Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on Damian Lewis Reprises Bobby Axelrod Role
He’s Back, Baby!
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | November 7, 2022
We suspected Damian could possibly be shooting a scene or two for Billions when pictures surfaced after his Halloween weekend trip to Nashville and New Orleans showing him sporting what we felt was a “Bobby Axelrod” haircut and guess we were right!
Outlets are reporting Damian was pictured reprising his role as Bobby Axelrod in Billions this past Friday evening filming outdoors at the Tower of London, a year after announcing his exit from the series. Reports say he was seen chatting with crew members and former colleagues as he filmed including, Paul Giamatti (Chuck Rhoades), Maggie Siff (Wendy Rhoades) and David Costabile (Wags). Yet no photos of Giamatti were captured.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on Great Shows That Surprisingly Never Earned Emmy Nom
Billions
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.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on What Kelly AuCoin Had to Say About Working With Damian Lewis on Set of Billions
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.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on 31 Best Showtime Series Of All Time
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.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on Why Did Damian Lewis Leave Billions After Season 5?
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.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions Moves On In A Post-Axe Economy
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.
Posted On
Written By GingersnapComments Off on Billions: The 10 Wealthiest Characters
Richest Characters on Billions
by Jake Dee | ScreenRant | December 10, 2021
From Bobby and Lara Axelrod to Wags, Wendy, Chuck Sr, Grigor, and more, find out who the richest characters are on Showtime’s hit drama Billions. Season 6 of Showtime’s hit financial dramais poised for a January 23, 2022 release date. Loosely based on real-life people who successfully navigate Wall Street and the sector of high finance, the show provides glimpses into the cutthroat competition among hedge fund managers, U.S. lawyers, and the lavish lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy one-percenters who run America.
With over a month until titans clash heads once again, now is a good time to take stock of the wealthiest characters’ bank accounts and see how they stack up with one another. While it’s impossible to know their exact net worth, drips and drabs of info provide accurate estimations throughout the series. Here is the top 10: