari Spyros, and I, Dollar Bill, are great friends, and we’ll be in each other’s faces and yelling at each other and shoving, and then we’re just giggling afterward. I think that kind of chemistry translates to the screen.

Continue reading What Kelly AuCoin Had to Say About Working With Damian Lewis on Set of Billions

Billions Poll Print Media

31 Best Showtime Series Of All Time

On February 16, 2022February 20, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Billions and Homeland

by Brian Boone | February 16, 2022 | Looper

First hitting the airwaves back in the late 1970s, Showtime is one of the longest-lasting cable channels still kicking. In its many years of existence, the network has helped create the modern idea of prestige television by airing well-made dramas, edgy and sophisticated comedies, and talk shows that upend the form. Unbound by the restrictions of broadcast networks, Showtime is free to elevate television and bring new perspectives and stories to millions of appreciative viewers.

Forever in competition with fellow pay cable outlets like HBO and Starz, as well as streaming upstarts such as Netflix and Hulu, Showtime has held its ground in the still-ongoing “Peak TV” era. Every year, it adds more and more high-quality productions to the TV landscape, from audacious, quirky horror stories to blockbuster crime sagas. Which shows reign supreme? These are the 31 best Showtime series of all time.

Continue reading 31 Best Showtime Series Of All Time

Billions Print Media

Why Did Damian Lewis Leave Billions After Season 5?

On February 4, 2022February 6, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Not Saying It’s Goodbye Forever

by Nina Braca | Uproxx | February 4, 2022

Showtime’s Billions returned for its sixth season last month, but the series was missing some of its familiar faces.

Damian Lewis played Bobby Axelrod, the ambitious hedge fund manager of Axe Capital. Lewis announced he would be departing the series to spend more time with his family in London, where season five of the series was filmed. Lewis’ wife, actress Helen McCroy, died of cancer last spring.

Continue reading Why Did Damian Lewis Leave Billions After Season 5?

Billions Print Media

Billions Moves On In A Post-Axe Economy

On January 20, 2022February 6, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Forging Ahead

by Miles Surrey | The Ringer | January 20, 2022

After Damian Lewis’s departure following Season 5, the Showtime drama forges ahead in a landscape that hardly looks like it used to. Maybe that’s a good thing.

One of the most underrated virtues of Billions is predictability. The Showtime drama has followed a familiar pattern each season, with longtime rivals Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) finding new ways to screw each other over in the overlapping spheres of finance and politics. Billions might throw in the occasional wrinkle—there was a brief period in Season 4 when Chuck and Axe became unlikely allies—but the cyclical nature of the characters’ squabbles was a feature, not a bug, elevated by the show’s scenery-chewing performances and colorful dialogue. Showtime has a tendency to run series into the ground, but Billions has always felt like it could eternally depict Chuck and Axe’s dick-swinging contest.

Continue reading Billions Moves On In A Post-Axe Economy

Billions Homeland Poll Print Media

The 10 Best Showtime Dramas According To IMDb

On January 11, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Homeland and Billions

by Nathan Sharp | ScreenRant | January 11, 2022

Showtime has produced some excellent dramas throughout its history, many of which have won awards and become important products of pop culture.

Showtime is a major player in cable television. While it doesn’t quite have the prestige of an HBO or the popularity of an AMC, it has nevertheless become a household mainstay thanks to its strong lineup of television shows. Many shows that have aired on Showtime have gone on to enjoy incredible success, both in terms of popularity and critical evaluation. Some have even become iconic mainstays of popular culture.

They can’t all be winners of course, but Showtime’s greatest dramas are well-renowned within critical television circles, as is evident by their strong ratings on IMDb. These are the best of them all.

Continue reading The 10 Best Showtime Dramas According To IMDb

Billions Homeland Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Poll Print Media Wolf Hall

10 Most Underrated TV Drama Actors

On January 5, 2022January 11, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Bobby and Wendy

by Christine Persaud | ScreenRant | January 5, 2022

It seems the same names often get recognized for their roles in drama series, but there are other actors who are deserving of praise.

Every year during awards season, there are top actors who are praised for their performances in some of the biggest shows. Oftentimes, the same names appear, or during the run of a top show, the leads get their deserving accolades. Think Bryan Cranston during the Breaking Bad era, Claire Danes when Homeland was the drama du jour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ impressive domination of the Best Actress in a Comedy category through Veep‘s entire run.

But there are some actors who have consistently appeared in some of the highest rated shows or had major roles in specific ones past and present, who don’t get the recognition they so rightfully deserve, and it’s time they receive their moment in the spotlight.

Continue reading 10 Most Underrated TV Drama Actors

Billions Poll Print Media

The Biggest TV Show Exits of 2021

On December 20, 2021July 12, 2022 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Good-Bye Bobby Axelrod

by Diane J. Cho | People Magazine | December 20, 2021

Many fan-favorite TV characters have said their goodbyes this year. Learn why from the actors who played them.

3 of 17
Damian Lewis on Billions

Leading man Bobby Axelrod is signing off. Billions star Lewis confirmed the news in October that he would be leaving the Showtime drama after five seasons.

Thanking the network and series co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the actor tweeted, “A pleasure and a privilege to play Axe for five seasons with some of the smartest, funniest most talented cast and crew I’ve worked with. I’ll miss the Billions family.”

He added, “Yep, some jobs are more than just a job…. Love.”

Read the rest of the original article at People Magazine