‘Billions’ Returning For Fifth Season On Showtime
It may not be the most buzzed-about premium cable show on Sunday nights these days, but Billions has been a reasonably large hit for Showtime. Now, the show enters the final stretch of its fourth season.
Recent news indicates that the show will be back for a fifth season. Showtime announced Billions‘ renewal on Wednesday, per Variety. This season, Billions is averaging 4.2 million viewers per episode across all platforms, per Variety.
The series, created by Rounders screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien, is set in the world of the high-stakes New York financial industry. The narrative also concerns other portions of the Manhattan elite. The show stars Damian Lewis as hedge fund titan Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, and Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades, the prosecutor who spent the series’ early years trying to put Axelrod away.
Billions also features a deep supporting cast, one led by Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades. Wendy is both Chuck’s wife and the in-house psychiatrist at Axelrod’s firm, Axe Capital. The cast also includes David Costabile, Toby Leonard Moore, Condola Rashad, and Jeffrey DeMunn. Major guest stars have thus far included John Malkovich, Kevin Pollak, and Clancy Brown.
Asia Kate Dillon is also part of the ensemble cast, playing a gender non-conforming financial genius named Taylor Mason. Both Dillon and Mason use “they / them” pronouns, and in the current season, Taylor has emerged as Axelrod’s primary antagonist. Chuck and Taylor often find themselves on the same side in the show’s plots.
“Billions‘ addictive examination of wealth and power is supremely entertaining, smart and surprising,” Gary Levine, co-president of entertainment for Showtime, said to Variety. “We’re loving season four and can’t wait to buckle up for the wild ride that Brian and David and their brilliant cast have in store for us in season five.”
.@Showtime has ordered a fifth season of the hit drama series #Billions https://t.co/ypoccXoA5O
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 8, 2019
Billions is known as a show that can appeal to viewers who despise Wall Street, and to those who work on Wall Street themselves.
The series often features plots that are adapted from the headlines, as the producers have said that its main plot about Rhoades and Axelrod is based on the long feud between former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and S.A.C. Capital Advisors founder Steven A. Cohen. During said feud, the company — and several of its employees — were accused of insider trading.
Billions has aired 12 episodes in each of its seasons so far, and the ninth episode of the fourth season is scheduled to air this Sunday. The season will air its finale on June 9.
