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…

Despite that strong return content wise last night, “SNL” is still suffering viewer apathy.

Last night’s Season 47 premiere had just 3.5 million viewers, which was the same for the last two episodes of Season 46 last May.

But the Owen Wilson-Kacey Musgraves opener brought in less than half of what Chris Rock did for the Season 46 premiere. Rock’s show came in at around 7.5 million.

Of course, last year at this time the election made “SNL” hot, and there was huge demand for political comedy. The Rock show was also the first one back in the studio after the pandemic had made “SNL” virtual.

But the ratings last season dropped precipitously after the election was over. By January they’d leveled off to a regular “SNL” rating  of 4.1 million. But then, after Nick Jonas hosted on February 27th, around 500,000 fans left and never came back. Why? Who knows?

Much as I liked Musgraves last night, she wasn’t a boffo opening act for a season premiere. Where was Lady Gaga and her Tony Bennett material? Ah, well, the machinations of booking would give us all ulcers. I’m curious to see how Kim Kardashian fares next week. Her appearance is pandering for ratings. Let’s see if she can improve the numbers. (I doubt it.)

Onward and upward!

Does Kate McKinnon have COVID? Or did she just agree to return to “SNL” for Season 47 at the last minute?

Something has to explain McKinnon’s absence from the season opener last night. Of all the returning long term cast, she’s the only one who didn’t show up. Even if she were filming her long-aborning Joe Exotic TV series, she could have made an appearance, a wave, something.

Aside from Beck Bennett, who exited after 7 seasons, “SNL” brought back all of its regulars: Kenan Thompson (18 seasons), Aidy Bryant (9), Cecily Strong (9), Colin Jost (8), Kyle Mooney (8), Michael Che (7). Mikey Day and Alex Moffat remain strong, important players. And Pete Davidson, of course, who seemed like he couldn’t believe he was back after basically signing off at the end of Season 46.

But no one has anywhere to go right now, not even Kenan, who actually has his own sitcom on NBC. Things are that uncertain in Hollywood right how. Kate, Cecily Strong, and now Aidy Bryant are all doing commercials, which is unusual for regular “SNL” cast members.

Who seems to have benefited from all the changes? Ego Nwodim has blossomed into a star. She was all over the show last night, and seemed much more invested in what was going on. I loved her “Black Woman Who Is Missing” on Weekend Update. She’s definitely got to bring back her Dionne Warwick– and the show should really have Dionne make an appearance.

All of the segments were better last night than most of last spring. Owen Wilson was a very comfortable and above-average host. (This week with Kim Kardashian coming is going to be frightful.) Kacey Musgraves was an excellent musical guest. She was actually talented, and very impressive, unlike a lot of the musical guests from last season.

Two key “SNL” players with 40 year histories seem to have retired. Colin Jost held up a sign in the finale that read “We’ll Miss You Ken.” Ken Aymong has been a producer on the show since around 1982. Also Don Roy King is stepping down after four decades. They are each multiple Emmy winners. We owe them a world of thanks for entertaining us basically for a lifetime.