WITH SPOILERS
DON’T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT WANT TO KNOW
“Billions” finished its fifth season tonight, 18 months late.
The Showtime series has been mostly ignored by the Emmys, but it’s my favorite show on TV and should have won tons of awards. Why it didn’t, and why Showtime is mostly ignored in this arena, is another story.
“Billions” is about an upper class New York Attorney General, Chuck Rhoades, who has played cat and mouse with a private equities pirate, Bobby Axelrod. “Axe,” as he is known, also has lusted after Chuck’s wife Wendy. She works for his company as a psychologist. The principal actors are Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, and Maggie Siff, and they are all the best in their world.
Tonight, a SPOILER. After five seasons, it looks as though Chuck has defeated Bobby. Axe has fled to Switzerland for a new life. Actor Damian Lewis has left the series. In real life, Lewis’s beloved actress wife, Helen McCrory, died this year from cancer. They have children, he lives in the UK. Between that tragedy and the pandemic, Lewis may not be returning. (Maybe one day…)
Creators Brian Koppleman and David Levien, knowing all this, started developing a Bobby replacement in Mike Prince, another corporate raider. Prince is brilliantly played by Corey Stoll, who will give Chuck quite the fight in Season 6 coming this January. Everyone else remains in place except Kelly Aucoin, so good as one Axe’s traders.
But who knows? Maybe Axe will return and vanquish Chuck. Tonight’s episode is incendiary and certainly awards worthy. Koppelman and Levien are at the top of their game. We are not worthy!
PS This is the second time Lewis has left a Showtime series at the top of its run. But his exit from “Homeland” was only after one season. He has lots of options going forward, more TV, or maybe movies…
