8 Best TV Shows Like Billions

Airing on Showtime for seven seasons, "Billions" stars Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti and "Band of Brothers" alum Damian Lewis. Giamatti stars as Chuck Rhoades, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who is tasked with taking down the biggest white-collar criminals in the Big Apple. His biggest rival is Bobby Axelrod (Lewis), a hedge fund CEO who has managed to evade authorities for years while scheming his way into billions.

A daring drama that can be surprisingly lighthearted at times, "Billions" is about much more than corporate crime, as it also explores the hidden cost of crossing moral lines in the name of wealth and power. It peels back layers to reveal how even the best of us can be tempted by greed and avarice, making us victims of dark desires, while our own defenders are sometimes just as flawed as the criminals they chase; after all, Rhoades isn't always the upstanding do-gooder he'd like to believe.

If you're looking for something to fill the "Billions"-sized hole in your heart, never fear. Here are some of the best shows for "Billions" fans to check out next.

While most legal dramas deal with the violent side of the profession as prosecutors and defense attorneys face off in the courtroom, "Billions" takes another approach and focuses on white-collar criminals. Another, similar series with the same primary center of attention is "Suits," though this show is just as much about an internal battle as it is an external one. In "Suits," we're introduced to Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a savant with a photographic memory who accidentally hustles his way into a prestigious law firm despite having no law degree or experience.

The firm is led by the smooth-talking Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), renowned for his ability to close the toughest corporate cases. Together, Harvey, Mike, and the rest of the firm deal with cases of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud. But their relationship is constantly strained by Ross' desperate attempts to prevent anyone from learning that he's a fraud himself.

Thanks to a stellar cast that includes Gina Torres as ruthless attorney Jessica Pearson (who even got her own, short-lived spin-off), "Suits" is one of the finest prime-time legal dramas in recent memory. With its similar premise and riveting stories of corporate crime, it's the perfect companion series to delight fans of "Billions." And it will keep you busy, too, with nine seasons and two spin-offs, including the swiftly canceled "Suits LA."

"Billions" fans love tough but flawed legal eagle Chuck Rhoades, so if you're looking for a similarly complicated man at the center of a legal drama, the best series to watch is "Goliath." Like "Billions," it features a big-screen star in the leading role — in this case, Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton. The "Slingblade" star plays Billy McBride, a seasoned attorney at a prestigious law firm who leaves the profession in disgrace after a criminal he helps set loose kills an entire family.

When the series begins, McBride is at the bottom of a bottle, his wife has left him, and he's ready to end it all. But before he can, he's called back into service to help with a wrongful death claim. The case, however, pits him against his former colleagues at his old firm, and the firm's founder, Donald Cooperman (William Hurt), is dead set on destroying McBride's career and ending his return to the courtroom before it begins.

A story of one man's journey to redemption, "Goliath" is a very different kind of legal drama, one with a flawed hero and a grim tone. In short, "Billions" fans will find plenty of reasons to enjoy it.

Not every show with similarities to "Billions" has to be a legal drama, and "Mad Men" is the perfect example. It's the same kind of story, one about a ruthless man with a complicated past, someone so dedicated to being at the top of his profession that he's willing to step on just about anyone. In the case of "Mad Men," that man is Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a 1960s advertising executive who comes from humble means to become the most respected ad man in the business.

Set amid the unrest of the Civil Rights movement, the space race, and the Cold War, "Mad Men" revolves around the men and women at Sterling Cooper, a New York-based ad agency. But the real focus is on Draper, who has earned his way to the top of the company through his vision, grit, and determination. All the while, though, he's hiding a dark secret about his past that could destroy his entire life.

Praised for its impeccable writing, jaw-dropping twists, and edge-of-your-seat drama, "Mad Men" is about so much more than the ad business. It's the story of a troubled time when not everyone was equal, when men could cheat their way to the top and get away with murder. Winner of 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, "Mad Men" boasts one of the finest casts a TV series has ever seen and is possibly the best primetime drama ever made, though Hamm has dampened hopes for a sequel.

At the head of Waystar RoyCo, one of the most powerful media companies in the world with influence over both the press and entertainment, is billionaire Logan Roy (Brian Cox). Nearing the end of his life, the time is coming for Roy to name a successor, with four potential candidates — his children — all vying for the coveted spot. But the Roy heirs are at each other's throats, each hoping to secure the leadership position for themselves. Before long, they're caught up in existential struggles in a complicated world of finance and politics, with the company's future hanging in the balance.

