And Just Like That… apparently started a new trend: Peloton bikes causing heart attacks for fictional characters on our television screens. Because in the premiere of the new season of Billions, which just aired on Showtime, a character has a heart attack after a Peloton workout. Just like Mr. Big.
It feels as though it was years ago, but it was only last month when the Sex and the City revival And Just Like That… killed off Big (Chris Noth), who had a heart attack after working out on a Peloton. After Big dies in Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker’s) arms in the premiere episode on HBO Max, the fitness company, famous for its stationary bikes, started trending online.
The plotline soon spawned its own news cycle as Peloton responded to the suggestion that a workout on a Peloton bike could kill someone by saying its bikes promote cardio-vascular health and, thus, did not cause Big’s death. Peloton also claimed that while it was aware its product would be used on the show, it did not know of specific plot details. Following the episode, Peloton made an ad featuring Ryan Reynolds and Chris Noth, which it subsequently pulled after Noth was accused of sexual assault in a report published by The Hollywood Reporter.
And then, during the season-six premiere of Showtime’s Billions on Sunday, January 22, a main character on the show has a heart attack after riding a Peloton bike. Wags (David Costabile) begins to feel chest pain after a Peloton workout. Sound familiar? Yeah—but unlike Big, Wags survives. The character even references And Just Like That…, saying, “I’m not going out like Mr. Big.”
The line referencing Big was added to the Billions season premiere in post-production, according to executive producers who spoke to The New York Times. The episode, however, was written and filmed prior to the premiere of And Just Like That… in December 2021, so the parallel plotlines are purely coincidental. Billions simply took advantage of the And Just Like That… uproar and added in the topical joke.
As for Peloton, the company made a statement on social media after the Billions episode aired. “We get TV shows want to include Peloton to get people talking, but to be clear, we did not agree for our brand or IP to be used on Billions or provide any equipment. As the show itself points out, cardio-vascular exercise helps people lead long, happy lives.”
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What’s the next show to kill off a character—or nearly kill off a character—using a stationary bike? Only time will tell.
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