Billions

:

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

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  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 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    This 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.    … Expand
  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 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    Billions 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.    … Expand
  3. zidangus
    Apr 24, 2018
    0
    Boring and irritating characters. They should have cancelled after season 2.
  4. mrcanazza
    Sep 26, 2018
    0
    So, earthquakes in Mozambique cause tsunamis that hit Brazil? Episode 2, Season 3. I can think of three reasons for this impossible scenario being included in the series:
    1 - The writers are stupid and completely ignorant about geography.
    2 - The writers are too lazy to check a geography book. 3 - The writers are indifferent about being wrong, or are indifferent about the opinion of    So, earthquakes in Mozambique cause tsunamis that hit Brazil? Episode 2, Season 3. I can think of three reasons for this impossible scenario being included in the series:
    1 - The writers are stupid and completely ignorant about geography.
    2 - The writers are too lazy to check a geography book.
    3 - The writers are indifferent about being wrong, or are indifferent about the opinion of people knowledgeable about geography.

    NONE of these reasons is ok. The series is about smart investments made by very smart people. Very smart people know geography, and if not, they check facts before making decisions. Smart people would NEVER short Brazilian stocks because of the possibility of a Mozambique tsunami hitting Brazil. NEVER.

    And this is the reason this show is a zero. Because it is stupid, and written for dumb, ignorant people. I loved this show before this stupid episode. I felt my intelligence was insulted. I'm never watching this again.    … Expand
  5. OlivierPiel
    Apr 28, 2019
    3
    This show is like one of those airport paperbacks that is mildly better written than expected, with some really good actors, funny quips, and a few eyebrow-raising power moves good enough to outweigh the pathetic miscasting of Paul Giamatti, ridiculous plot twists, annoying one-dimensional unrealistic characters (Wags easily the worst character on TV alongside Marissa on the Good Fight).This show is like one of those airport paperbacks that is mildly better written than expected, with some really good actors, funny quips, and a few eyebrow-raising power moves good enough to outweigh the pathetic miscasting of Paul Giamatti, ridiculous plot twists, annoying one-dimensional unrealistic characters (Wags easily the worst character on TV alongside Marissa on the Good Fight).
    It hums along until episode 7...where it totally explodes in mid-air. Then comes a procession of cameos punctuated by the horrendous John-I-need-to-pay-taxes-on-my Cote d'azur home- Malkovitch arrival.
    It becomes a farce. Too quickly.
    R.I.P.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. 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.
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  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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