Showtime doubles down on Billions, orders season 2 after stellar premiere

By Ryan Waniata Published January 27, 2016

Well, that was quick.

After ranking as Showtime’s biggest debut for a new series ever, Billions has already been renewed for a second season. Showtime wasted no time doubling down on the new vehicle, which stars Homeland alum Damian Lewis alongside Paul Giamatti, renewing the series for a second season after just two episodes, according to Entertainment Weekly.

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The series, which pits U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) against hedge fund manager/billionaire playboy Bobby Axelrod (Lewis), brought in 6.5 million viewers for the first episode. It seems Showtime’s loyal Homeland viewers were all too happy to follow Lewis’ rising star to the intriguing new series. Adding the great Paul Giamatti into the mix as a political figure with plenty of skeletons in his many closets likely didn’t hurt either.

Set in New York City, Billions follows Rhoades as he tries to bring down Axelrod for flouting the law on his way to the top. But what really makes Billions a good bet for the network seems to be the long list of flawed characters, each of which belongs to the top one percent. The show is loaded with multi-tiered agendas as the worlds of business and politics (as so often is the case in real life) collide. Billions’ inside look at the diabolical lives of the super rich has already received high praise from critics for the performances, as the show’s entangled plot lines offer plenty of room for high drama.

Along with Giamatti and Lewis, the show also stars Maggy Siff as Wendy Rhoades, Malin Akerman as Lara Axelrod, Toby Leonard Moore as Bryan Connerty, Daniel K. Isaac as Ben Kim, and David Costabile as Mike “Wags” Wagner.

Co-creators David Levien and Brian Koppleman are also writers and executive producers of the new series, along with co-creator/executive producer Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Billions can be seen Sundays on Showtime at 10 p.m. EST.

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Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…

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