Billions Season 6 kicks off with a reference to Mr. Big and Peloton

The New York Times

“I’m not going out like Mr. Big,” a character on the Showtime drama says early on in the Season 6 premiere, a reference to Chris Noth's character dying after a Peloton ride in the premiere of HBO Max's Sex and the City revival And Just Like That. It's pretty unusual for Prestige TV show to reference another on a rival platform. Billions' Season 6 premiere was surprise-released early Friday morning ahead of Sunday's premiere date. Like And Just Like That, Billions filmed a scene involving a Peloton. But producers say they wrote and filmed their Peloton scene early last year, months before Mr. Big's onscreen death. The line of dialogue about Mr. Big was overdubbed only recently in postproduction. Peloton said in a statement to The New York Times that the it had not agreed to Billions' use of its brand or intellectual property on the show, and that it had not provided equipment for the episode. “As referenced by the show itself,” the statement said, “there are strong benefits of cardiovascular exercise to help people lead long, happy lives.” Showtime did not immediately respond to The Times' question about whether Peloton was aware of the cameo before the episode's debut.