Damian Lewis returning to ‘Billions’ for Season 7

Axe is back. Showtime announced Tuesday that Damian Lewis will return as hedge fund titan Bobby “Axe” Axelrod for Season 7 of the drama series “Billions.” He will appear in six of the upcoming season’s 12 episodes. The show is in production in New York now. 

Lewis left “Billions” at the end of Season 5. At the time, he told the New York Times he had always planned to stay for five seasons, and that he felt it was time to move on for creative reasons. He also needed to spend more time with his family in England after the death of his wife, actress Helen McCrory. Axe got an open-ended exit, fleeing to Switzerland in defeat to avoid facing money laundering charges brought against him by his nemesis, New York Attorney General Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti). At the same time, he was outmaneuvered by slick rival billionaire Mike Prince (Corey Stoll), who ended up in control of Axe’s company. The show continued in Season 6, with Prince taking the role of Rhoades’ foil. 

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But now Axe is coming back. And since he’s the most vindictive man in the world, he’s probably looking for revenge. 

Showtime teases that Season 7 will see “Alliances turned on their heads. Old wounds are weaponized. Loyalties are tested. Betrayal takes on epic proportions. Enemies become wary friends. And Bobby Axelrod returns, as the stakes grow from Wall Street to the world.” His return could be setting up “Billions: London,” one of four “Billions” spinoffs in the works at the newly combined Paramount+/Showtime. “Billions: London” could provide an opportunity for Lewis to keep playing Bobby Axelrod while staying close to home. (The other spinoffs in development are “Billions: Miami”;  “Millions”, which is about aspiring billionaires in their 30s; and “Trillions”, an even soapier spinoff about the richest people in the world.)  

Lewis won an Emmy in 2012 for his performance as troubled Marine Nicolas Brody on the Showtime series “Homeland.” 

“Billions” Season 7 will premiere later this year. In addition to Lewis, Giamatti, and Stoll, the cast includes Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Condola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Sakina Jaffrey, Daniel Breaker, and Toney Goins. All six seasons are currently streaming on Paramount+ and Showtime.

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