By Rick Gables
Hit drama series BILLIONS makes its season five return to SHOWTIME with all new episodes, premiering Sunday, Sept. 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series stars Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy winner Damian Lewis. In the second half of season five, the presence of powerful billionaire Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) sends ripples through Axe Capital and gives Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) a potential new weapon in his fight against Bobby Axelrod (Lewis). Alliances form, get ripped apart, and form anew, and everyone from Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) to Wendy (Maggie Siff) gets roped into the conflict, which comes very close to destroying all they hold dear. The series also stars David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Kelly AuCoin and Jeffrey DeMunn. Janeane Garofalo will guest star as Winslow, the hip owner of a legal cannabis corp.
ABC will air the Country Music Association’s CMA Summer Jam on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Filmed amidst the Nashville skyline at the open-air Ascend Amphitheater, the three-hour, artist-curated primetime special will feature individual performances and collaborations from more than 20 of the biggest stars in country music. Artists featured will include Jimmie Allen, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and Dwight Yoakam. Additional performances featured in the primetime special will include Bentley with BRELAND and HARDY live from Bentley’s Whiskey Row nightclub on Broadway, Eric Church from the center of the city’s John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge overlooking the Cumberland River, and Darius Rucker taking the outdoor stage at Nashville’s brand new Fifth & Broadway complex downtown.
The Food Network will premiere its new competition series Raid the Fridge on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Four professional chefs battle each other to turn ordinary items from mystery refrigerators into top-notch dishes. The series is hosted by comedian, actor and food podcast host Dan Ahdoot, After three rounds of cooking, challenges using only the mix of fresh ingredients, packaged items and leftovers from their chosen refrigerator, judges Jordan Andino and Jamika Pessoa determine which chef wins a fridge full of $10,000.