One of the latest in a long line of premier television series to come from HBO, "Succession" is essentially "Billions," but with a few twists. The series scales back the legal drama, shifts the focus to the perspective of the exceedingly wealthy, and tosses in a darkly comedic tone that exposes the less-than-noble lifestyles of the rich — all changes that make "Succession" arguably even more compelling than "Billions." A celebrated series with an eye-popping 19 Emmy Award wins, "Succession" is a must-see for anyone looking for corporate thrills and big money spills.

Move the action from the boardrooms in "Billions" to the hallowed halls of Washington, D.C., and you'll get "House of Cards," a captivating political drama that set a new standard for prestige TV. But more than that, it reshaped the entire streaming landscape, as it was the first scripted series created specifically for Netflix, proving that investing in high-quality, original programming was the future of television.

Possibly the best political thriller ever made — on any screen, big or small — "House of Cards" centers on a power couple, Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife, Claire (Robin Wright), two unscrupulous figures who are willing to do anything to make it to the top. From dirty dealings in back rooms to the outright backstabbing and betrayal of their closest allies, the Underwoods' quest for power and control will stop at nothing.

A deep dive into a political system that seems to favor the amoral and easily destroys those with good intentions, "House of Cards" will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about American politics. 

Look across the pond for a post-"Billions" watch, and you'll find the 2020 series "Devils," a drama aptly described as a financial thriller. Airing on Sky in the UK, the series features an international cast led by American star Patrick Dempsey, of "Grey's Anatomy" fame, along with Italian actor Alessandro Borghi, Danish star Lars Mikkelsen, and Spanish actress Laia Costa.

A period piece of a sort, set not long after the 2008 financial crisis, Dempsey steps into the role of Dominic Morgan, CEO of the New York London Investment Bank, with offices around the world. Borghi plays Massimo Ruggero, the Head of Trading, and he's been earning the firm millions through savvy dealmaking on the speculations market. When he's caught up in a public scandal, Ruggero is passed over for a key promotion, and he soon comes to believe that there is more going on than what his corporate overlords are telling him. Before long, Ruggero uncovers evidence that there's a wider conspiracy at play that may even involve cold-blooded murder — and his boss and mentor, Morgan, appears to sit at the center of the scheme.

While audiences and critics were split on the series, "Devils" has proven itself a gripping thriller about what goes on behind closed doors at some of the world's biggest financial institutions. It doesn't have the high profile of a series like "Billions," but that just makes it one of the most underrated shows on this list.

Corporate dramas aren't uncommon these days, and one could argue it was "Halt and Catch Fire" that sparked the current trend. Premiering in 2014, the AMC series told a fictionalized story of the burgeoning computer industry in the early 1980s. "Halt and Catch Fire" is set at the headquarters of Cardiff Electric, an up-and-coming software company that's clearly inspired by companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Apple and believes it has what it takes to challenge the dominance of the industry's biggest powerhouses.

The series stars Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan, a former IBM employee who joins Cardiff Electric with a plan to create a new computer that can rival his previous employer's. Like Steve Jobs, MacMillan is a marketing and sales expert, not a technical genius, but he believes that his brilliant strategies can give Cardiff Electric an edge over the competition. But he's also a power-hungry sort, willing to manipulate and scheme to get people to do what he wants. He has a ruthless attitude towards perfection, and his wrath can be equally brutal. The show follows him as he assembles a team of bright young minds, led by Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis), whose technical genius may be the key to unlocking his ideas.

Like "Billions," "Halt and Catch Fire" is all about how power corrupts and the complicated nature of business, a world where doing the right thing isn't always the right thing.

HBO's "The Newsroom" takes an unscrupulous world like the one in "Billions" and transports the drama into the morally questionable realm of the news media. The series hails from the mind of Aaron Sorkin, the man behind TV dramas like "The West Wing" and films like "The Social Network," meaning he's an expert in dramatizing the behind-the-scenes goings-on in high-level political and corporate environments. This time, he set his sights on the drama-rich world of cable news.

Jeff Daniels stars as Will McAvoy, a TV anchor and editor of the hit cable news show, "News Night." Though he hosts a right-leaning show, McAvoy tries his best to show both sides of the issues, but his approach is called into question when a new producer arrives with bold plans to overhaul things. This new producer isn't some outsider; it's McAvoy's own former flame, MacKenzie Morgan McHale (Emily Mortimer), better known as Mac. Suddenly, McAvoy finds himself fighting for his show while navigating politics in both D.C. and his own newsroom.

"The Newsroom" explores the unexpected power dynamics that can shift like the wind at a major media conglomerate. Like "Billions," the series will have you rethinking your view of an entire industry, questioning how those you thought were guided by principles of integrity and fairness can be influenced by greed as much as by a desire to inform.