Damian Lewis leaves “Billions” ahead of season 6

He collapsed from the series.

After five electrifying seasons, Damian Lewis is stepping down from his role as titan of venal finance Bobby Axelrod in Showtime’s “Billions”. The bombshell comes after the showrunners announced that season 6 of the financial drama will air on January 23, 2022. The network also released a one-minute trailer.

“What an incredible joy to spend five years working so closely with the great @lewis_damian! ” tweeted ‘Billions’ executive producer Brian Koppelman following the departure of the 50-year-old actor. “@DavidLevien and I’m more than grateful to you, Damian, for the work, of course, and the fellowship, and for all that you’ve sacrificed to come and do it with us.

The Emmy winner’s ride at sunset matched Axelrod’s farewell on the show. At the end of the season 5 finale, titled “No Direction Home” and aired on Sunday, the hedge fund shark was on the run in Switzerland after fooling New York Attorney General Chuck Rhoades (Emmy winner Paul Giamatti) into ceding its assets to billionaire rival Michael Prince (Corey Stoll).

The final episode ended with the tycoon admitting defeat, musing, “Wow. So that’s what it’s like to lose.

And while the conclusion remained somewhat open, Lewis said his fan favorite character has closed his account for the foreseeable future.

“There might be an opportunity for me to come back,” the “Band of Brothers” actor told The New York Times of his release. “But for now, generally speaking, Ax has been defeated.”

The appalling TV announcement follows a personal tragedy: Lewis’s wife, acclaimed “Peaky Blinders” actress Helen McCrory, died of cancer at the age of 52 last April during the production of the fifth season.

The coronavirus pandemic also forced Showtime to postpone Season 5 for an entire year, ultimately releasing it in two parts. In fact, the ‘Homeland’ alum has filmed large portions of the second half of the season from his UK home due to COVID concerns.

It’s unclear what the sixth season of “Billions” will involve; However, a recent teaser suggested that Rhoades would now face Prince for ruining his chance to put Ax in jail.