by Thinus Ferreira
Futurama and Billions have released new trailers with the animated series that is back after a decade, while Damian Lewis is returning to his role of billionaire Bobby Axelrod for the final Billions season.
Billy Axelrod who left for Switzerland returns for the upcoming 7th and final season of Billions, seen on M-Net (DStv 101) and starting 13 August in the United States, says in the trailer "I'm back now, and I'm wide awake".
According to Showtime's official logline for the final season "alliances are turned on their heads and old wounds are weaponised. Loyalties are tested. Betrayal takes on epic proportions. Enemies become wary friends. And Bobby Axelrod returns, as the stakes grow from Wall Street to the world."
Besides Damian Lewis who left at the end of the fifth season and is coming back, returning cast members in Billions' final season include Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Dola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Sakina Jaffrey, Daniel Breaker and Toney Goins.
Although Billions is ending, Showtime announced that is in active development of several possible spinoff series for the Paramount+ video streaming service.
Millions will follow "diverse, thirtysomething financial mogul wannabes doing whatever it takes to make in in Manhattan" while Trillions will be based on "fictional stories of the richest people in the world - titans of industry living all over the country but coming into contact and conflict with one another".
Billions: Miami revolves around the world of private planes in Miami, Florida while Billions: London is set in the United Kingdom's financial world.
Back to the Futurama
The beloved Futurama, gone for a decade, is getting a "Hulurama" revival on the Hulu video streaming service in July, which means the new 8th season of Futurama will very likely show up on M-Net (DStv 101) for South African viewers. UPDATE 3 July 2023: Nope, it's going to Disney+ in South Africa.
While the previous seven seasons of the Matt Groening animated series which ended in 2013 were acquired by M-Net when it was distributed by Fox, Futurama is now part of the Disney contribution to Hulu which sells to M-Net.
The Planet Express crew are back in season eight after they have been cryogenically frozen, with the majority of the original voice cast including Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman once again lending their voices for their characters like Fry, Leela and Bender.
The 8th season will have 20 episodes, released in two batches of 10 episodes.
"After a brief 10-year hiatus, Futurama has crawled triumphantly from the cryogenic tube, its full original cast and satirical spirit intact," the show says in a press release.
"The 10 all-new episodes have something for everyone. New viewers will be able to pick up the series from here, while long-time fans will recognise payoffs to decades-long mysteries - including developments in the epic love story of Fry and Leela, the mysterious contents of Nibbler's litter box, the secret history of evil Robot Santa, and the whereabouts of Kif and Amy's tadpoles."
"Meanwhile there's a whole new pandemic in town as the crew explores the future of vaccines, bitcoin, cancel culture and streaming TV."
