Billions

:

Season 3
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 17, 2016
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

  1. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Mar 24, 2018
    85
    Once again, Billions distinguishes itself as an extremely smart, high-stakes chess match, where the principals play Monopoly with real buildings, and the combatants are so ruthlessly determined to win that they're blinded to, or simply ignore, the collateral damage.
  2. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Mar 22, 2018
    80
    The breakneck pacing of the end of season two can’t be maintained (and we wouldn't want it to be), but the characters have arguably grown even richer and more complex as the team behind this show explores how its two power players respond when that power is stripped away by the systems around them.
  3. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    Mar 26, 2018
    75
    The ground has shaken and the aftershocks are keeping things mighty interesting through five new episodes.
  5. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chuck Bowen
    Mar 26, 2018
    75
    The series is a wicked, decadent comedy about our impending apocalypse, its relativism suggesting a cheeky come-on as well as a parting attempt at some sort of clarity.
  6. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Mar 26, 2018
    70
    Despite an ensemble cast that ranks among the best on TV playing characters who are usually colorful and quirky and fun, the ponderous repetitiveness of what the series does with them is all-too-frequently mechanical.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 46
  3. Negative: 9 out of 46
  1. Iserlohn14
    Jun 7, 2018
    0
    This show had a strong starting premise: ruthless hedge fund billionaire vs ruthless lawman determined to bring him down. Plenty of room forThis show had a strong starting premise: ruthless hedge fund billionaire vs ruthless lawman determined to bring him down. Plenty of room for larger-than-life operatic themes of hubris, betrayal, revenge, and pyrrhic triumph. But it stolidly refused to do anything or go anywhere with that premise, and it's now become a sad joke.

    It's amazing to think we're 35 hours into this series and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. Wendy left Chuck, then came back. Axe lost some money (never enough to matter) and made some money. Chuck thought about running for governor, but decided not to. Wendy left Axe, then came back. Axe had to stop trading for a while, then started again. Chuck got investigated by Dake, but it went nowhere. Chuck was estranged from his father, then they made up (and again, and again...). Above all, the central pillar of the show, the mano-a-mano showdown between Axe and Chuck, ended in a status quo draw, and now looks very unlikely to ever be resumed.

    The writers are clearly terrified of making any lasting change to the status quo (which might entail removing fan-favorite characters or moving the story towards a conclusion), so they just have everyone spin their wheels with standard-issue soap opera melodrama while every significant threat or opportunity quashed before it can go anywhere. It's pathetic. Seinfeld had more FORWARD MOMENTUM than this.

    The other problem is that despite great acting from the leads, the characters aren't rich or deep enough to support a lengthy story. Axe worships money. Chuck worships power. Both are drunk on pride and lash out at anyone who tries to control them like a couple of 16-year-olds (Wendy had a great line undercutting his childishness: "Gates plays dollar poker. Buffett eats drive-through burgers. No matter how much money you have you still have to live in the world"). You can do that kind of thing for a season or 2 and have it be fun (if shallow and sleazy) like House of Cards, but after a while it's just deadly dull to see Axe making ALPHA MALE MOVES to get more money, or Chuck abuse his office for personal vendettas, for the 50th time.

    (speaking of which, LMAO at Chuck getting all indignant about Jock telling him to focus on violent crime instead of white collar crime, when he himself is a white collar criminal many times over. That's why I like Axe more than Chuck: they're both **** but only Chuck is a hypocrite)

    They've clearly run out of ideas at this point. The end of the Ice Juice saga couldn't have been any more anticlimactic. Honestly the only character I still enjoy at this point is Jock, thanks to Clancy Brown chewing the scenery like a big grizzly bear, but it looks like they're fixing to ditch him soon too. Meanwhile they're moving Taylor to a bigger and bigger role despite her being easily the weakest actress of the main cast and not being a remotely interesting character. Weirdo stringbean sperg chick who is DRIVEN TO SUCCEED to PROVE THE HATERS WRONG is an even duller stock character than Connerty the Boy Scout.

    Since Axe and Chuck aren't enemies anymore, what is this show even about? A random Manhattan lawyer and banker and their kooky lives in the big city? Is this SatC for men?

    Finally, the constant references are really obnoxious. You can picture the writers sitting around a table high-fiving each other for their trivia knowledge like they're the uber-nerd from Ready Player One reciting Monty Python from memory. It gives the characters superficial wit but makes them gratingly implausible and fake (in real life most of these characters probably wouldn't have read a book in the past 5 years, and it would be airport thriller trash). A more naturalistic tone would've really helped the show's immersiveness.    … Full Review »
  2. Lalaushki
    Apr 9, 2018
    2
    Billions is DEAD. All characters are destroyed, too many dialogues, but too shallow. We loved the original 2 seasons especially for veryBillions is DEAD. All characters are destroyed, too many dialogues, but too shallow. We loved the original 2 seasons especially for very smart, deep script, where not much was said, but what was - it was deep and impressive.
    Now, everything they do or whatever characters say is just frustrating. It really lost me...
    WHO wrote the script for this season?? He must be a writer for a cheap melodramas - really awful, shallow and tasteless.    … Full Review »
  3. zidangus
    Apr 24, 2018
    0
    Boring and irritating characters. They should have cancelled after season 2.
See all user reviews »