Brian Koppelman, Part 1

Impolitic with John Heilemann

Audacy | Puck

News, Politics

4.8 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 October 2021

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In which John Heilemann talks with Brian Koppelman, co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the hit Showtime series Billions. Heilemann and Koppelman discuss the genesis of Billions and why Brian was drawn to the world of hedge funds; the fifth season of the show (its finale aired on October 3) and the challenges posed by a months-long, Covid-imposed break in production; the feud between megalomaniacal financial titan Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and Machiavellian lawman Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), and why the addition of rival master of the universe Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) this season is central to the show's future—as Koppelman and his partner, David Levien, explore whether a "good billionaire" is a contradiction in terms. Making a drop-in appearance on the podcast, Billions co-star David Costabile talks about playing Axelrod aide-de-camp and fan favorite Mike "Wags" Wagner; Costabile's history with Koppelman, with whom he went to college; and the evolution of their relationship and Wags's character over six years on the show. Koppelman also reminisces about his early career in the music business and his discovery of Tracy Chapman while he was still an undergraduate; his decision to pursue screenwriting with Levien and their first film, Rounders; Koppelman's struggles with ADHD and the career setbacks he faced before the runaway success of Billions; and the new series he and Levien are making for Showtime, which chronicles the rise and fall of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Here everyone, John Hyelman here and welcome to Hell in High Water, my podcast for the
0:18.4	recount about politics and culture on the edge of Armageddon.
0:22.3	With big ups to my pal Rizza, the presiding genius behind the sound of Bhutan Klan, and
0:26.5	producer of our dope theme music.
0:28.9	As everyone around here knows, I am an in-better at and not quite indiscriminate, but fairly
0:32.9	promiscuous television enthusiast, scripted and unscripted comedies and dramas, police
0:38.1	procedurals and PBS documentaries early morning and prime time and late night limited series
0:42.6	and ongoing series, network, cable and streaming, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Paramount
0:48.4	Plus, even Apple TV Plus for fuck's sake.
0:51.7	I really am a hopped up, transdoubt, glassy eyed postmodern reincarnation of Chancel Garner,
0:56.8	eyes glued to the tube, spit.
0:58.6	Drubbling down my bib, saying pathetically, over and over, I like to watch.
1:05.4	But as everyone around here also knows, despite all of that, I will be the first to tell
1:08.2	you that all TV, and even all the TV that I watch religiously and relentlessly, is definitely
1:13.4	not created equal.
1:15.4	Oh yes, J.H. has his favorites, and although, like everyone else with half a brain, their
1:20.8	heads and whose taste isn't all in their mouths, I am dying for the start of season 3 of
1:25.3	Succession, the truth of the matter is that it's another show about the rich, the
1:30.7	decadent, and the depraved that I hold closest to my heart.
1:34.2	It's a show that airs on showtime, the network that gives my show the circus, its life, and
1:39.6	it's also a show co-created run by one of my dearest, sharpest, funniest and most culturally
1:43.5	omnivorous and switched on friends.
	...

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