Malin Akerman not leaving Billions; could recur in season 5

Is Malin Akerman leaving Billions after four years as one of the pivotal characters? It was a question that was understandably raised, mostly because of news that the actress is set to enter pilot season and become available for other series roles. When that happens, it’s understandable to draw the conclusion that someone is getting set to wave goodbye to a role that they’ve been playing for a while.

As it turns out here, though, things are a tad more complicated than that. According to TVLine, Akerman will still continue on as Lara in the event the Showtime drama is renewed for another season, which is likely but not at the moment guaranteed. she will just recur instead of being a series regular, and her schedule will be worked out in order to ensure that she can take on the role however much she is able to, provided that she ends up landing another gig.

In some ways, you could argue that the series was moving in this direction — after all, Lara’s divorce from Axe was finalized at the end of season 3, so moving into season 4 itself we had questions about how she would be incorporated. She was always so much more than just a wife, but their marriage did provide a specific lens to view their story and their relationship.

Ultimately, we do have trust in whatever story Billions is going to be telling moving forward, largely because there’s no real reason to have any concern. We are talking here about one of the most popular premium cable shows, and also one that often feels like it is the most underrated. There is continually quite a bit that Billions brings to the table in terms of smart storytelling and various twists/turns, but much of it fails to get the attention that you would think it deserves from major awards shows, all things considered.

As for what we’d like to see Akerman do next, we do think that there are a lot of great comedies that would certainly be interested in taking on her talent — we always think that after you spend a chunk of time taking on a very specific sort of television, it’s fun to mix things up and take on a different challenge. We know from her past that she is particularly great in that genre.

Related News – Be sure to get some additional information right now on Billions, including further insight all about the future

What do you think about Akerman taking on a potentially-different role on Billions as we move into the next phase of the series’ run? Be sure to share some of your thoughts now in the comments, and stay tuned for more. (Photo: Showtime.)