The Hidden Detail You Missed In Billions

From its very first episode, "Billions" dove head-first into the cutthroat worlds of hedge fund investing and insider trading. Most of its characters are — as the show's title suggests — successful billionaires, financial titans, or legendary legal sharks. As a result, "Billions" has more than its fair share of strong personalities, but that's always been one of its greatest strengths. Indeed, the Showtime series has always done a good job at defining its various characters through their attitudes, reputations, and goals. Over the course of the past five years, "Billions" hasn't ever let its characters stray too far from their established personalities and beliefs either. The consistently fun and charismatic performances from its lead actors — including Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, and Asia Kate Dillon — have only further helped the show stand out from the crowd.

But the creative team behind "Billions" hasn't just relied on the talents of its writers and actors to sell the authenticity of its characters — they've also used the production design of certain sets to do some of the work.

One of the great joys of watching "Billions" is seeing how its characters' personalities and social standings are reflected by their environments. Paul Giamatti's Chuck Rhoades is seen frequently operating in rooms and buildings that feel closed off and more old world, while Damian Lewis' Bobby Axelrod moves through offices and spaces that boast more modern, open, and sleeker designs. Those environments not only make sense for the characters, but also help to visually differentiate them from each other. If someone really wants to know just how deeply the "Billions" writers have developed the worlds and personalities of the show's characters though, they don't need to look any further than the characters' bookshelves. As pointed out by OSSA Movies, viewers can actually see (by looking closely enough) that the books that fill the shelves of Wendy (Maggie Siff), Chuck, and Bobby's offices aren't just set decoration. The books are also specifically chosen by the show's crew to make sure they make sense for the characters to own.

That means many of the books in Wendy's office are about psychology, while the books in Chuck's office focus on politics. While the average "Billions" viewers may not ever have noticed that detail on their own, it only serves to further prove how rich and authentic the show's creators have made the world of "Billions" and the lives of its characters.