Stars on Screen
Back for ‘Billions’: Financial crime may not be the sexiest of subjects, but Showtime sure has found a way to make it compelling with “Billions,” the critically loved drama that returns for a third season in just a little over a month’s time.
With a new season comes new faces, and when “Billions” returns Sunday, March 25, an Oscar-nominated actor will be joining series stars Paul Giamatti (“Sideways,” 2004), Maggie Siff (“Sons of Anarchy”), Malin Åkerman (“Childrens Hospital”) and Damian Lewis (“Band of Brothers”) on screen.
After a nearly four-year absence, big-screen legend John Malkovich returns to the small screen in a recurring role when the third season premieres. His last TV outing was as the legendary pirate Blackbeard in the short-lived NBC series “Crossbones” that aired for a single season in 2014, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to build his already impressive portfolio of bigscreen Hollywood roles. Since then, he’s appeared in “Zoolander 2” (2016), starred in “Deepwater Horizon” (2016) and has been credited for his work both on and off the screen in more than a dozen other films.
In “Billions,” Malkovich plays a Russian billionaire whose connections to the show’s ongoing story are not yet known. Giamatti stars as Chuck Rhoades, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who’s trying to bring down a hedge fund king (Lewis) whom he suspects has been using insider trading and other illegal methods to grow his firm’s wealth.
It may sound dry on paper, but it’s anything but. It isn’t about the money here: it’s all about power, how it’s gained and how it’s used. “Billions” returns to Showtime with John Malkovich in a little over a month, Sunday, March 25.
‘Worst’ news: There’s good news and there’s bad news about “You’re the Worst,” the widely loved FXX comedy.The bad news is that the series has been officially canceled, but fans shouldn’t despair. The good news is that the cancellation won’t come into effect until one more season has come and gone.
In what isn’t really a surprising move, FXX has pulled the plug on the series that has never managed to become a ratings breakout, despite being widely loved by critics. Unlike with so many other shows that suddenly have the rug pulled out from under them, though, allowing the series a final season should allow it to come to a planned and satisfying end.
No premiere date has yet been announced for this fifth and final outing, but if the past four seasons are any indication, it will likely happen sometime this summer. “You’re the Worst” stars Chris Geere (“After Earth,” 2013) and Aya Cash (“The Newsroom”) as Jimmy and Gretchen, a pair of terrible people trying to build a relationship with each other despite the fact that they’re both incredibly cynical and self-absorbed. Desmin Borges (“Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” 2011) and Kether Donohue (“Pitch Perfect,” 2012) also star as their best friends.
Unlike a more traditional romantic comedy, “You’re the Worst” has never really dangled a “will they or won’t they” question concerning Jimmy and Gretchen’s relationship. Instead, the ongoing story has explored why and how two terrible people can come to realize that they’re perfect for each other.
It may never have attracted a huge audience, but “You’re the Worst” at least gets one final season before it rides into the sunset.
Sleuth on screen: Nancy Drew may be returning to television.The famous teenage detective came close to a TV return almost two years ago, and while that opportunity didn’t pan out, she’s getting another chance.
CBS passed on a potential series based on the iconic literary sleuth back in 2016 after its pilot episode wasn’t as strong as network execs had hoped, but the project hasn’t stayed dead, with NBC now working on its own interpretation of the source material. With the project still early in development, little is known about its direction or even if it will ever see the light of day; the major TV networks are
constantly developing potential new shows, and most of them never make it all the way to TV screens.
Nancy Drew is probably one the best known women in literature.The first Nancy Drew novel was published in 1950, and since then her stories have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold more than 80 million books. She featured alongside another pair of literary sleuths, the Hardy Boys, in the 1970s television series “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,” which ran for three seasons on ABC.The character has also appeared in a number of films, including 2007’s “Nancy Drew,” starring Emma Roberts.