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Billions wraps up its fourth season tonight on Showtime. The drama series follows U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades as he gets embroiled in a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse with hedge-fund king Bobby Axelrod. Given that the series has received critical acclaim throughout its run, there are some fans wondering whether it’s cancelled or renewed for another season.
According to Variety, Billions has been renewed for a fifth season. The series was created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who also serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Showtime co-president Gary Levine issued a statement confirming the renewal, writing, “Billions‘ addictive examination of wealth and power is supremely entertaining, smart and surprising. 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.”
‘Billions’ Has Been Renewed for a 5th Season on Showtime
Billions continues to bring it high ratings for Showtime. The network reports that the series is averaging 4.2 million viewers per episode in multi-platform viewing, which makes it one of their most successful dramas. Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis, who play Rhoades and Axelrod, respectively, have been confirmed to return. Lewis recently talked to Vulture about the show’s evolution, and how he’s eager to see where it goes in the future.
“It’s very exciting. I think it’s also quite realistic, the way in which alliances are made and don’t always last too long,” he said. “Billions is about the transactional nature of the rich and the powerful, or even modern-day living. It’s a show about the favor trading that goes on, the you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. If the parameters don’t exist, really, like they do for normal people, let’s do each other a favor to get me what I want, to get you what you want.”
Stars Paul Giamatti & Damian Lewis Will Return for Season 5
Giamatti told Entertainment Weekly that he’s thrilled to do a show that’s continues to change with its audience. “I’ve never done anything for this long. The longest I had ever done anything with one sustained role was a play that I did for a year,” he admitted. “This is a whole different thing. A lot of it is Brian Koppelman and David Levien keep the character interesting, so that’s the sole way that they can keep me interested.”
“It’s endlessly interesting. They’re always great at throwing curveballs at you,” Giamatti added. “I don’t ever get bored because of the stuff I get to do and the language I get to utilize. And the character is very strange, so he can go to some odd places, and he does this season, which has been really fun.”
Similarly, Koppelman told the New York Times that Billions strives to stay one step ahead of the audience. “We’re constantly trying to tease out for ourselves what makes these people into these perpetual motion machines, and why satisfaction is so hard to come by,” he said. “But twinned with that is our interest in the stories these people tell themselves about why each sacrifice is worth it for what they think they need or want in a given moment.”