Rent Billions (2016 - 2023)

Overlong, bloated convoluted series about big money, finance and trading - Billions review by PV

Some viewers gush about SUCCESSION - me, I lasted half the first series, then stopped watching, - very rare for me to do that. Just not for me.

Why? Because unlike many it seems I am not obsessed or fixated with the super-rich. I am just not, I did not watch Dallas or Dynasty on TV either.

This has good bits to it, the finance scenes, the amoral money men. AND we always love a baddie. I am not a fan of Damien Lewis in general but his character here is well drawn with a Gatsby-esque backstory.

I just do not believe the backstory of the govt lawyer character Paul Giamatti or the depiction of his wife in her job (no spoilers). Honestly that is not realism or believable and would never be allowed.

I dislike the personal stories and backstories,. Like most TV drama now we have the obligatory 'strong independent' female characters taking up too much screen time arguably, and this is often done via wives and girlfriends of financiers (as the world of trading is very VERY male, most maths/economics graduates male too, the way it is).

SO as in The Sopranos we have the female counsellor subplots etc. That is all flab and makes this too long- it really could be a 6 part series or even 4 part, so it is all a bit waffly and bloated.

I was 50/50 about whether to bother with the 2nd series.

For a great film on finance watch the movie MARGIN CALL which is brilliant and does all this series does in just 2 hours.

For a decent tense series on corruption, watch HOUSE OR CARDS - UK version or US version (until the great Kevin Spacey was kicked out).

3 stars.