Showtime to stream the Billions premiere for free on January 1

By William Hughes | December 29, 2015 | 8:51pm

Aux Features TV

Because nothing eases the pain of a post-New Year’s Eve hangover like Paul Giamatti screaming in your ear about credit default swaps and hinky mortgages, Showtime has announced that it’ll be putting the premiere episode of its new financial drama Billions up for free online on January 1. The new series—which stars Giamatti as a spit-fleck-lipped U.S. attorney attempting to bring down a billionaire lizardman played by Homeland’s Damian Lewis—will stream pretty much everywhere, including YouTube, Facebook, and Sho.com, as the network attempts to cultivate some sexy interest in a series focused on insider trading, steely glares, and—if the trailer is anything to go by—a little bit of Paul Giamatti BDSM.

Billions won’t be alone in its New Year’s sojourn, either; the network is also tossing the sixth season premiere of Shameless online, if only to make whatever resolution-shattering indiscretions its viewers got up to the night before pale in comparison to the Gallagher clan’s continued self-destruction. The internet-averse, meanwhile, will have to wait for January 10 and 17, respectively, to see the Shameless and Billions premieres air on the network proper.