TV Show review
January 17, 2016 · TV-MA
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Billions follows the intense rivalry between tough U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades and sharp hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod as they fight for power and money in New York’s finance and legal worlds. The series explores greed, ambition, loyalty, and moral gray areas through clever schemes and personal conflicts. It adds a visible identity element with Taylor Mason, a non-binary financial expert whose they/them pronouns and gender are openly accepted and defended by main characters starting in season two. Some viewers later complained that progressive themes grew stronger in later seasons while the core story stayed focused on business battles.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Billions.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent non-binary character Taylor Mason (they/them) is introduced as a top talent and normalized by leads; visible milestone but fits the story world.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional gender discussions around Taylor and real-world political shifts appear, but the show avoids direct partisan lectures or heavy messaging.
Identity-driven story themes
Taylor’s arc includes identity elements yet centers on ambition, loyalty, and finance skill rather than identity as the main driver.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The series examines corruption and power abuses in finance and government with some focus on male environments, but it shows flaws on all sides without modern activist systemic framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Clear online fan backlash on Reddit and YouTube targeted Taylor and later seasons as “woke,” though mainstream coverage stayed mixed rather than explosive.
Creator track record context
Co-creators Koppelman and Levien introduced the non-binary character amid cultural awareness and Koppelman voiced left-leaning political views; Sorkin stays more neutral on business topics.
Production
