Showtime's 'Billions' mines new energy — now with Corey Stoll at the helm
Original series co-star Damian Lewis left at the end of the fifth season. TV critic Eric Deggans says the swap takes fans on a exhilarating ride.
Be warned: The review below contains plenty of spoilers about past and present episodes of Billions.
Showtime's Billions is attempting one of the most difficult maneuvers in scripted television: A major star transplant.
Original series co-star Damian Lewis — a talented British actor who gave his billionaire bad boy character Bobby "Axe" Axelrod an interesting Yonkers-meets-New England accent – left at the end of the fifth season. (This is something Lewis has done before on Showtime, leaving the well-regarded drama Homeland after just three seasons.)
Story-wise, Lewis' departure was handled by a plotline which
