Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti explain why ‘Billions’ Season 2 is more relevant than ever

When Billions first aired on TV in January 2016, the main takeaway was that in the hunt for power and money, you sometimes have to break a few rules. It was a Machiavellian world set on the stage of a more familiar Wall Street.

But that was way back when that world was just good TV. But fast forward to January 2017, when Donald Trump's presidency is surrounded with accusations of conflicts of interest at every turn.

Billions plays a zero-sum game between a power-hungry billionaire (Homeland star Damian Lewis) and an ethically questionable U.S. attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti).

We caught up with Giamatti and Lewis to get their take on how they adapted their characters to the seismic shifts in American politics.

The series is back for a second season on Showtime, and aired its first episode on Feb. 19. It premieres in the UK on Feb. 21.

And the timing couldn't have been better. According to Andrew Ross Sorkin, the creator of the show, Billions understands the culture that creates business people like Donald Trump.

"In the age of Trump — the culture of money and power — and trying to understand the cross-currents that motivate these men (and some women) to seemingly always drive for 'more' has become central to our national conversation. And those themes have always been central to the show," Sorkin told Axios.

If your interest is peaked, here's the official Season 2 trailer:

Billions starts 21 Februrary at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.