Showtime's first new series in 2016 hits the small screen on January 17. Billions sees Homeland's former number one man and Golden Globe and Emmy winner Damian Lewis butt heads against fellow Golden Globe and Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti in a complex, captivating cat & mouse game where the stakes couldn't be higher.
Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Andrew Ross Sorkin are responsible for creating the series, and right off the bat they've succeeded in developing a selection of characters that are cleverly intertwined and have a lot to lose. Lewis portrays Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod, the billionaire brains behind Axe Capital, a highly successful hedge fund that uses all the tricks in the book to rake in the big bucks. Axelrod ascended to power following the 9/11 terror attacks which wiped out a large number of top level staff from the firm.
Giamatti wins my vote for the standout actor among the cast. He portrays a powerful U.S. Attorney, Chuck Rhoades. Rhoades is a force to be reckoned with, but isn't written as someone who crushes anyone he runs up against. He drives a team of staff who aren't allowed to miss a beat let alone stop until the job is done. A tip-off from the SEC points him in the direction of Axe Capital and its showrunner, but in his quest to bring down the king, the potential to hurt those nearest to him is very high.Malin Akerman portrays Lara Axelrod, Bobby's wife. Though beautiful, she is definitely no trophy wife - something you see very early on in this series, and a trend which continues through the season. She doesn't leverage her husband to swing things in her favor, with the character reminding me of House of Cards' Claire Underwood.
Rhoades' spouse, Wendy is played by Maggie Siff, a Sons of Anarchy and Mad Men alum. Wendy's position as Axe Capital's skillful performance coach puts her alongside Bobby on a daily basis, and her intimate knowledge of the personality traits of his fellow staff are invaluable to the success of the company. In their spare time, the Rhoades partake in BDSM, which, while not unheard of in the television landscape of recent times, will probably break some new ground with how it is deployed in a storyline. The showrunners are careful not to overuse it, noting that it's in the characters' best interests to keep their passion out of the spotlight.
Known from Suits, David Costabile picks up a role that suits him down to the ground as Bobby's right hand man, Mike 'Wags' Wagner. Though not quite the mastermind compared to his boss, Wagner is right up with the play and party to all top level happenings in the company, in addition to taking charge in Bobby's absence.
Like I said in my opening paragraph, Billions is a complex series, but the TL;DR version is that it's Chuck Rhoades chasing after Bobby Axelrod over various illegal acts such as insider trading and fraud. If you have a reasonable understanding of how the stock market operates and how hedge funds function, along with some general knowledge of the law around those areas, then you're well and truly set. It's not the type of series which goes out of its way to explain the terminology it uses, so keep a dictionary or Google handy if you think you may struggle.
After watching the first few episodes, it's clear that the creative team, whilst having created an excellent selection of characters, are primarily story driven, with the relationships the characters share being given less dedicated attention than what you might expect. The storyline is clever enough to involve everyone on some level which addresses this, as none of the lead characters are just hanging on for show.
As for the technical areas, Billions isn't a show that contains stunning direction or cinematography. Instead, the techniques used are more functional in nature, preferring to let the cast be the object of your attention. The cast, on the whole, are well and truly up to the task, though I do have some reservations for Damien Lewis, who doesn't carry the on-screen presence his character needs. That sole trait puts Paul Giamatti on another level. His on-screen presence is much more subtle than the likes of James Spader or Kevin Spacey, but equally as effective.
Aside from that, the cast is well balanced, and the female characters hold just as much power over proceedings as the males when you stand back and take in the bigger picture.
Yet despite all this, Billions still feels like it's a bit below where it should be. I've watched most of the 12 episodes in its freshman season and I'm yet to be sold completely. It takes until episode 5 for things to genuinely begin moving. It's not quite worthy of a 'slow burner' title like the early days of Homeland, but series that have moved at a similar pace early on have sold me in other areas. Billions will surely get buy-in from others, but for me it is yet to do so. There's lots to like, not much to dislike, but not enough to convince me to jump on board.
Thanks as always for reading! I hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. If you have a question or query about Billions, drop it in the comments below and I'll see if I can answer it!
Billions premieres January 17, 10PM, on Showtime. Subscribers to sho.com can watch the premiere online now.
