Billionsmight be the second-best thing creators and writers David Koppelman and David Levien ever do (the first beingRounders). The show has been on for seven seasons, showing audiences how the 1% lives, while also making us root for them. The TV series started as a duel between Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis), and that idea and the actors gave us some of the best legal (and illegal) battles imaginable, while also becoming much more, as many unique, interesting characters have joined the show, making for one of the best benches of supporting players in the whole TV landscape.
Koppelman and Levien love good dialogue, movie quotes, surprising twists and turns, charismatic characters, and some emotional moments underneath all that, and this show has all of those qualities in spades. Especially the charismatic characters; here are the 10 best characters inBillions,ranked.
10Todd Krakow
Todd Krakow (Danny Strong) might be one of the funniest recurring characters inBillions.He started as another billionaire with his own company, Krakow Capital, trying to poach Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) from Axe Capital, but since then, he’s had many jobs (including Secretary of Treasury). He’s always cunning, and wants to play a big game, while being much more intimidated by the other billionaires in the show. Even then, he might be one of the funniest characters, and audiences can’t help but chuckle when he’s in a scene, as he’s always one quip, or observation away from making everyone laugh.
9Charles Rhoades, Sr.
Charles Rhoades, Sr. (Jeffrey DeMunn) is the origin of many of his son Chuck’s troubles and traumas. Rhoades Sr. was always psychologically abusing his son, and as an old, wealthy white man in New York, he’s entitled and believes he’s untouchable, never hiding his misogyny or racism. He cheated on his wife and left his mistress pregnant, and although he decided to get married to his mistress, he’s still always looking after himself, and creating more problems for his son.
8“Dollar” Bill Stearn
“Dollar” Bill Stearn (Kelly Aucoin) is one of the show’s funniest characters. He’s a bad person, who has two wives (who don’t know the other one exists), he’s petty and immoral, but he’s also one of the best traders in the business, and he knows it, and he’s loyal to a fault. His yin and yang relationship with Maffe (Dan Sofer) is also great.
About his favorite moment in the show,Aucoin told The Ringer: “There’s a handful of them. I mean, I love every moment on the set. It’s great. I love this character, and I love the people we work with—crew, cast, background, producers, everybody. It’s terrific. But I’d say in no particular order, my favorite episodes, favorite moments of episodes, was the fake fight in season one that I had with Bobby.”
7Michael Prince
Michael Prince (Corey Stoll) arrived halfway through the series to become a rival billionaire to “Axe,” but became the defacto lead, when Lewis had to step away for a family emergency. His Michael Prince is as arrogant as they come. He always shows a side that could be sold as good-intentioned, but it’s really just his way of getting as rich as the rest, while thinking he’s a better person, which he’s not.
Stoll became known in Hollywood thanks to his role in the first season ofHouse of Cards, before being the bad guy inAnt-Man.He even came back to Marvelas MODOK to appear inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
6Kate Sacker
Kate Sacker (Dola Rashad) started as Chuck Rhoades’s protégé at the District Attorney’s office, but over the years, she went to the dark side and is now working for the enemy, AKA Mike Prince Capital, who saw her potential. Sacker is ambitious, and her motivation is to get into politics in the future (she wants to be the first Black female President), but she also works every hour of the day and is smarter than most characters in the show, even if she morally gets dirtier and dirtier as the seasons ofBillions go on.
5Charles “Chuck” Rhoades Jr.
WhenBillionsstarts, Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) is a US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who wants to send wealthy criminals who always get free because of connections and money to jail. In most TV series that would make him the honorable hero, but inBillions,things aren’t that black and white. Yes, he wants to put “Axe” in jail because he thinks he’s bent the law, but he’s also vindictive and jealous and wants him in jail because he works with his soon-to-be ex-wife, and feels “Axe” is part of the reason he’s divorcing. Ambitious, vindictive, with many psychological issues with his father, Rhoades is not your normal lawyer who gets the bad guys in a TV series.
When the show started, Giamatti was one of the biggest draws and that hasn’t changed. His fights with Damian Lewis, and then Corey Stoll are incredible, and the actor has never met a monologue that he doesn’t nail, making him the perfect actor forBillions.The Academy Award-nominated actor is one of the show’s best assets, and stars and has created a character like no other, as you never really want to root for him, even if he’s doing the right thing, while also making him sad, and making audiences feel sorry for him.
Related:Best Paul Giamatti Movies, Ranked
4Wendy Rhoades
Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) is the in-house psychiatrist and performance coach at Axe Capital. She’s also married to Chuck Rhoades, making her the connecting point between them in the first few seasons of the show. She’s a morally questionable character, as she uses all her psychoanalyst powers not to help her patients, but to make them better at trading, and earning money for the company.
Siff was noticed first by most as Tara inSons of Anarchy.Her character there was part ofsome of the most intense moments in that show, preparing her for the many twists and turns (and less bloody and murderous) that happen inBillions,especially in the continuous battle between “Chuck” and “Axe”, where both attempt to use her as a pawn, and she just doesn’t let them do so.
3Mike “Wags” Wagner
Mike “Wags” Wagner (David Costabile) is the life of the party, playful and fun, but under all that hedonism, is a man who knows how to get things done, is loyal to a fault, always wants to win, get richer, and is petty and vengeful. He is “Axe”’s number two, as they complement each other, letting “Wags” do what he does best, scheme, seduce, blackmail, and have the time of his life while doing so.
For those who first saw Costabile inBreaking Bad(he was part ofsome of the best seasons of the show), as the shy, weird, Gale, this role as “Wags” still surprises us, but it’s proof of the actor’s talents, as Gale and “Wags” couldn’t be more different if they tried. Maybe the only thing they share in common is their love for karaoke, and even then, their styles and selection of songs would never fit in a million years.
Related:Shows That Are Considered to Be Perfect
2Bobby “Axe” Axelrod
Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis) has always been the rock star of this show. Half the series is centered around his company, and his battles with Chuck are what made the TV series work for the first few seasons. He wants to win; he’s magnetic; he’s smart, and he can be ruthless, but he loves spending time with this team of misfits who only know about and want to make money. He lives in the gray (both morally, and especially legally), but looks so cool doing it that you want to be part of his team, quoting movies with him.
The actor left the show after his wife, Helen McCrory’s, death, so he could take care of their kids, but he’s back in the newest season. About whether his character has evolved since audiences last saw him,Lewis told TV Insider: “No, he hasn’t. Bobby found a way to make money from a major global conflict [the Ukraine-Russia war], and he’s doing business with a character you will enjoy seeing again. He’s an old-fashioned opportunist who is just out to make dough. If he’s the slightest bit likable, it’s because he enjoys the friendship of the group.”
1Taylor Mason
Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) is the best character inBillions.They started as a cold, analytical, intern, but it was evident from day one that they had been born for this job. So much so, that “Axe” made them CIO of the company very quickly, as he knew he had a star in the making. Since then, Taylor has evolved to a much more ruthless, capitalist character, but also one that can make emotional attachments and friends (they and Mafee being friends is still one of the best qualities of both characters).
Taylor Mason is not just a great addition to the show, but was also the first non-binary character played by a non-binary actor in an American TV series, and they have becomeone of the best LGBTQ+ TV characters of all time, as the fact that they are non-binary is not central to the character, but just one more quality in it, making for one of the most unique, creative, and interesting roles on TV.
