Categories Billions Poll Print Media

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.

Read the rest of the original article at Collider

Categories Billions Print Media

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.

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

Categories Billions Poll Print Media

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.

Continue reading 31 Best Showtime Series Of All Time

Categories Billions Print Media

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.

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

Categories Billions Print Media

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.

Continue reading Billions Moves On In A Post-Axe Economy

Categories Billions Poll

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 drama is 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:

Continue reading Billions: The 10 Wealthiest Characters

Categories Billions Poll

Six Life Lessons We Can Learn From Bobby Axelrod

With Money, Comes Freedom

by Nataly Owala | TVOvermind | November 18, 2021

There are many ways to describe Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). The description that reigns supreme above all is a one-word wonder: Billionaire. According to Axelrod, being a billionaire is simply like being a girl with a good bust, or one with pretty eyes. Whenever a billionaire walks into a room, they already know what everyone is after. Through the seasons, Axelrod and his team have kept viewers glued to the screen thanks to his cold brush with the long arm of the law, and his protégé, Taylor ( Asia Kate Dillon), who nearly beat the master at his own game. While Axelrod as a character is your typical hedge-fund boss who’s larger than life, underneath lies a human with wisdom beyond his years. Here are a couple of life lessons we can borrow from him:

Continue reading Six Life Lessons We Can Learn From Bobby Axelrod

Categories Billions Poll

Billions: One Quote From Each Main Character That Goes Against Their Personality

Not Everything They Say Matches Their Personalities

by Philip Etemesi | Screenrant | October 23, 2021

In Billions, the narrative is heavily driven by the dialogue, with the hedge-fund sector players and their associates all proving to be smart talkers with a firm understanding of various financial issues. For the most part, the characters’ remarks tend to seamlessly highlight distinctive personalities, but on rare occasions, their words go against who they truly are.

Several reasons push the characters to say things they normally wouldn’t. Sometimes they are trying to momentarily be nice; other times the environment or situation they are in doesn’t allow them to talk as they usually do. Whatever the reason, the remarks always feel out of place and better suited for someone else.

Continue reading Billions: One Quote From Each Main Character That Goes Against Their Personality

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

From the Trader’s Desk: All Good Things…

Must Come to an End

by Lady Trader | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | October 15, 2021

I’m just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I’m far away from home
And I’ve been facing this alone for much too long
Too Much Love Will Kill You – Brian May (Queen)

Welcome to “From the Trader’s Desk”.

As the title of this post states, all good things must come to an end, and for now at least, Bobby Axelrod has left the Billions building. The title also plays homage to another one of my very favorite television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as the very last episode was titled “All Good Things…” which I still consider two of my favorite hours on television.

Continue reading From the Trader’s Desk: All Good Things…

Categories Billions Poll

An Ode to Bobby Axelrod: Top 40

Top Quotes, Lines, Speeches and Sayings

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | October 13, 2021

Cheers to five years of Bobby Axelrod on Billions! What an indelible character Damian has etched in our pop culture forever. I’m sure you all have heard by now that Damian has left the show after five seasons. Both the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly reported that there’s an opportunity for him to return – never say never, right – but his time as a regular on the show has come to an end. What you may not know, and the publications go on to explain, is that Damian has always had just a 5-year contract and three years ago Damian expressed the desire to spend more time with his family in England, for obvious reasons. So his departure has always been in the works. But we sure will miss him on our television screens and streaming devices each Sunday, won’t we?

As Billions season five came to an end and Axe escaped to Switzerland for cool nights next to a warm fire with fine chocolates and artisan cheeses, I thought about all the droplets of wisdom and maverick sayings I would miss hearing from this alpha-male hedge fund billionaire each Sunday. So I’ve curated some of my all-time favorite quotes, speeches and one-liners into this Casey Kasem ‘Top 40’ style post, just like the radio disc jokey I used to listen to each Saturday morning during the 80’s.

Let the countdown begin. Here is my Top 40, Axelrod style!

Continue reading An Ode to Bobby Axelrod: Top 40

Categories Billions Poll Recap

The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 12 No Direction Home

Billions MVP Awards for Season 5, Episode 12, “No Direction Home”

by Gingersnap | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | October 6, 2021

We have finished awarding our Most Valuable Players for Billions season five in our series compilation, the ‘Billions MVP Fanbook,’ which commemorates all those in honor of achievement for the utmost brazen, uber shameless, ultra scheming, unmatched bad asses to date – from sports references, music and tasty food to pop culture remarks, shocking twists and ultimate paybacks. In case you missed it, here are the MVPs for season five episodes one, two, three, four, five, six, seveneight, nineten and eleven.

Let us conclude that tradition as we award our Most Valuable Players (MVPs) for the season finale. Here are the Billions MVP awards for Season 5, Episode 12, “No Direction Home.”

Continue reading The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 12 No Direction Home

Categories Billions Print Media Recap Review

Damian Lewis Discusses the Future of Billions

“Axe Has Been Vanquished”

by Jeremy Egner | New York Times | October 3, 2021

This article includes spoilers from Sunday’s Season 5 finale of “Billions.”

One of TV’s last great antiheroes departed Sunday night on Showtime’s “Billions.”

Bobby Axelrod, the proudly venal hedge-fund titan played by Damian Lewis, flew off into the sunset in the Season 5 finale, slipping the grasp of the law and his chief nemesis, Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), one last time on his way to a less punitive future in Switzerland.

While the character’s final scene was somewhat open-ended, with Axe (as he is most commonly known) being welcomed by the Swiss authorities after fleeing America, Lewis confirmed in a recent video interview that he was leaving the show.

Continue reading Damian Lewis Discusses the Future of Billions