Introducing Taylor Mason: Billions and the first non-binary character in a mainstream U.S. television series

Until 2017, the visibility of non-binary people in U.S. television was non-existent. While gender minorities called for more representation, in most media their presence remained largely unacknowledged. The first mainstream U.S. television series to feature a non-binary character was Showtime’s Billions with the introduction of Taylor Mason in the second season (Boisvert; Dowling; GLAAD “Where We Are”). [open works cited in new window] In itself a turning point for non-binary visibility, this addition comes across as even more radical given the series’ setting and conventions verging on a pastiche of Wall Street macho theatrics. To establish how the series positions a non-binary character within this context, I use close textual analysis to examine the first two episodes featuring Taylor Mason.